Reviews (6)

5 1/2 stars for a wonderful movie from the heart...
John Schlesinger became famous as a polemic and very socially oriented director, but this is his Masterpiece of all times.

It is not a monumental movie and it is not a box-office smashing hit.

No. This is a far superior work of artistry, worked and reworked from the guts and above all, from the heart.

The story is very skillfully developed and has plot twists and turns as the classical masterpieces interpreted in this movie.

Yes, because it is a tale of two cultures: the Western and the Eastern. The western side is taken by a (Russian?) piano teacher, living in London (masterfully played by a magnificent Shirley MacLaine) and the Eastern is represented by a would-be
and reticent Hindi piano student.

Not only does Schlesinger tell us the story of the two and their passions and strives in life, but also gives us a whole palette of undertones in quite different social worlds.

Despite its length (slightly over two hours) the movie has never a dull moment or a static conversation. Emotions are fully and honestly expressed by all involved and never for a moment, one can feel he is watching a movie here.

Quite the contrary. All the characters play their parts so much to the hilt, that it "sucks" us in and doesn't let loose until the end credits roll.

I am not an emotional person generally, and many "tearjerkers" only make me crack up, so academic they are, but when I watched this movie for the first time in New York City at the Carnegie Odeon Movie Theater, I must admit I came out in tears and had to make an effort not to be noticed for that.

Not that it is particularly sad, quite the contrary. Despite some very dramatic moments, it is truly a wonderful comedy.
No the sadness comes out from the realism contained in the lives of the characters, in which we all could find similarities.

The dreams, the passions, the disappointments, the crime and punishment and finally, the absolute redemption are all very important factors in this excellent movie.

The music world is only a mask to show us a much deeper view on society as such. But the film is conducted by Schlesinger (the old fox) as an orchestra conductor, directing a symphony by Beethoven.

His baton is light but never loses out on a note. His conducting is comparable to the mastery of Herbert von Karajan. The only difference is that he waltzes with a camera.

If you want to discover a different movie from the same-o, same-o, then this is an absolute must see.

I personally laughed, cried, got concerned and was worried, was uncomfortable, then immediately relieved by pleasant surprises throughout the entire movie, but above all, it made me think about the similarities with my own world and this is probably why I learned to love this tiny masterpiece.

I just own the VHS version, but would like to plea the producers of the movie (Universal was the distributor, but the movie was a Cineplex/Odeon production) and all those who are involved in DVD production to finally decide to release a pristine copy, with a decent digital sound and a crisp image.

Of all the movies around, this one surely would merit an extra effort to digitalize it and therefore preserve it for posterity.

I can only recommend it. This movie is for all, although some scenes may be a bit difficult to understand by younger audiences, without an adult presence. But in reality, this is a naive suggestion, since it has to be watched by the entire family on a quiet movie evening around the living room.

You need some concentration though, to watch it. It is not a popcorn and beer movie. This is a movie for those who love to think.

Flawless piece of art!
Wonderful film with flawless performances! It is also one of the most underated films ever and it'll be a shame if it is not "preserved" on DVD format! This movie really draws you in and Shirley MacLaine was really incredible in her role as the eccentric passionate music teacher! I love this movie and can go on forever talking about it but I guess I will just end here and keeping my fingers crossed that they will release it on DVD!

A lovey film to be watched again and again
This movie made a Shirley MacLaine fan out of me. Madame Sousatzka is a flamboyant, eccentric piano teacher who struggles with her past as she seeks to make the best of her students. She is a stern but loving taskmaster as she teaches a young man not only about music, but about life. If for nothing else, the film is worth watching for an elegant dinner party scene in which teacher and student play a Schubert piece for four hands, amid what appears to be hundreds of burning candles. Subplots involve changes in the lives of the residents of Madame Sousatzka's aging but lovely apartment building and finding companionship in old age.

Huh?
I will concede that Shirley MacLaine's performance as the very charismatic piano teacher is extraordinary. Yet, how does one get around this ridiculous premise that centers on a fifteen-year-old piano prodigy, who has never played publicly before, debuting with the London Symphony Orchestra? This story could have been told in a more effective and believable way. The actual result was an extraordinary performance wasted amid fantastic claptrap.

This really was a moving movie!
This was a very inspirasional movie about a young Indian boy and his piano teacher who live in England. Madame Sousatska is a piano teacher who teaches the piano with the same methods that were her mother taught to her by her mother years before. She was a very good teacher, but after her first live performance, she was overcome with stage fright and played the wrong bars. She had been haunted by that experience ever sense then. When he becomes her new student, there are troubles between both people. She doesn't want him to make the same mistake she did years ago. He wants to play in public, while she doesn't want him to. This is a very moving tale. Shirley MacLaine's acting in this movie was one of her greatest. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

A beautiful film adaptation of my favourite book
"Far from the Madding Crowd" has been, since childhood, my favourite novel. I can't recall how many times I've read it! And this film adaptation is one of the finest I've ever seen. I've loved it, in it's own right, since I was a child too - it's a "piece of perfection" in my opinion.

The "Hardy Country" atmosphere is so evocatively represented by Nicholas Roeg's beautiful camera work and the main character's emotional states so finely played by the leads. Julie Christie portrays Bathsheba's pride and wilfullness perfectly, and equally well conveys her desperation and humiliation at the hands of Frank Troy. And what a performance from Terence Stamp! He conveys Troy's raffish charm and hidden vulnerability expertly. Who could forget that scene where he spurns Bathsheba over the dead body of his true love, Fanny? It must be one of the most powerful scenes in literature or film. When he says to Bathsheba: "She is more to me now, dead as she is, than you ever were, or are, or could be!" My god, fancy having something like that said to you!! How devastating! Then we have the intense and tortured Farmer Boldwood - Peter Finch in one of his finest roles. And, lastly, the gorgeous Alan Bates - the absolute personification of Gabriel Oak, leapt from Hardy's page into life!

I agree with most of the comments from other lovers of this film - it is a truly underrated masterpiece.

A MAGNIFICENT FILM...
This is a beautifully filmed, well directed film adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel of the same name. With a luminous, pouty lipped Julie Christie in the lead role of Bathsheba Everdene, and with Alan Bates, Terence Stamp, and Peter Finch, as the men in her life, how could the movie be anything but superb?

Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie) inherits a large country estate. There, she proceeds to act as few women in her day would. She insists on managing the estate herself, relying on her own god given talents. Smart, hardworking, and strong willed, she captures the attention of three would be suitors. Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), the handsome, strapping shepherd, with a penchant for animal husbandry and farming, is the one most suited for her. William Boldwood (Peter Finch), an older, wealthy, neighboring landowner, adores her and obsesses over making her his wife. Sgt. Frank Troy (Terrence Stamp), a hunky, rakish grenadier, knows opportunity when he sees it and sets about charming her, despite the fact that his heart belongs to another.

Now, why would author Thomas Hardy name the leading female character Bathsheba? Well, in Biblical times, Bathsheba made the married King David, the shepherd who slew Goliath, her love slave. So much did David desire her that he arranged to have Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, a soldier in his army, slain in battle. Ultimately, Bathsheba ended up with neither Uriah nor King David. The film parallels that Bible story in some ways and is somewhat prophetic for Bathsheba Everdene. What happens to her, as well as to each of the three men in her life, makes for an absorbing film experience.

First class production values and wonderful performances by the entire cast, make this a film to remember. Terence Stamp is perfectly cast as the charming and rakish Frank Troy, who would steal Bathsheba's heart, while his still belonged to that of another woman, Fanny Robin (Prunella Ransome). Peter Finch plays the role of William Boldwood with such rock solid intensity that the viewer knows that sooner or later something has got to give. Alan Bates is perfect as the ruggedly handsome, stalwart and steadfast Gabriel Oak. Prunella Ransome gives a heartbreaking performance as the tender and bereft Fanny Robin. Julie Christie is well cast as the independent and outspoken Bathsheba, giving a luminous performance that engages the viewer.

English folk songs pepper the film, adding to its period ambiance. Nearly two hours and forty minutes long, this film is a visual feast and highly entertaining. It is one that those who love period pieces will certainly enjoy.

A MAGNIFICENT PERIOD FILM...
This is a beautifully filmed, well directed film adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel of the same name. With a luminous, pouty lipped Julie Christie in the lead role of Bathsheba Everdene, and with Alan Bates, Terence Stamp, and Peter Finch, as the men in her life, how could the movie be anything but superb?

Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie) inherits a large country estate. There, she proceeds to act as few women in her day would. She insists on managing the estate herself, relying on her own god given talents. Smart, hardworking, and strong willed, she captures the attention of three would be suitors. Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), the handsome, strapping shepherd, with a penchant for animal husbandry and farming, is the one most suited for her. William Boldwood (Peter Finch), an older, wealthy, neighboring landowner, adores her and obsesses over making her his wife. Sgt. Frank Troy (Terrence Stamp), a hunky, rakish grenadier, knows opportunity when he sees it and sets about charming her, despite the fact that his heart belongs to another.

Now, why would author Thomas Hardy name the leading female character Bathsheba? Well, in Biblical times, Bathsheba made the married King David, the shepherd who slew Goliath, her love slave. So much did David desire her that he arranged to have Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, a soldier in his army, slain in battle. Ultimately, Bathsheba ended up with neither Uriah nor King David. The film parallels that Bible story in some ways and is somewhat prophetic for Bathsheba Everdene. What happens to her, as well as to each of the three men in her life, makes for an absorbing film experience.

First class production values and wonderful performances by the entire cast, make this a film to remember. Terence Stamp is perfectly cast as the charming and rakish Frank Troy, who would steal Bathsheba's heart, while his still belonged to that of another woman, Fanny Robin (Prunella Ransome). Peter Finch plays the role of William Boldwood with such rock solid intensity that the viewer knows that sooner or later something has got to give. Alan Bates is perfect as the ruggedly handsome, stalwart and steadfast Gabriel Oak. Prunella Ransome gives a heartbreaking performance as the tender and bereft Fanny Robin. Julie Christie is well cast as the independent and outspoken Bathsheba, giving a luminous performance that engages the viewer.

English folk songs pepper the film, adding to its period ambiance. Nearly two hours and forty minutes long, this film is a visual feast and highly entertaining. It is one that those who love period pieces will certainly enjoy.

A wonderful adaptation
This is one of the best screen adaptations of a Thomas Hardy novel. Only the British are capable of making these masterpieces. It's hard to describe this movie without exhausting all superlatives. It has a wonderful cast that can really embody the novel's characters convincingly. I really appreciated this. I read the novel before I saw this movie, and can't think anything that can come close to this novel as this movie. The latest adaptations of this novel can't quite compare to this gem. When would this movie be available on DVD?

I thought I'd give this a second chance....
...so I rented and watched it again -- and I was every bit as bored and unimpressed as I remembered feeling after having watched it the first time!

Having read this book more than once (it is my favorite Thomas Hardy book, and one of my favorite books of all time), and having seen both filmed versions, I have to say that this version (with Alan Bates, Julie Christie and Peter Finch) cannot hold a candle to the Mobil Masterpiece Theatre remake, released in 1998, with Nathaniel Parker, Paloma Baeza and Nigel Terry.

This Bates/Christie version was a great disappointment to me. Julie Christie was too old for the part of Bathsheba, did not fit Hardy's description of her at all, and has never impressed me as much of an actress -- an opinion which has only been substantiated by her high-school-calibre performance in this film -- a MAJOR casting faux pas! (and a slap on the hand to the makeup artist who made this supposed 19th-century character even more farcical by piling on the makeup until she looked like a Vogue cover girl, rather than the mistress of Weatherbury Farm).

Peter Finch's performance, as Boldwood, was admirable (actually the best of the film, in my opinion), but just did not elicit the strong feeling of empathy from me, as Nigel Terry did in the Masterpiece Theatre version. In all fairness, Finch did not seem to have as much screen time, so character development was lacking.

The greatest surprise to me, in regard to this film, was that I also felt the same about Alan Bates' performance as Gabriel Oak -- he just did not convey the emotions and the quality of Oak's character, as described by Hardy in the book, and I found his portrayal to be PAINFULLY bland and boring. He seemed as though he was reading his lines straight off a teleprompter -- emotion and warmth were virtually non-existent! (a STRIKING contrast to Nathaniel Parker's sensitive, powerful, heart-wrenching portrayal of Oak in the 1998 film).

Part of the blame would have to be shared by the director of this version -- the actors APPEARED to be acting, and neither they, nor the director, seemed to have a firm grasp or understanding of the explicit emotions and personalities of the characters, which Hardy had gone to great effort and detail to describe in the book.

I highly recommend to anyone who has seen only this version -- or to anyone who has never seen either version -- that you rent or buy the 1998 Masterpiece Theatre film, which is truer to Hardy's book (although some changes were made in that adaptation also, due to time constraints, it wasn't nearly as "choppy" as this one), and is a quality production in every way, and brilliantly acted, from the main players right down through the supporting cast. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

The first cinematic slacker, maybe?
A surreal comedy set during England’s swinging sixties. Tom Courtney is unbelievably funny as a working class boy unable to leave the safety of his family home and venture out on his own. He creates a fantastic world he retreats to when his daily encounters and unconventional actions get out of hand. Not even Julie Christie can drag him out into reality.
One of the most entertaining films in cinema history, Billy Liar is a universal character that has surely set the bases for many slacker characters in film since then.
The Criterion version of the DVD offers extras as opposed to the English version.

Visually delightful comedy with a twist¿
A young dreamer, Billy Fisher, lives a boring life in a small town of England. When he does not have to do anything he dreams of being someone in his fantasy world, Ambrosia. In the real world he has committed some petty misdemeanors and these are now about to catch up with him. In order to stay afloat, Billy has been forced to lie, but the lies have begun to accumulate and could slap him in the face at any moment. Thus, he is patching up his lies with other lies until he is so deep that there is no return. Billy also dreams of being a script writer for a famous comedian in London, but no one really believes him because he has been caught in his lies too many times. One day when an opportunity surfaces where his dream of script writing can become reality, he is put on a crossroads. Will he have the courage to see through it, or will he remain a dreamer? Billy Liar is an exceptionally fascinating story that is depicted with clever thoughtfulness, which leaves the audience with an extraordinary cinematic happening.

The Kitchen Sink Comedy That Still Makes You Laugh
"Billy Liar" was made in 1963 three years after my birth and I can just remember Britian being like this; but it is not just a nostalgia trip. This is a beautifully executed piece of film making works from the opening, when we see a nation's homemakers brought together by the BBC's "Housewife's Choice", to the end when the battered and degected Billy walks up the hill to his parents semi-detached house at the head of his make believe army.

In between we get to witness Billy's fantastic imagination at work vividly brought to life in mock news-reel form and the chaos of his real life as his past mistakes catch up and eventually overwelm him.

The central problem Billy faces is one that most if not all young people experience at some time; the desire to do something great and become important and the feeling that they are being constrained and inhibited by the older generation's lack of vision.

It is not easy to distinguish who is responsible for what. The writers Wallis Hall and Keith Waterhouse obviously deserve a great deal of credit as they also wrote the novel and stage play but John Schlesenger's direction and the superb cast bring the film to life.

Schlesenger came from a BBC television background and the opening sequence as well as the Danny Boon character seem very authentic. Danny Boon, played by Leslie Randall, is the type of British comedian that used to and in some cases still does, present game shows on television in the UK complete with irritating catch phrases and over fimiliarity with middle aged women. Intrestingly Wilfred Pickels, who plays Billy's father, was previously best known for his radio quiz show "Have a Go" but he is now best remembered for his roll here.

The great dicovery of the film has to be Julie Christie who breezes in and sweeps all before her checking her make-up in a C&A mirror (their last store closed in the UK this year) and swinging her handbag as she walks down the street. But it is her scenes with Tom Courtney's Billy where she comes alive. Although the makers regard her as fantacy figure in fact she is the only one who accepts him for what he is and offeres him a means of escape. The fact that he can't quite go through with it tells us so much about the diffidence that is at the centre of Billy's personality.

Criterion have given us an eccellant quality DVD with a superb director and leading actors commentry as well as a BBC documentary that puts the film in it's context of the British Kitchen Sink dramas that started in the late 1950's and echoes of which are still present in films like "The Full Monty" and Billy Elliot. Watch and enjoy.

Engaging, Entertaining, Thoughtful, Cinematic
I am full of admiration for Schlesinger's film. It stands in a tradition of many great British movies that managed to make something truly cinematic out of stage material (another outstanding example would be David Lean's 1945 'Brief Encounter').

The film follows a young man of 19 by the name of Billy Fisher. In the small Yorkshire town of Stradhoughton (fictional I am sure), Billy copes with the mundanity of everyday life by creating for himself an inner world of fantasy to which he retreats continually. Courtenay is superb as the perpetual liar and daydreamer, and the supporting cast is equally excellent. Denys Coop's photography. Is reminiscent of the French New Wave, particularly the opening scenes which echo the opening of Truffaut's 'Les 400 Coups,' the beautiful scenes of Julie Christie as she skips her way through the streets, and the final shots of Billy's street which have a 'cinema verite' look. The editing, especially in the fantasy sequences, brings a uniquely cinematic dimension to what could have easily been done in a more cliched style.

Schlesinger presents a very moving, and very human, fable. Towards the end, as Billy marches through the empty streets, humming the last post, following the death of his grandmother, there is a real air of pathos. Similarly, we get interesting insights into the character of Billy as, waiting to board the train to London, he clutches two cartons of milk to his chest, a touching maternal symbol. Again, there are clear echoes of the scene in Truffaut's 'Les 400 Coups' in which the young Antoine Doinel steals, having run away from home, steals a bottle of milk from a doorway.

This is not to say that the film is an incredibly sophisticated look into characters and personalities, but it touches upon some very human and profound moments. This is also a tremendously witty film, not losing on iota of the humour and irony of the original book by Keith Waterhouse (and subsequent stage play co-authored by Willis Hall). There are scenes of laugh-out-loud hilarity, and many of Billy's fantasies will strike a chord with many of the more imaginative of us, perhaps making us uncomfortable as we see a reflection of ourselves, albeit on a bigger scale.

CINDERELLA
John Schlesinger's BILLY LIAR has just entered the DVD market thanks to Criterion. A superb widescreen copy, english subtitles, a commentary by John Schlesinger and Julie Christie (not very interesting), a theatrical trailer and a 15 minutes excerpt from a BBC serie about british cinema (very interesting) are offered as bonus features.

Tom Courtenay is William Fisher, a young man with problems. He doesn't like his job as a funeral furnishings employee, he still lives at his parents's home and spends a lot of time lying to his two girlfriends. In order to quit for a while his everyday life, he has created an imaginary world - Ambrosia - that has got some resemblance with the South or Central America bananas republics of the sixties. He is the leader of this country and people adore him. In short, he is an escapist.

BILLY LIAR has been shot partly on location, partly in studio and I often had the feeling to watch two different movies on the screen. Like Billy. The destructions of buildings shown throughout the movie add to the strange impression that a world is collapsing. When Billy meets Liz, played by a terrific Julie Christie, he has the opportunity of his life to give some reality to his dreams because Liz is so real. Let's admire how John Schlesinger, in a french New Wave style, films her strolling in the streets. A great moment of cinema.

Comedy, social study or metaphor on the Cinema, BILLY LIAR can easily be seen at different levels and is, in my opinion, a valuable addition to your library.

A DVD zone Hillary. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

The first, and only, X-rated film to win a best picture Academy Award, John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy seems a lot less daring today (and has been reclassified as an R), but remains a fascinating time capsule of late-1960s sexual decadence in mainstream American cinema. In a career-making performance, Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, a naive Texas dishwasher who goes to the big city (New York) to make his fortune as a sexual hustler. Although enthusiastic about selling himself to rich ladies for stud services, he quickly finds it hard to make a living and eventually crashes in a seedy dump with a crippled petty thief named Ratzo Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman, doing one of his more effective "stupid acting tricks," with a limp and a high-pitch rasp of a voice). Schlesinger's quick-cut, semi-psychedelic style has dated severely, as has his ruthlessly cynical approach to almost everybody but the lead characters. But at its heart the movie is a sad tale of friendship between a couple of losers lost in the big city, and with an ending no studio would approve today. It's a bit like an urban Of Mice and Men, but where both guys are Lenny. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (83)

After Midnight
1969's Midnight Cowboy helped usher in a new era in filmmaking. The industry was no longer saddled with the studio's moral standard codes that did not allow nudity, cursing or violence and directors set out to depict life in graphic detail. British director John Schlesinger's first American film adapted the novel of James Leo Herlihy and follows the paths of two lowlifes living in New York City. Jon Voight appears in his star-making role of Joe Buck, a dreamer who comes to New York from Texas to live what he thinks will be the easy life as a gigolo. He quickly finds out hustling isn't as easy as he'd thought it would be when he actually ends up paying for the first trick he turns. He then runs into Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, a sickly, gimpy con man who swindles money out of Joe. Ratso is played by Dustin Hoffman who fulfilled the promise he showed in The Graduate with a gritty, gutsy performance. Ratso takes pity on Joe afterwards and invites him to stay in his apartment, which is actually in a condemned building. They try to eke out a living and Joe actually gets his first legitimate customer who takes him to a weird, psychedelic party. This scene is dated with its counterculture imagery, but it doesn't detract from the power of the film. Ratso's illness is too far gone for him to survive the New York winter, so Joe in one act of selflessness turns a homosexual trick to get money for them to take a bus to Florida. The film is filled with what was at the time shocking sexual commentary and scenes that today are commonplace in films and even appear on television. The film received an X rating and became the only X-rated film to win the Best Picture Oscar. Mr. Schlesinger won for Best Director and Waldo Salt won for Best Adapted Screenplay. Mr. Voight & Mr. Hoffman were both nominated for Best Actor, but probably cancelled each other out and paved the way for John Wayne to win his only Oscar. Midnight Cowboy is no longer shocking by today's standards, but it is still a powerful and moving film and captures what the feeling of the New York underworld must have been like in the late sixties.

Who can ever forget Ratzo?
They look soooo young, Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Watching this film for the 2nd or 3rd time, I realize not only how old they are now, but also how old I must be!
Midnight Cowboy was really revolutionary for its time, but by today's standards it's kinda tame. Still, what a great flick. After all, it put Jon Voight on the map, and if it weren't for that signature move, where would we be today without Angelina Jolie, his daughter?
In the movie, Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, a naive dude from Nowheresville, TX, who goes to NYC with aspirations of being a gigolo. He quickly finds it difficult to make a go of it and ends up in a dump with Ratzo Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a crippled con man and thief who apparently has TB.
One of my favorite blips in movies of all times if Ratzo smacking the hood of a taxi and yelling, "I'm walkin' here, I'm walkin' here!" - not to mention the madman religious freak who turns his toilet into a psychedelic shrine to Jesus.
Basically, though, at its heart the movie is a pathetic tale of friendship between 2 lost losers. A film classic.

A STORY ABOUT THE TRUE FRIENDSHIP.
"Midnight Cowboy" is not easy to see. Even though it has lost a good deal of its original impact, this movie has visually striking scenes and powerful images. But underneath that though surface, "Midnight Cowboy" is a story about the unconditional friendship.

Joe Buck (played by Jon Voight) and "Razzo" Rizzo (played by Dustin Hoffman) are apparently the two more different persons in the whole New York City, but actually they share more in common than they and the audience think at the beginning of the film. Despite the fact that their origins are completely different, Joe and Razzo eventually understand that they only have each other in the tough Big City.

The song "Everybody Is Talking" is very good, and it is a great musical background to the gray streets of New York City. The director John Schlesinger never was known for finesse and subtlety, and this movie proves that he was a risky director. Jon Voight became well-known thanks to his portrayal of Joe Buck, and Dustin Hoffman portrayed a lovable loser with his usual skills.

"Midnight Cowboy" is a very dark film, but intelligent and influential at the same time. Perhaps some elements have lost their original impact, but still this is a powerful movie.

The crude crash against the reality
Midnight cowboy is a bitter and satirical story about the dreams and fantasies which turn around a smart boy village (Jon Voight) who thinks, he is the master of the world and so New York is another land to domain, but this will be a wrong choice as you can imagine.
Our boy goes to NYC and meets an outsider (Dustin Hoffman) who will feed his dreams. But the crude reality will show those men how far and wrong they are about New York as a promised land.
With surrealistic situations , the texan boy will experience slow but progressively, the dissapointment process , and his desired gigolo proyect will become in ashes ; and still yet ...
Well, Dustin is amazing as the uncommitmed street man, the locations in NYC look like a hell's preview; the sense of anguish and claustrophobia are notorius. Hunger, loneliness and hopeless will be his true colleagues in this nightmarish journey.
A well made fable about the dream and reality; the ancient myth of Eros and Psyque ; fantasy against imagination. A methaporical slap for those who still hope that NYC will receive you with open arms without any effort.
An extraordinary film who won the Academy Award and threw the gladiator actoral sand to Jon Voight.
Unforgettable and even recognized soundtrack even now.
Undoubtly the masterpiece of John Schlessinger and one of the most solid gems of the american cinema in any age.
A milestone.

Sappy & sentimental & so manipulative.
This contrived piece of sentimental quasi-gay Hollywood indulgence must really have titillated them back 35 or so years ago, same people who thought Hair was a racy musical. Jon Voight does a fine Elvis impression but Dustin sounds like he's doing a puppet act from an old radio show. I lived in NYC for umpteen years from the 50s on & never ever saw anyone who talked or walked like Hoffman does in this, except maybe outside Actors Studio on 45th street.

Great if too quick shots of Hubert's Museum & Flea Circus & other 42nd street nostalgia, though, makes it worth a couple stars anyway. ... Read more

Reviews (83)

After Midnight
1969's Midnight Cowboy helped usher in a new era in filmmaking. The industry was no longer saddled with the studio's moral standard codes that did not allow nudity, cursing or violence and directors set out to depict life in graphic detail. British director John Schlesinger's first American film adapted the novel of James Leo Herlihy and follows the paths of two lowlifes living in New York City. Jon Voight appears in his star-making role of Joe Buck, a dreamer who comes to New York from Texas to live what he thinks will be the easy life as a gigolo. He quickly finds out hustling isn't as easy as he'd thought it would be when he actually ends up paying for the first trick he turns. He then runs into Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, a sickly, gimpy con man who swindles money out of Joe. Ratso is played by Dustin Hoffman who fulfilled the promise he showed in The Graduate with a gritty, gutsy performance. Ratso takes pity on Joe afterwards and invites him to stay in his apartment, which is actually in a condemned building. They try to eke out a living and Joe actually gets his first legitimate customer who takes him to a weird, psychedelic party. This scene is dated with its counterculture imagery, but it doesn't detract from the power of the film. Ratso's illness is too far gone for him to survive the New York winter, so Joe in one act of selflessness turns a homosexual trick to get money for them to take a bus to Florida. The film is filled with what was at the time shocking sexual commentary and scenes that today are commonplace in films and even appear on television. The film received an X rating and became the only X-rated film to win the Best Picture Oscar. Mr. Schlesinger won for Best Director and Waldo Salt won for Best Adapted Screenplay. Mr. Voight & Mr. Hoffman were both nominated for Best Actor, but probably cancelled each other out and paved the way for John Wayne to win his only Oscar. Midnight Cowboy is no longer shocking by today's standards, but it is still a powerful and moving film and captures what the feeling of the New York underworld must have been like in the late sixties.

Who can ever forget Ratzo?
They look soooo young, Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Watching this film for the 2nd or 3rd time, I realize not only how old they are now, but also how old I must be!
Midnight Cowboy was really revolutionary for its time, but by today's standards it's kinda tame. Still, what a great flick. After all, it put Jon Voight on the map, and if it weren't for that signature move, where would we be today without Angelina Jolie, his daughter?
In the movie, Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, a naive dude from Nowheresville, TX, who goes to NYC with aspirations of being a gigolo. He quickly finds it difficult to make a go of it and ends up in a dump with Ratzo Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a crippled con man and thief who apparently has TB.
One of my favorite blips in movies of all times if Ratzo smacking the hood of a taxi and yelling, "I'm walkin' here, I'm walkin' here!" - not to mention the madman religious freak who turns his toilet into a psychedelic shrine to Jesus.
Basically, though, at its heart the movie is a pathetic tale of friendship between 2 lost losers. A film classic.

A STORY ABOUT THE TRUE FRIENDSHIP.
"Midnight Cowboy" is not easy to see. Even though it has lost a good deal of its original impact, this movie has visually striking scenes and powerful images. But underneath that though surface, "Midnight Cowboy" is a story about the unconditional friendship.

Joe Buck (played by Jon Voight) and "Razzo" Rizzo (played by Dustin Hoffman) are apparently the two more different persons in the whole New York City, but actually they share more in common than they and the audience think at the beginning of the film. Despite the fact that their origins are completely different, Joe and Razzo eventually understand that they only have each other in the tough Big City.

The song "Everybody Is Talking" is very good, and it is a great musical background to the gray streets of New York City. The director John Schlesinger never was known for finesse and subtlety, and this movie proves that he was a risky director. Jon Voight became well-known thanks to his portrayal of Joe Buck, and Dustin Hoffman portrayed a lovable loser with his usual skills.

"Midnight Cowboy" is a very dark film, but intelligent and influential at the same time. Perhaps some elements have lost their original impact, but still this is a powerful movie.

The crude crash against the reality
Midnight cowboy is a bitter and satirical story about the dreams and fantasies which turn around a smart boy village (Jon Voight) who thinks, he is the master of the world and so New York is another land to domain, but this will be a wrong choice as you can imagine.
Our boy goes to NYC and meets an outsider (Dustin Hoffman) who will feed his dreams. But the crude reality will show those men how far and wrong they are about New York as a promised land.
With surrealistic situations , the texan boy will experience slow but progressively, the dissapointment process , and his desired gigolo proyect will become in ashes ; and still yet ...
Well, Dustin is amazing as the uncommitmed street man, the locations in NYC look like a hell's preview; the sense of anguish and claustrophobia are notorius. Hunger, loneliness and hopeless will be his true colleagues in this nightmarish journey.
A well made fable about the dream and reality; the ancient myth of Eros and Psyque ; fantasy against imagination. A methaporical slap for those who still hope that NYC will receive you with open arms without any effort.
An extraordinary film who won the Academy Award and threw the gladiator actoral sand to Jon Voight.
Unforgettable and even recognized soundtrack even now.
Undoubtly the masterpiece of John Schlessinger and one of the most solid gems of the american cinema in any age.
A milestone.

Sappy & sentimental & so manipulative.
This contrived piece of sentimental quasi-gay Hollywood indulgence must really have titillated them back 35 or so years ago, same people who thought Hair was a racy musical. Jon Voight does a fine Elvis impression but Dustin sounds like he's doing a puppet act from an old radio show. I lived in NYC for umpteen years from the 50s on & never ever saw anyone who talked or walked like Hoffman does in this, except maybe outside Actors Studio on 45th street.

Great if too quick shots of Hubert's Museum & Flea Circus & other 42nd street nostalgia, though, makes it worth a couple stars anyway. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Cockroaches & Power Tools & Destruction, OH MY!!!
The seemingly charming, but sadistic, brutal, destructive & oh yeah... homicidal, Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) puts
yuppies-cum-landlords, Patty Palmer and Drake Goodman (Melanie Griffith & Matthew Modine) through their paces as they experience the WORST tenant in the history of landlord lore!

Carter Hayes, armed with power tools, garbage, his little cockroach friends, and the law on his side, are GUARANTEED to drive Patty and Drake out of their beautiful victorian fixer-upper that they have just purchased. It seems like Carter would like to pick up the house for himself and thus, tries his darndest to make Patty and Drake default on their huge mortgage.

Tippi Hedren, Laurie Metcalf and Dan Hedaya also star.

This is a great suspense filled movie with a "killer" ending. Michael Keaton is perfect in the role as Carter Hayes. He is one of the most flexible and versatile actors, playing good guys (Mr. Mom & The Dream Team), bad guys (Pacific Heights & Desparate Measures), cartoon characters (Batman & Beatlejuice), & a dying man (My Life).

This is a most excellent suspense film and highly recommended!

Happy Watching!

A must have thriller!
This is a must have for your average movie buff. Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith play a nice couple trying to rent out their spacious house to make the mortgage. Then along comes Michael Keaton who puts on a brillant performance as the well mannered/psycho Carter Hayes. And wastes no time at making their life hell so he can keep the house for himself. The directing is nicely done and pretty convincing. Keaton's performance is much like that of the movie "Desperate Measures." And so good you'll wonder if Carter Hayes could ever lose. Definitely a great flick!

Not what I expected.
It was about 8 years ago at least when I first seen this film. At that time I was young and I couldn't remember it, but I just bought it the other day. I watched it, and it was totally different from what I expected. I could only remember this film being very nasty and the villain (played by the excellent Michael Keaton) to be more scarier. Even though the film wasn't what I expected it was still good. Many people hate Michael Keaton's character in this, I can see why, but the character I more hate in this is Matthew Modine's. His character always treats Keaton's very badly in it, and he never treats him nice in it. The ending is quite tense (it was the only part I remember from when I saw it 8 years ago), a bity predictable, but it was good. The film can also try to be funny in places, it can be too.
So, you might not expect such a psychological thriller that much in this, but it does reach a point in the film where it does become psychological as it nears the end.

Beware Of Tenants Bearing Trust Funds!....
This review refers to the DVD edition(Warner) of "Pacific Heights".....

A really good thriller for me, is one that not only grabs me and keeps me in suspense the first time around, but one that keeps me on the edge of my seat on repeated viewings as well. "Pacific Heights" is one of those thrillers, that makes buying the DVD worthwhile, as I know this one will not be collecting dust on the shelves.

The very cool and respectable looking Carter Hayes(Michael Keaton) is new to San Francisco. He's looking for an apartment and his done his homework well. He's found the perfect place and has even taken the time to check out his landlords.Drake and Patty(Matthew Modine/Melanie Griffith) are the eptiome of Yuppiedom. Unmarried, but a couple, they bury themselves in debt buying the Victorian fixer-er-upper, that they will renovate and make a huge profit on when it's complete. In the meantime they will simply rent out the two apartments downstairs to help pay the bills. They should have done their homework as well as Hayes.

The smooth talking Hayes worms his way into one of the apartments and promises payment when his expected funds arrive, which of course will be very soon. It doesn't take long for Patty and Drake, as well as the other tenants, to discover the Carter is the tenant from Hell.He has a few social and psychological problems. He imposes a frightening presence and knows all the legal manuevers, and scare tatics to take over the house for himself. It's a journey frought with fear and suspense as Patty and Drake try to reclaim their home and their sanity.

A nice clear picture with good color is presented in widescreen. The Dolby Dig 5.1 Surround was excellent. The haunting score by Hans Zimmer, all background and surrounding sound effects, and the dialouge all came through beautifully. No special features on this one. It may also be viewed in French (2.0), but there are no subtitles in any langauge for those who may need them. There is also a short theatrical trailer.

Modine and Griffith are very believable as the beleagured and frightened but determined landlords. Michael Keaton pulls off this repulsive villain amazingly well. His versitility is unending.Directed by John Schlesinger("Midnight Cowboy"), it also stars Laurie Metcalf,Mako and Dorian Harewood. Also look for Dan Hedaya and a real special treat and rare appearance by Tippi Hedren.

Get the popcorn ready and don't watch this one alone! Oh and remember to always check refrences!.....Laurie

Is Anyone Home?
Drake (Modine) and Patty (Griffith) are the average, healthy, nonchalant couple who having just purchased their dream Victorian house in Pacific Heights, San Francisco; get themselves further into debt as they delightfully tend to both the interior & exterior of the residence to a surpassed point. Fortunately within days, one of the flats is rented by gentle elderly pair who, like Drake and Patty, are pushed to the limits by new resident, Carter Hayes who rents out flat No. 2.

A smooth operator in both person and when away, hypothetically on business, Hayes brusquely tears their lives apart in what would seem like revenge for something they seemingly did not commit. Asking candidly for their first instalment of rent from the now-missing Mr Hayes, Drake loses his temper and gets physical with the slippery weasel and ends up naively in police cuffs. With Drake away, Patty resumes regular duties in the house which alas results in a terrifying experience for the broken lovers. A few drill holes and clunking-around later, Drake attempts to access the flat, but when his master key fails to work on Hayes' new lock, Drake pulls a berserker and decides to cut off the tenant's gas and disconnects his electricity. Living on Squatters Law, Hayes & Co. takes as much as they can as quick as they can, until Drake & Patty uncover the brutal truth of their new inexplicable tenant.

Michael Keaton with one of his alien straighter roles, as was he a year earlier in Tim Burton's 'Batman', he acquaints us with another beguiling character from his mental library of personalities. Melanie Griffith is stupendous as the tormented wife and Matthew Modine as the everyday nonentity pushed to his individual limitations, is in an all-out performance in one of his more fashionable years when he also starred in the smash-hit war epic, 'Memphis Belle'. With no bona fide soundtrack, of course excusing the sporadic classical wipe over, the film breeds on its sinister sound effects of creaking floorboards and mechanical shrills from an assortment of industrial tools. Griffith must have thanked her lucky stars after the flop of the highly anticipated film from Brian DePalma, 'The Bonfire of the Vanities'. John Schlesinger brings an incredibly tight-knit story with menacing and suffocating direction that barley pauses for breath. One of his more finer recent pieces that only has the unbelievably underrated Richard Gere movie 'Yanks' to battle with in terms of best contemporary movie from his catalogue. A brightly written script by Daniel Pyne, with one of the most far-fetched productions by Scott Rudin and William Sackheim.

Includes an Alfred Hitchcock style cameo from British-born director Schlesinger as an elevator passenger as does Griffiths mother, Tippi Hedren as a millionaire charmed by Hayes. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

You're in the movie now.
A naive young art director played by William Atherton takes a job in a Hollywood studio in the 1930s and sinks into a bleak nightmare of crushed hopes and failed dreams. Nathanael West's novel reaches the screen with none of its impact diminished. Donald Sutherland's performance as a simple Midwesterner who falls in love with a venal bit player (Karen Black) is astonishingly good. Burgess Meredith is also good as Black's father, an ex-vaundevillian who struggles to make a living as a door-to-door salesman. Disturbing and fascinating, the film is brilliantly photographed by the great Conrad Hall and amply directed by John Schlesinger. It's a shame more people don't know about this film, and it's a shame that it hasn't yet been released on DVD.

unknown and neglected masterpiece
the day of the locust is a fascinating look at the people who go to hollywood and dont make it. it is brilliantly directed by the great john schlesinger ( midnight cowboy) but it was hated by the hollywood community itself for showing the seamy side of hollywood. when the acadamy awards presented the nominations that year this film was nominated for only one category (burgess merideth in a supporting actor role). the movie was clearly snubbed because it dared to show hollywood in this light and what a horrible light indeed. witness the disaster that takes place on a stage set that collapses because of shody materials or the incredible ending thats is one of the most night marish sequences ever filmed. richard atherton whom i thought would be a super star after this role is great as the new comer to hollywood who wants to be a set designer. he falls for a ditzy blond played very well by karen black whos carachter is so despicable and hatefull that we dont wether to be sorry for her or just hate her. donald sutherland is magnificent as the shy almost retarded rich man who holds in so much of his hate that your just waiting for it to explode ( of course it does). each scene unfolds so brilliantly under the direction of schlesinger that i would recommend it alone as a directors training guide on " how to direct a movie". why this film is not on dvd is beyond me. the film is a dark,brooding sad and powerfull story on human failure and dreams that can go wrong. it reminds me of something eric von stroheim would have done. in fact it is very much like his silent masterpiece GREED filmed in 1924. i have this movie on vhs but i cant wait for a dvd

Amazing film ..lousy and i do mean LOUSY DVD!
Oh my god the picture quality on this classic film is just horrible.
There is so much grain through out this film that I thought I was loosing my eye site. My VHS copy looks better!

There aren't any extra features on this dvd as well as 90% of Paramount home video's older films.

I am never buying another DVD from Paramount until they shape up with their releases.
:(

A movie like this deserves better treatment ...I feel robbed.

THE MECCA OF BROKEN DREAMS....
In the 1970's, a slew of films set in the 30's came out---evidently a vogue at the time. Two stand out in my mind. "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" and "Day of the Locust". "Locust" is a particularly corrosive portrait of 30's Hollywood based on the Nathaniel West novel. A young artist (William Atherton) comes to Hollywood and finds success as a scenarist for Paramount. He watches as people sell their souls for the Dream (whatever it is to them) and finally sees Hollywood turn into Hell. "Day of the Locust" won Oscars for Burgess Meredith (as a washed up vaudvillian) and the cinematography. But I thought John Schlesinger should have won for director as well. He paints such a nightmarish picture of a debauched and decadent 1930's Hollywood that you can almost smell and taste it. Donald Sutherland also should have won for his portrayel of Homer Simpson (yes, that's the name), a frighteningly insecure simpleton who becomes Karen Black's benefactor and lives to regret it. He's also the catalyst for the horrifying climax. Black is excellent as Faye Greener (the daughter of Meredith's character)---a callous, hopelessly star struck extra in films using anyone to get ahead...or to just buy her a Dream. Many familiar faces populate the film including Natalie Schafer as a Madam, Geraldine Page as Big Sister (an Aimee McPherson type evangelist), 70's disco artist Paul Jabara as a drag entertainer performing the Dietrich song "Hot Voodoo" and Billy Barty as...a midget. Atherton is superb as the artist and should have been a bigger star after this. Many disturbing images are here including a disgusting cock fight and the brutal murder of a child but even these upsetting scenes contribute to the fabric of the film...their impact is intentional. The DVD print is beautiful, you can see how this won for cinematography. The film is a bit long (144 min.) but not a scene is wasted. Highly recommended viewing all the way.

This movie will tear you up...
If you are an avid movie fan, then you probably know how it is to no longer have the ability to be tremendously affected by great movies, although you can still recognize their greatness. An example would be All About Eve. I have overwhelming respect for this film, but it has always left me relatively unmoved. Another example would be Dogville. I definitely could not bring myself to say that about The Day of the Locust, which is a massive artistic achievement, which speaks the truth, and speaks it directly to the heart. Truth is so rare today that when it hits you, it hits hard, and that is exactly what this film has to offer.

The Day of the Locust is inherently ambitious, and that is commendable regardless of how effective the final piece is. It is fortunate that all the artistic elements combined so seemlessly and movingly. The film, although it may not be readily apparent, is extremely well casted. Karen Black gives a career-best performance as Faye Greener, a creature so messed up inside that it is easy to love her in spite of her flaws, and that was just the mistake Todd (Donald Sutherland) made. In an ideal world, people meet and fall in love. But this is the dark, seamy, loveless side of Hollywood and the ability to love is all but forgotten (one could see parallels in our world today, that our world has in fact fallen prey to these loveless creatures, making the film ever more relavent), except in the heart of Todd who seems to be the hero of this rather tragic film.

There are many, many moments and lines that will make a kind of jarring imprint on your memory. One of the most horrific, nightmarish scenes occurs at the end of the film, when Faye is finally burned from Todd's memory forever, but, as we soon find, that loss is not too much of a bother for Faye...and that may just be the one great flaw of her character, and of Hollywood. There are no emotional attachments. There is no sincerity or truth. It is an illusion, a fantasy. Faye's heart was part of the illusion, for where it should have been was just empty space, compensated by an appearance that was all flashy and tinsel.

Sorry that is the best I can do to describe a film that defies accurate description or criticism--masterpieces always do, except by masterful writers. The DVD quality? Well, there are no extra features to speak of, but for the price I am very satisfied. The picture and sound quality are both excellent, and that is all that really matters.

Like another reviewer said, seeing this movie will leave you as emotional wreckage and you would be well-advised to take a day off to think about it. However, I disagree with the reviewer who urged depressed people not to see this. On the contrary, that this movie is depressing is only consequently, for it provides truth and, maybe if you look deep enough, answers. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This hilarious spoof on British costume dramas based on great literature stars Kate Beckinsale (Much Ado About Nothing) as a strong-willed, young woman named Miss Flora Poste, who finds herself orphaned and without means in the 1930s. Moving in with some half-savage relatives on a country farm, Flora is hardly daunted by their primitivism (as she might have been in a novel by Thomas Hardy) but instead takes charge and imposes hygiene, order, and good manners on the dirty, superstitious lot. John Schlesinger directs this brisk, infectious adaptation of the 1932 novel by Stella Gibbons. Beckinsale is wonderful, and the rest of the savvy, inspired cast perfectly send up a host of literary clichés. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Kate Beckinsale shines in this delightful comedy
Cold Comfort Farm is a wonderful mixture of offbeat characters and strange situations that make for some of the grandest comedy on screen in some time. If you think you won't like it because it's an English period comedy abandon that notion and dive in. This movie is one you will enjoy. The actors are perfect for bringing this off and it is a pleasure just to watch them tangle with this material. Ian McKellen and Rufus Sewell are particularly quirky as is Maria Miles as Elphine, but Sheila Burrel as Aunt Ada gets the best line: "I saw something nasty in the woodshed!" But the key character is Flora, played to perfection by the delectable Kate Beckinsale. It is Flora's good sense and practicality that master the situation and win the day. She sets the world right with her refusal to allow it to be otherwise. This mix of wacky characters needs the grounding of Flora to allow us a point of view and Kate Beckinsale establishes that perfectly. Ms. Beckinsale has done the kind of exceptional work here that we've come to expect from her. Get this video and get ready to laugh long and hard.

Quirky British humor, Emma meets hillbillies...
I watched this movie on the recommendation of a couple of frequent movie viewers. This film was fun to watch on a rainy Sunday morning. It was not profound, and while most of the characters have a happy resolution of their problems, the film will not appeal to all. If you are a Jane Austen fan and love Emma in particular, the film will appeal to you for three reasons - firstly, the heroine Flora Poste slings off Jane Austen quotes and references (beginning with her intention to write her "Persuasion" when she is 53); secondly, because Flora acts much like Emma in trying to improve and manage the lives of others (without being blind to her own true love); and lastly, because the heroine Flora is played by Kate Beckinsale (who will go to to play Emma in the Andrew Davis/A&E version, called Emma 3). There are also a number of other stellar actors, most notably Sir Ian McKellen (playing a hell-raising preacher) and Eileen Atkins (playing his sad-sack cousin/wife).

I have not read the book nor seen the 1971 version, and therefore can judge the film only by its own merits. While the film left me with a smile on my face, it also left me a little puzzled. What was Judith Starkadder's real problem, why does she feel the family owes something to Robert Poste's child, and what did Aunt Ada Doom see in the woodshed?

A brief plot summary: London society girl Flora Poste discovers that she has only 100 pounds a year, which will not keep her in stockings. She decides to write to her many relatives to see if one of them will take her in (this is the 1930s, I believe). Flora decides to go to the most interesting set of relatives - the Starkadder cousins on Cold Comfort Farm. The family are portrayed as hillbillies in the worst sense, completely wedded to tradition, dirty and ignorant, unwilling to reform (such as using a dishmop instead of twigs). [Warning: this depiction of British farmers of the 1930s may be offensive to some].
Flora arrives at Cold Comfort Farm to discover that the farm and the family are apparently cursed. The family seems to feel that it owes something to her as Robert Poste's child (this is never explained in the film) but her cousins deeply resent her. The cousins are Amos and Judith Starkadder (cousins who married), their sons Reuben and Seth (the latter a lusty young man who loves the talkies), and several others. Gradually, Flora changes the way in which her Starkadder cousins live (by cleaning up the house, beginning with her bedroom curtains), persuades nearly each member of the family to make some critical changes, and also brings about three marriages in the future. All this, while also dangling along a London-based "embryo parson" with his own airplane and a locally-based "writer" who fancies himself in love with her.

Quick summary: The film was entertaining as long as it is not taken seriously. There was an element of snobbery in the relations between the city people and the country people that I did not quite like (even if it is true of this period and of today). The depiction of the gulf between the "county" families and the farmers is hinted at, but made light of. However, there is enough interest sustained in the movie, aided with strong acting from Kate Beckinsale (Flora Poste), Sir Ian McKellan (Amos Starkadder), Eileen Atkins (Judith Starkadder), and Rufus Sewell (Seth Starkadder) that carries the viewer along. Recommended for lovers of Jane Austen, or for lovers of eccentric British films. Some crudity but not as much as in WITHNAIL AND I or the BLACKADDER series.

Farm house with a view....
Kate Beckensale might be best remembered for her role in PEARL HARBOR, but I first became aware of her in EMMA. I am very happy to see that CCF has finally been 'uncoupled' from the porm film one used to find for sale with it. I have been replacing my lazer disks one by one as films become available on DVD and had waited for a long while for this DVD.

The film is a gem. Joanna Lumley makes a rather brief appearance although she is pictured on the DVD cover. I suppose Universal Studios thought we Americans might recognize Lumley before Eileen Atkins, who also plays in this film although she was recently seen in COLD MOUNTAIN as the 'old goat woman' or Ian McKellen who played Gandalf in the Ring triogy, or Stephen Fry who played Jeeves in the JEEVES AND WOSTER series.

CCF is funny and sentimental in a British sort of manner. Who else but the British could envision the salvation of one of their own farm oafs as an offer from Hollywood to play in what undoubtedly will be romantic film productions. (Hey, we aren't all boobs who shoot from the lip!!). And, Joanna Lumley is superb as a slightly weird single girl who spends her down time fondling mannequins.

In spite of the tongue and cheek sexual innuendo, I think this film is suitable for family watching. The sly sexy humor is probably over the heads of most American kids. But what do I know, I don't watch American tv, I watch BBC America.

An affectionate, funny film
I saw this film soon after its 1995 release and thought it wonderful, all the more so because Kate Beckinsale's interpretation of Flora Poste reminded me very much of my oldest daughter. So I was pleased to see that it has finally come out on DVD; I bought a copy, watched it again, and still think it wonderful.

You should be warned that you may have a hard time understanding what some of the inhabitants of Cold Comfort Farm are saying. However, that's intentional and straight from the novel, where the accents and strange word usages often leave Flora puzzled. Here's an exchange (from the novel) that I believe is reproduced pretty much verbatim in the movie, when Reuben comes in after working out in the fields not long after Flora has started living at Cold Comfort Farm:

========
...After another minute Reuben brought forth the following sentence:

'I ha' scranleted two hundred furrows come five o'clock down i' the bute.'

It was a difficult remark, Flora felt, to which to reply. Was it a complaint? If so, one might say, 'My dear, how too sickening for you!' But then, it might be a boast, in which case the correct reply would be, 'Attaboy!' or more simply, 'Come, that's capital.' Weakly she fell back on the comparativel safe remark:

'Did you?' in a bright interested voice.
========

Speaking of which, the original novel (written in 1932 by Stella Gibbons) is just as wonderful, and the film is a remarkably faithful adaptation, if (understandably) a bit trimmed and modified. I read the book for the first time after watching the DVD release of the movie and was delighted to see that most of the dialog comes straight from the book, including my favorite line (the interchange between Neck, the movie producer, and Aunt Ada), if a bit punched up.

Finally, for the reviewers who are frustrated that we never find out what Ada saw in the woodshed, what wrongs were done to Robert Poste by Amos Starkadder, and what Flora Poste's rights were...well, the novel leaves us pretty much in the dark as well. In the book, Aunt Ada _does_ answer the second question for Flora--though we as readers don't get to hear the answer--and Ada is interrupted before she can answer Flora's intriguing follow up question, "And did the goat die?"

The movie and the book are both delightful; enjoy. ..bruce..

"While I'm here, might I make a few changes?"
Cold Comfort Farm is a jolly film that bounces along as merrily as its theme tune. It's a rollicking good comedy with a laugh-out-loud collection of Dickensian characters (the doom-stricken Starkadders, the rustic Adam Lambsbreath, and the upper crust Hawk-Monitors). Certainly the film is very over-the-top and silly, but it's light-hearted fun - a welcome alternative to the glut of psychological, heart-wrenching, blood-and-guts fare on the market.

The Starkadders live on the bleak acres of Cold Comfort Farm, where "the cows are barren and the sows are farren". Into this gloomy and eccentric setting comes young, 1930s-modern Flora Poste, who sets to winning the hearts and minds of Cold Comfort's inhabitants, and dragging the Starkadders into the twentieth century. Along the way she manages to rearrange and enliven her own life too.

Kate Beckinsale (prior to her arrival on the scene of big-budget American flicks) is a likeable and chirpy young lady with a talent for organisation. In the supporting roles, Joanna Lumley is delightfully sarcastic as Flora's incongruously named aunt, Mary Smiling, who has a rather unusual hobby. And Ian McKellen is a real scene-stealer as the fire-and-brimstone preacher of the Church of the Quivering Brethren.

The plot revolves around Great Aunt Ada Doom and the 'narsty' thing she saw in the woodshed nigh on 70 years ago. There is also the mysterious wrong perpetrated on Flora's father by the Starkadders sometime in the dim and misty past. So it is a tad frustrating that the audience is never let in on either of these secrets! But these are minor quibbles in what is otherwise an excellent comedic romp, with some interesting and atmospheric cinematography. A very good (and very British) laugh. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

unforgettable psychological drama
Julie Christie gives an acclaimed Oscar-winning performance as ambitious, bed-hopping young model Diana Scott in John Schlesinger's DARLING, an unforgettable psychological drama.

Diana Scott bullies, bluffs and beds her way to "success" only to find life at the top of the heap empty and unfulfilling.

She begins her rapid climb with married reporter Robert Gold (Dirk Bogarde - MODESTY BLAISE, SO LONG AT THE FAIR), only to dump him for sharp businessman Miles Brand (Laurence Harvey - BUTTERFIELD 8). She abandons him for a carefree life with her gay photographer, before settling for the Italian Prince. Diana at first revels in her success before realizing that the Prince will always put his country before private life. Confused and angry, Diana returns to England and to Robert, but he pushes her away and sends her back to her self-made prison in Italy.

DARLING candidly depicts the crazed and debauched lifestyle led by many in Britain in the 60's. At first shockingly controversial, the film was nominated for Best Picture in 1965.

Princess Diana
"Darling" is a searing look into the shallow life of a London girl during the mid-60's. It stars Julie Christie in the title role of Diana Scott and takes us through a few years of her life from mod-model to wife of an Italian prince. Dianna's messy life and total disregard for others is brilliantly shown through the convention of her telling "My Story" to a magazine while contrasting her tale with the actual facts of her life.
Co-stars Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Harvey each serves the story in their unique and gifted ways. Bogarde as Robert Gold is Diana's one brush with real emotion and possible salvation is at the top of his form giving yet another fine performance in support of Miss Christie. Laurence Harvey is cold and calculating as the bored playboy Miles Brand. He has never been better or has his angular face been shown to be more sardonic and deceitful than here in this film.
The direction by John Schlesinger is razor sharp and never misses the truth behind each scene. Cinematographer Kenneth Higgins captures the feel of mid-60's London, Pairs and Italy in crisp and clean shots. His close-ups are nearly surgical in what they render visible to the eye.
John Dankworth executed the composition of one of the most haunting themes from the sixties, which plays over the brilliant opening credits. His score is perfect and underscores Diana's story so well.
Finally there is Julie Christie in her Oscar winning performance. What a revelation this film and Miss Christie were at the time. Movies were changing so rapidly from what they had been all along to a more adult and honest look at life. The cracks began to appear after WW II. They widened in the 1950's but by the time "Darling' came along the movie industry had changed, imploded then exploded into a new and freer form of expression. Riding this wave to triumph in 1965 was the nearly unknown Miss Christie. Her Diana is unapologetic, raw and wonderful. She never holds back in showing us the ugly side of this beautiful vacuous woman and by the last scene she commands the screen with the authority of a truly perfect performance.

Cutting out the charm and character...
This MGM Home Video version of Darling (#1005693) is not a full version of the film. It was enjoyable but rings of media puritanism. A number of defining scenes, albe-them mildly risque, are missing. This is cultural and historical bleaching. We must discourage companies from ruining films. Do not buy it. I am now out the money and looking for the full version on DVD.

Great transfer but..........
MGM's new release of DARLING looks beautiful and more pristine than the Criterion Collection's laserdisc edition from 1995. There are no features aside from the (very dated) trailer; commentary from Christie would have been a welcome feature and made this a great one for your collection. The greatest disappointment is in the brief editing within the Parisian brothel sequence: the standard VHS tape that had been floating around for years omitted Christie's nude scene, a couple of shots hinting at oral sex between she and Laurence Harvey, and the brothel sequence. The DVD keeps almost everything in tact except a shot of a man rushing into a room to 'perform' with his cigarette smoking female partner. What you're left watching is a close-up of Julie Christie's shocked face as she stares at a woman smoking. The impact of the scene is gone. Now, the only version of DARLING that is fully intact is the laserdisc from Criterion and late-night showings on TCM. What gives MGM? Are they afraid viewers might not be able to handle such 'shocking' material?

What a jewel of a movie!
This is the movie that made Julie Christie a star on this side of the Atlantic. (1965 Academy Award for Best Actress.) It is truly a masterpiece that still hits the mark almost 40 years later. Inexpicably, it remains somewhat of a "sleeper"--a delight to discover, but not nearly as celebrated as it should be. Directed by John Scheslinger (at the top of his craft here), this is a beautifully acted, visually stunning examination of the mores of the European mid-1960's "Jet Set." The characters "swing" their way through a hedonistic search for meaning, but don't seem to find what they are looking for. Some of this movie may look dated now, but to me,that just enhances the viewing experience. Watching "Darling" is like finding a time capsule that clearly evokes the feel of a certain time and place. The story is told in a sophisticated satirical style, following the Julie Christie character through amorous opportunism. She sleeps her way to the top of the international fashion world, only to find her success and fame to be empty and soulless. This movie is perfectly poised between serious drama and romantic comedy. It is never preachy; the viewer is allowed the independence and maturity to draw his own moral conclusions. Remarkably appealing in tone and mood-- this is moviemaking as an art form. Do yourself a favor and discover it for yourself! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An interesting allegory on fakes...and attributions
attribute: to regard as produced by or originating in or with; credit; assign;

The Cambridge Spy Ring of the 30's and 40's. There were four: Guy Burgess, Donald MacLean, Kim Philby, and Sir Anthony Blunt, and they passed on information to the Soviet Union. When found out, Burgess, MacLean, and Philby fled to the Soviet Union. As for Blunt, he remained in charge of H.M.Q.'s art collection and confessed in 1964. However, the Thatcher government exposed him and he was stripped of his posts and knighthood, dying four years later in 1983.

Alan Bennett, originally one of the Fringe (Peter Cook, Dudley Moore), wrote a drama work on Sir Anthony Blunt. Blunt is being persuaded by various intelligence men led by Donleavy to reveal other names, or rather, names behind the names in the Burgess/MacLean/Philby spy ring. To that end, Arthur Chubb, a firm but congenial man is sent to take over from the last agent who failed to get Blunt to reveal names. As Blunt is reminded over and over, he was guaranteed immunity, but not anonymity. The temptation is growing among MI5 to expose him, but alternatively, as Donleavy says, "we could order a vat of excrement and publicly haul ourselves into it." Meaning that the British public will know the government was involved in a coverup in shielding Blunt.

Aside from showing Blunt the usual stack of B&W photos of past faces, Chubb tries to get to Blunt through art, and learns about art theory and history as a result. But Blunt already knows who the fifth man is, and continues the evasion: "the canvas is vague, but the details stand out."

Standouts include the explanation of Titian's painting the Allegory of Prudence, and the restoration of a fake Titian, where they uncover a face that has been painted over it, mirroring the puzzle intelligence agents face when trying to figure out what the whole picture, i.e. who else is a traitor? Blunt tells Chubb that both their careers involve teasing out riddles and running some risks, where common sense is thrown out in favour of making a hobbyhorse. The faces behind the canvas, faces behind the faces, that's what Chubb is indeed looking for, moles and their puppetmasters.

However, the surreal conversation between the Queen and Blunt makes one wonder. In talking about the fake Titian, she tells him that it's very well to have a painting with the pedigree and background, but when one voices suspicions, hard to believe, that it's not what it seems, that it's a fake, does one still stick with its official attribution? Is she talking about the painting, or about Blunt? Yet the thing about fakes is, they are more interesting than the genuine article because of the publicity and sensation.

There are lots of revealing things about art, on how different periods and styles reflect different ways of looking at the world, and how importance it is not to see a painting and see it as one would see a photograph, but to see it as if one were living in that time, not as a stage to something better. And portaits are self-revealing, showing what one's really like; it shows one's secret self.

James Fox does a clearly toffee-nosed, snobbishly scholarly performance as Blunt. James Calder's good as Chubb, well known as Eleanor Bramwell's patient father in the Bramwell series. Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By) has a small role as Donleavy, someone who's anxious on what Blunt will do. However, having Prunella Scales, a.k.a. Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers playing Queen Elizabeth II, is an interesting choice for this drama piece that debuted on Masterpiece Theatre.

Great film - pity it's being sold by a cynical profiteer.
This is a wonderful film, but the only VHS copy of it on Amazon.com costs a staggering $100. The original release price was $29.95, and I just can't see how a second-hand tape whose original cover has been cut up and deformed to fit in a plastic video case could INCREASE the price by over 300%.

I'm sorry, but to sell this video at 3 times its original price strikes me as daylight robbery, and a blatant attempt to cash in on the present rarity of this title. Such profiteering just makes Amazon.com look bad. Hopefully, the powers that be will re-release this video at some point (preferably on DVD) so that the seller will be forced to lower the price to a more reasonable amount for a video that is certainly in less-than-collectible condition.

masterpiece
I must give this 5 stars. I understand why the previous reviewer found the story to be somewhat confusing. It takes some doing initially to pick up the thread but it is a slight hurdle. The most outstanding feature of this film is its artful portrait of Blunt: a spy who had betrayed his country, abused his position and caused the distruction of those acting honorably in its service. Nevertheless his situtation and ultimate disgrace provoke compassion. The scene between him and the Queen is wonderful; however, I think that one is not supposed to be certain as to just what she knows about Blunt. She is depicted as a clever woman with an marvelous understated, ironic personality. I do not know whether Queen Elizabeth is accurately presented but it is certainly very good theatre and a memorable, highly amusing scene. I saw this as a campanion to "An Englishman Abroad" to which I would also assign 5 stars.

Good acting, confusing story
A Question of Atribution is the story of Sir Anthony Blunt, the curator of the Queen's Pictures who was revealed as a former Soviet agent in 1979. Sir Anthony had actually been uncovered as a spy in the 1960s, but received immunity and anonymity in return for his cooperation with western intelligence services. A Question of Attribution takes place sometime after Sir Anthony's role as a spy was discovered, but before his public disgrace. British viewers will probably be more familiar with the ins and outs of the Blunt case than will we Americans. Even though I knew the barebones details of the Blunt case and how it connected with the Burgess-Maclean-Philby cases, this film was a bit confusing for me. The best part of the film depicts Blunt's meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, excellently portrayed by Prunella Scales. (I believe this was the first time The Queen had been portrayed by an actress in Britain). The Queen skewers Sir Anthony's pretensions and makes it clear that she knows all about his KGB connections without being so impolite as to refer to it directly. This scene is the highlight of the film. Buy the film and fast forward to it. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

unforgettable psychological drama
Julie Christie gives an acclaimed Oscar-winning performance as ambitious, bed-hopping young model Diana Scott in John Schlesinger's DARLING, an unforgettable psychological drama.

Diana Scott bullies, bluffs and beds her way to "success" only to find life at the top of the heap empty and unfulfilling.

She begins her rapid climb with married reporter Robert Gold (Dirk Bogarde - MODESTY BLAISE, SO LONG AT THE FAIR), only to dump him for sharp businessman Miles Brand (Laurence Harvey - BUTTERFIELD 8). She abandons him for a carefree life with her gay photographer, before settling for the Italian Prince. Diana at first revels in her success before realizing that the Prince will always put his country before private life. Confused and angry, Diana returns to England and to Robert, but he pushes her away and sends her back to her self-made prison in Italy.

DARLING candidly depicts the crazed and debauched lifestyle led by many in Britain in the 60's. At first shockingly controversial, the film was nominated for Best Picture in 1965.

Princess Diana
"Darling" is a searing look into the shallow life of a London girl during the mid-60's. It stars Julie Christie in the title role of Diana Scott and takes us through a few years of her life from mod-model to wife of an Italian prince. Dianna's messy life and total disregard for others is brilliantly shown through the convention of her telling "My Story" to a magazine while contrasting her tale with the actual facts of her life.
Co-stars Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Harvey each serves the story in their unique and gifted ways. Bogarde as Robert Gold is Diana's one brush with real emotion and possible salvation is at the top of his form giving yet another fine performance in support of Miss Christie. Laurence Harvey is cold and calculating as the bored playboy Miles Brand. He has never been better or has his angular face been shown to be more sardonic and deceitful than here in this film.
The direction by John Schlesinger is razor sharp and never misses the truth behind each scene. Cinematographer Kenneth Higgins captures the feel of mid-60's London, Pairs and Italy in crisp and clean shots. His close-ups are nearly surgical in what they render visible to the eye.
John Dankworth executed the