Reviews (13)

Naval drama of the highest order

I saw this years ago, and finally purchased the 40th Anniversary VHS tape...a truly excellent and thought-provoking film.

When Billy Budd accidentally kills a sadistic officer on-board ship, the captain is forced to lay charges under wartime Naval law. In the process he unleashes larger issues about good and evil, and condemning a good man using "just the facts". If you liked the courtroom scene in The Caine Mutiny, you will find this fascinating.

One of the best films I've ever seen, that it's not on DVD is a tragedy...even more so because the picture quality on the VHS tape is very poor with terrible pan-and-scanning....Budd would cry.

As Close to Perfect as a Movie Gets
Billy Budd ranks as one of the greatest movies of all time. Melville's tale of good vs. evil receives flawless treatment from director Ustinov. Robert Ryan has never been better as the evil Claggert, who epitomizes unredeemable evil. Terence Stamp is perfectly cast as the uncorruptable Budd who wishes to see good in every man, even Claggert. The movie builds to an unforgettable climax and packs an emotional wallop like no other movie I have seen. This version of Billy Budd has been out of print for years. To have it back is a cause of celebration. Do yourself and your family a favor: watch it together. They surely don't make movies like this anymore!

A hidden gem of Ustinov as director. A winner film!
This film is unforgettable. Superb adaptation , wonderful cast Terence Stamp as Billy Budd and Robert Ryan , and the extarordinary talented Peter Ustinov carries this film to a good port.
You'll feel the unjustice in your own flesh. The depicted situations will keep you at the border of your seat.
One of the winners films in this specially and wonderfilly creative year.
A must in your collection.
We are expecting hopefully the transfer in DVD!

Favorite Movie
This is the most important film that I share with others. Not only as shown by previous reviews does it show how human pragmatics in law and our attempts to design a just reality fail the ideals of humanity, but reveals a basic unavoidable contradiction with idealistic hope and pessimistic thought that are part of the reality we face. Pragmatically, logically and leagally this is reavling portayal of the mechanics of existence. This movie seems to be a post modern quintessential.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAW AND JUSTICE
The difference between Law and Justice was driven home to me by this film. I was a junior at Cal when I first saw it. Every inflection, every nuance is just perfect - it is truly as if you are there. A parable, a ripping yarn, to see it is to be stunned by it. I graduated and went to law school, now I am among the top 11% of lawyers in the country [Martindale-Hubbell "av"] and the story this movie tells still sticks in my mind as the perfect example of why the law can not always achieve justice. A real trial lawyers movie - up there with 12 Angry Men, Judgment at Neurenburg, etc ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Fairly Pointless Story
LADY L is a film about an octogenarian aristocrat (Sophia Loren) who reminisces about her steamy life as lover of an anarchist (Paul Newman) and wife of the sophisticated David Niven. The film has a lot of great scenery and a thoroughly competent cast but not much of a story.

Loren's husband Carlo Ponti is the producer. Peter Ustibov is the director and screenwriter. The film is based on a novel by Romain Gary. The supporting cast includes Cecil Parker, Claude Dauphin, Philippe Noiret and Michel Piccoli.

A Wonderfully Querky movie!
This movie is so "nutty" that you are laughing the whole time... Paul Newman and Sophia Loren sizzle the screen! A great movie with a humdinger of an ending!

The movie is about eclectic Lady Louise. A friend wants to write her biography and she is delighted, but boy is the friend in for a surprise... she takes him to her summer home and tells her life story, ending it with a shocking revelation. A very good movie.

Nice video
The action is not availaible in the film, but the best actor is Mr. Raymond Schlatter that appeared in the film holding Sofia Loren in Switzerland. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Naval drama of the highest order

I saw this years ago, and finally purchased the 40th Anniversary VHS tape...a truly excellent and thought-provoking film.

When Billy Budd accidentally kills a sadistic officer on-board ship, the captain is forced to lay charges under wartime Naval law. In the process he unleashes larger issues about good and evil, and condemning a good man using "just the facts". If you liked the courtroom scene in The Caine Mutiny, you will find this fascinating.

One of the best films I've ever seen, that it's not on DVD is a tragedy...even more so because the picture quality on the VHS tape is very poor with terrible pan-and-scanning....Budd would cry.

As Close to Perfect as a Movie Gets
Billy Budd ranks as one of the greatest movies of all time. Melville's tale of good vs. evil receives flawless treatment from director Ustinov. Robert Ryan has never been better as the evil Claggert, who epitomizes unredeemable evil. Terence Stamp is perfectly cast as the uncorruptable Budd who wishes to see good in every man, even Claggert. The movie builds to an unforgettable climax and packs an emotional wallop like no other movie I have seen. This version of Billy Budd has been out of print for years. To have it back is a cause of celebration. Do yourself and your family a favor: watch it together. They surely don't make movies like this anymore!

A hidden gem of Ustinov as director. A winner film!
This film is unforgettable. Superb adaptation , wonderful cast Terence Stamp as Billy Budd and Robert Ryan , and the extarordinary talented Peter Ustinov carries this film to a good port.
You'll feel the unjustice in your own flesh. The depicted situations will keep you at the border of your seat.
One of the winners films in this specially and wonderfilly creative year.
A must in your collection.
We are expecting hopefully the transfer in DVD!

Favorite Movie
This is the most important film that I share with others. Not only as shown by previous reviews does it show how human pragmatics in law and our attempts to design a just reality fail the ideals of humanity, but reveals a basic unavoidable contradiction with idealistic hope and pessimistic thought that are part of the reality we face. Pragmatically, logically and leagally this is reavling portayal of the mechanics of existence. This movie seems to be a post modern quintessential.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAW AND JUSTICE
The difference between Law and Justice was driven home to me by this film. I was a junior at Cal when I first saw it. Every inflection, every nuance is just perfect - it is truly as if you are there. A parable, a ripping yarn, to see it is to be stunned by it. I graduated and went to law school, now I am among the top 11% of lawyers in the country [Martindale-Hubbell "av"] and the story this movie tells still sticks in my mind as the perfect example of why the law can not always achieve justice. A real trial lawyers movie - up there with 12 Angry Men, Judgment at Neurenburg, etc ... Read more