Reviews (19)

One of the few good movie versions of a Shakespeare play.
Much better than the earlier Julius Caesar, which starred Marlon Brando as Mark Antony and James Mason as Brutus. In this version, Jason Robards as Brutus is admittedly an embarrassment, but the rest of the cast is quite strong. The delivery of Antony's funeral oration by Charlton Heston is brilliant, powerful, well-paced, the dramatic high point of the movie. Richard Johnson as Cassius, John Gielgud as Caesar, Robert Vaughn as Casca and Diana Rigg as Portia are fine actors, with full dramatic presence, at home in Shakespeare's language. Brief parts, like the soothsayer's and the cobbler's, are memorably played. The screenplay omits two short passages that are important to the plot: (1) Cassius' avowal in the first act, after his attempt to persuade Brutus to oppose Caesar, that if their positions were reversed and he, Cassius, stood as well with Caesar as Brutus does and Brutus made a comparable appeal to him, he would certainly not listen. (2) Immediately after the assassination, a promise by Brutus to Antony's servant of safe conduct for Antony, who thus knows when he comes to the Capitol and weeps over Caesar's body, challenging the conspirators to kill him also, that he is in no danger of their doing so.

Successful Version of Shakespeare's Caesar
Not a bad version at all of Shakespeare's play. Most of the attention for Julius Caesar is clearly with the 1950s version, but this one holds up as well. In this version, Charlton Heston plays Antony. Others include Jason Richards (Brutus), John Gielgud (Caesar), Richard Johnson (Cassius), Robert Vaughn (Casca), Richard Chamberlain (Octavius), and Diana Riggs (Portia).

In this story, Brutus comes forth as the tragic hero who joins the conspiracy to kill the ambitious Roman, Julius Caesar. Shakespeare's story delves much into the realm of politics within the Roman society. Brutus' tragic flaw is perhaps that he sees too much of the benevolent side of people and society; he gives in to help Rome only after pondering deeply the plan of Cassius, and "trusts" Antony to not give a stirring speech (big mistake there). He still considers Caesar a "good" man, but justifies his role in the conspiracy as for the common good of Rome. A tale that definitely concerns itself with justification, or lack thereof, of removing leaders from political positions, and the consequences those actions bring unto an entire nation and their citizens.

The set design, background and acting are true to the play. One of the differences between this and the Brando version is the scene in which Caesar is assassinated. It is far more bloody and gruesome (yet the movie is rated G, go figure). Heston, as Antony, does a decent job with the "Countrymen, lend me your ears" speech, making an emotional appeal to the crowd as a friend of Caesar. He stirs up the rage among the Romans in this emotional appeal on Caesar's behalf. Eventually, he will go to war against two of the leaders of the conspiracy, Cassius and Brutus.

This is definitely worth a view, especially if you are a Shakespeare fan. This also is an excellent resource for the study of Julius Caesar.

Also Recommended: Julius Caesar (Marlon Brando version)

If you're a huge fan of Heston's or of this superb play
If you're a huge fan of Heston's or of this superb play, you might want to suffer through this terrible print.

It's blurry, the colors blur and flash like a bad animation, and it sounds like it was recorded underwater with a megaphone. It's really a piece of crap.

The performances are good, and because it's the only other film version of the play, (that I can find) they warrant comparison with the 1958 Brando version. Heston's needlessly pompous and swaggering Antony is occasionally amusing and occasionally pretty good, but ultimately the performance lacks the authenticity and verve of Brando's, and one can't help but compare. Robards's Brutus is stoic and tortured and it is something like torture to watch him act, at least for the first half of the film. By the time Brutus is heading up the wrong end of the civil war, Robards aptly transforms Brutus into a man whose passions have fermented to the surface. It's by turns a flat, interesting, and jarring performance accented by an occasional flash of brilliance, such as the scene in which Brutus and Cassius argue about funds and bribes. Much of the supporting cast: Diana Rigg, Gielgud, and Robert Vaughn, in particular are excellent.
It's a shame really that this is such a horrifying print (the worst in fact that I've ever seen), because this was a good movie once. Somewhere through the blur you can make out decent production values: large crowd and battle scenes, attractive costumes, and what looks like the hilly Italian countryside. Who knows maybe even the "seven hills," though I doubt even a Roman native would be able to tell for sure.

Little more than terrible
I ordered this DVD for use in teaching the play. I had anticipated it for months and waited with impatience for its release; I now find I was impatient for mediocrity. The performances are disappointing, with only Richard Chamberlain as Octavious showing any passion in performance. Indeed, Jason Robards as Brutus is the poorest Shakespearean acting I've yet seen, and it's an embarassment for anyone attempting to light a fire for Shakespeare in teenagers. Robards speaks his lines as if he is reading them for the first time on his couch at home.

Until Hollywood gives this another try, I recommend the BBC version of the play available with English subtitles from Ambrose Video. Of course, there is always the Brando version of the play with James Mason doing a much more credible job than Robards as Brutus.

Quality Terrible
I ordered this tape to show to my Sophomore English classes as we read the play. The quality of the video was so poor that my colleagues and I judged the tape unwatchable. I do not recommend this tape. Instead, order the Marlon Brando edition. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Instant city--just add water!" The story of the transformation of Los Angeles from a neglected 19th-century town into America's largest metropolis boils down to William Mullholland's vision of a pipeline stretching across California to quench the parched town's thirst. Mulholland's Dream uses news footage, clips from Chinatown, and interviews with historians and residents of the areas sucked dry to tell how one desert was exchanged for another early in this century. L.A.'s explosive growth demanded ever-increasing inflow, and only very recently has the great city been forced to consider reducing its demand rather than increasing its supply. Comments from descendents of Mulholland and his adversaries enliven the picture, and we realize just how impassioned these men and women were--they were fighting for their lives. The story of the long struggles, both with neighbors and with nature, make for compelling viewing in this first of the series Cadillac Desert. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Amazon.com

This 1977 documentary was produced toward the end of O'Keefe's life, at a time when the artist was at one with her art and her life. The hour-long film plays mainly off of O'Keefe's own words; there is no narrator's voice, there is barely an interviewer's voice. O'Keefe speaks alone--with a soft, gentle eloquence that we can also hear in her paintings, a well-articulated firmness that is unintimidating, witty, provocative, and in the end, beautiful.

O'Keefe was born in Wisconsin where she learned to suppress her eccentric ideas and her drive to paint--a career goal she set at the age of 12--so that she and her mother wouldn't quarrel. A talented artist from the outset, she was trained classically in New York where she studied to be a teacher. She accepted a job in North Carolina, because she thought it would allow her the time and focus to produce the art she craved to produce. But after a year of painting, she threw away everything she had made--each piece had been to please someone else, and what O'Keefe deeply wanted was to find an art that pleased her.

A job in Texas brought her finally to the country that would shape her art and her renown: her paintings of desiccated animal bones, flowers, landscapes, and architectural close-ups, juxtaposed with the stunning blue of the Southwestern sky. She would send paintings to a friend in New York, writing that she wanted to know what her friend thought--and to make sure O'Keefe wasn't going mad. But her friend got photographer Alfred Stieglitz interested in O'Keefe's abstract work. O'Keefe's intense relationship with Stieglitz evolved over years into one of the best known relationships in the arts; they married. But, quite humorously, O'Keefe refers to Stieglitz never as "Alfred" or "my husband," just "Stieglitz."

Perry Miller Adato's documentary brings O'Keefe's paintings to life in the artist's own words. Her enthusiasm for form, for making the small and unnoticeable immense, for intense and vibrant color: This is a rewarding journey through the soul and the eye of a 20th-century great. --Erik Macki ... Read more

Reviews (3)

AS AUTHENTIC AS THE ARTIST HERSELF
It's a memorable experience for art aficionados when Georgia O'Keeffe appears on camera to discuss her life and her work.

As if that were not enough, this portrait of her is enhanced by the comments of those who were close to her and by scenes of the terrain that she loved and found inspirational.

A landmark viewing for Georgia O'Keeffe fans.

The Muse Speaks through Georgia
An eloquent view of one of the great 20th century artists who painted for her own amusement. Despite some critics who did not get her or her subject matter, Georgia remained true to her Muse and painted the view of her minds eye. This personal tour of her life and place gives us a sense of her vision.

this is true "georiga"
i just wished this movie was longer.....i just enjoyed this so much...it's a must see if you like georiga. ... Read more

Reviews (347)

Good History, Good Film
Movies based on history fall into one of two categories. They're either wonderful stories that are flawed on facts (Braveheart, JFK, for example), or they're faithful to the facts but lack drama (The Battle of Britain, produced by Harry Saltzman in the late '60s). This film, written and directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, manages to be fairly accurate storytelling and compelling drama at the same time. That Maxwell's movie embodies these two qualities in an almost four-hour picture is no small feat either.

The movie recreates the pivotal battle of the Civil War, when General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia sought to destroy the Union forces under General George Meade at Gettysburg, a small town in Pennsylvania. Maxwell's towering achievement in this movie, besides the many well-staged battle scenes, is to highlight the personal, emotional anguish of the soldiers on both sides, some of whom had been quite close before the war began. Witness the scene in the tent of General James Longstreet (Tom Berenger) as General Lewis Armistead (Richard Jordan, in one of his last screen roles) speaks emotionally about his friend, General Hancock, who he knows is just over the ridge where they will attack the next day. Tears well up in Jordan's eyes as he recalls the deep affection that he developed for Hancock and his wife many years before.

Gettysburg is not a great movie, but it is a very good one, and well worth viewing for any American who is interested in the war that tore this nation asunder and, in some ways, made it more unified afterwards.

Absolutely excellent film making from a historical novel.
I am writing this review after my review of "Gods and General." I realized the measure of any subsequent movie would be "Gettysburg," and the problem is going to be that it is a hard act to follow. Gettysburg is everything a historical novel to movie should be. Start with a Pulitzer prize winning book, "Killer Angels." This is impeccable story telling. On the confederate side, Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee and Tom Berenger contributed career best performances and compelling chemistry. On the Union side, Jeff Daniels as Colonel Chamberlain, C. Thomas Howell as his brother and Lieutenant, and Kevin Conroy as the tough old Mick Sargeant /veteran, provide the compelling chemistry. Sam Elliot fits the part of a veteran cavalry General perfectly. In fact, I can't think of anyone that fits the part of acting from the saddle better.

If Stonewall Jackson had lived and had surrounded the federal troops at Chancellorsville, the war might have ended. If Lee had listened to Longstreet and withdrew from Gettysburg to high ground of his own choice, he might have won the battle and ended the war. This defensive style of fighting is why Lee earned the nickname "Gray Fox." Lee made the same mistake as Union General Burnside at Fredericksburg in advancing troops uphill against an entrenched enemy while taking canon fire on three sides. If General Meade had pursued Lee out of Gettysburg to where he was backed up against a storm swollen and impassable Potomac River, the war might have ended. Instead, war went on for more than two more years, and the death toll rose to over 615,000 Americans. This section of American history is critically important and what will be a set of three movies will serve a very commendable purpose.

Gettysburg-an exciting and dramatic review of the final days
I absolutely LOVE this movie. Based on the bestselling novel 'The Killer Angels' by Michael Shaara, Gettysburg is an engaging and [MOSTLY accurate] retelling of the events surrounding what was probably the most major battle of the War of Northern Agression (no offense to anyone, I AM a southerner, but I harbor no serious prejudices toward anyone). Some minor details, such as Chamberlain's position during the battle are slightly off, but most of the historical action is dead on. Martin Sheen delivers an excellent performance as Gen. Robert E. Lee. Although this movie was released earlier, 'Gods and Generals' by Jeff Shaara (same name as the book, and Michael Shaara's son) precedes Gettysburg in historical order. Recommended to anyone interested in the American Civil War and history buffs alike.

Greatest Civil War Movie
Gettysburg is by far the best movie on the ACW ever made. I saw it in the theater as a kid and I am still impressed with it. It is much better than Gods and Generals and I think its better than Glory for the simple fact that it shows BOTH sides displaying their own feelings, emotions, and desires. I dont think Sheen was bad as Lee but at the same time I dont think Duvall had enough on screen time to properly compare him to Sheen's performance. Richard Jordan was superb in his performance as Armistead and it is a lasting tribute that his last movie before his death to a brain tumor was so powerful and emotional; sometimes I wonder if Jordan was thinking on his own death while filming those magnificent scenes for the movie.

And a little FYI to settle the harsh criticism of Maxwell picking Sheen as Lee: ROBERT DUVALL WAS MAXWELL'S FIRST CHOICE TO DO LEE IN GETTYSBURG BUT DUVALL WAS UNAVAILABLE AT THE TIME B/C HE WAS FILMING SOME OTHER MOVIE; SO MAXWELL WENT WITH A BACKUP CHOICE OF MARTIN SHEEN FOR LEE!!!

Gettysburg
I liked this movie very much, but yet I do believe that if it were made at the same time Gods and Generals was, it would have been a much better film. I thought that Sheen did a fair job at playing the great General Robert E. Lee, but he is no match for the outstanding performance of Robert Duvall. I like Tom Berenger as General Longstreet, who was also from my native state, South Carolina. Jeff Danials did a spectacular job in this film as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in Gettysburg as well in Gods and Generals. The effort these actors put in to this movie are so dramatic, it takes your breath away to see these men, in fact, you don't see Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger, or Jeff Danials, you see Robert E. Lee, Jamse Longstreet, and Joshua Chamberlain. But I must say, if you are going to watch Gettysburg, you mite want to watch Gods and Generals first. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Triumph of the Nerds won legions of computer-skeptical and computer-naive viewers with its mix of minutiae and hip techniques. Going one step further into the digital maze, Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet operates as a sequel of sorts to the surprise docu-hit. Just as its precursor chronicled the rise of empires built on computer software, Nerds 2.0.1 collects interviews from key players in the development of the Internet. Fashionably hip in its visual feel, the film begins by amassing data on the net's crowning, collaborative irony: conceived in the Pentagon during the counterculture's smokiest high point by members--dare it be said--of the military industrial complex, the Net developed on the axis of university research networks and Deadhead (as in the Grateful Dead) electronic bulletin boards. Much of the rest has become history, but Internet and computer industry pundit Robert X. Cringley makes the narrative a jumping, attractive embrace of being a nerd. Interviews with Bill Gates, Mark Andreesen, and Steve Case make these three hours (three tapes slipcased in a nice box) fly by. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (13)

High motivation and Detail
This is a very exciting video about the origin, history, developments, success and failures of the Internet. It has good detail in the topics and companies that refers, but it does not touch every important(historical level) company in the net. Perhaps less time for "excite" and jokes, and more time to relevant companies and phenomena.

Great Video revealing the history of networking, internet.
I belive this is one of the greatest video on the subject of internet and world wide web. It gives a clear picture of the internet and world wide web. It commends the work of great research scientists who were not recognised for their initial achievements. It gives an idea how the internet emerged and how big companies like 3com, Cisco came into existence. This is great story of all the nerds who worked hard (not for money) to achieve good things in their research. Finally I believe money is nothing and it all comes because of hardwork and luck.

Where's the DVD???
This is an excellent historical overview of the Internet and the World Wide Web! NERDS 2.0.1 picks up right where TRIUMPH OF THE NERDS left off. Both documentaies are very interesting, informative and somewhat comical...from beginning to end!

Hopefully NERDS 2.0.1 will be released on DVD soon! I already own TRIUMPH OF THE NERDS on DVD and these two programs really go great together. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Great Entertainment and Education
Fantastic view of a topic that has changed all of our lives. The video is very entertainig and a good source of information. Would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about the roots of the internet.

Vintage Internet
Parts of these tapes already look like the old Volkswagen in the Woody Allen movie "Sleeper." For instance, the students who started Excite are all caught in their gloriously self-centered success, which didn't last long, it turns out, but did stoke them each with millions.

Cringely is eloquent, in words and in deeds. The shot of him driving in a convertible along a freeway, while holding forth about the internet as a big pipeline, is a great way to cast an image. His patient tracing of how the internet emerged from simple attempts to hook one computer to another, and get them to communicate meaningful information is also very well done, and penetrates to the level of the PhD thesis written in 1959 that laid out the binary math basis for it all in the first place.\

The tension between the hippie beginnings of the communitarian internet, and the later proprietary commercialization of the medium is also profiled, with subthemes like how to lose control of your company, played out in interviews with 3Com's Metcalfe, who also articulated "Metcalfe's law."

These videos stand on their own feet, but also on the shoulders of the book, written by Stephen Segaller, who wrote it, amazingly, for PBS. So look, some good things can come out of PBS after all(!). Segaller's book is, as you might suspect, much more detailed, but only the video takes you to Microsoft's campus, or shows you the inventor of an early wireless internet, Norm Abramson, years later standing on a beach holding a surfboard with his current corporate logo plastered in dead-center. Perhaps another symbol of hippie-goes-Ferrari. The book and the video also touch on the fascinating history of Cisco, and the bitterness of former husband and wife Sandy Lerner and Len Bosack, toward their first V.C., Don Valentine. The video has Sandy sitting in front of her English country mansion, and also Len, speculating on the existence of sentient beings elsewhere in the universe.

So most of these people were and still are complete nerds, and but for their work, we too would have to be nerds to use our computers. So thanks, nerds, for being nerds, so I don't have to be. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this Oscar-nominated film (for Best Documentary Feature in 1990),filmmaker Derek Bromhall examines the scientific process that turns sperm and egg into newborn baby. With the help of Fay DeWitt's patient narration,Bromhall explains cells, genes, and DNA strands with simple, colorful, andquite beautiful animated graphics. Much of the rest of the processes-- ovulation, ejaculation, fertilization, and embryonic development--isactually photographed. From implantation in the uterine wall on the 7th day to birth 37 weeks later, the film traces life from zygote to fetus tobaby. This specially edited 27-minute version is made for family viewing, but there are brief moments of graphic childbirth and some discussion of bodyparts that suggest the need for parental supervision. --Kimberly Heinrichs ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Womb With A View
This is a breathtaking video showing conception through birth. It is short, but packed with incredible images. You'll see the sperm fertilizing the egg, the baby in the womb and the birth. 5 stars!

Too little information
This may be a good educational video for families who only want a fast overview of human reporduction, but for any other purpose, its almost worthless. The video is VERY short (less than 1/2 hour), and the quality of the footage is less than spectacular. This is the kind of movie that you might have seen in 6th grade health class; informative for children who have never heard any of it before, but worthless if you know anything about reproduction already.

An awesome view of life's beginning
This video shows the beginning of life. A microsopic view of human eggs and sperm being made, joined to form the fertilized egg, the journey of the egg, and watching the egg grow into a human being. I was fascinated by the entire program. I also have "the Miracle of Life" and " the Ultimate Journey" This shows the process from a different perspective with more on how the fetus grows and changes. It is an excellent addition to the collection. ... Read more

Description

He is widely regarded as the greatest artist who ever lived.Yet thisremarkable genius was equally skilled as an architect, engineer and scientist.Leonardoda Vinciís masterpieces are among the most famous and treasured works ever created. His revolutionary techniques transformed art, but he never achieved the fame enjoyed byhis younger rival Michelangelo.This definitive program traces Leonardoís life from hisTuscan boyhood to his death, in relative obscurity, in France.Extensive use of da Vinciísjournals, notes and sketches provide valuable insight into the mind of a genius whoanticipated many of the advances of modern science.And interviews with biographersand art historians provide insight into his life and legacy. Biography proudly presents theincredible story of Leonardo da Vinci the original Renaissance man. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A fascinating look at history's most brilliant thinker
Leonardo da Vinci was probably the most brilliant thinker to ever live. We all know he painted the Mona Lisa and the definitive portrait of The Last Supper, but he was also a scientist, an engineer, and so much more - a true Renaissance man. In fact, he was the original Renaissance man of the 15th century. He changed the art world forever by introducing a three dimensional aspect to his paintings and by giving life to human portraits so vivid and realistic that one almost forgets that they are not real people. I've never been much of an art fan, but da Vinci inspires in me an inspirational, almost devotional fascination with the truly great art he created. Just think how good a painter he could have been if he had been able to concentrate on his work - da Vinci was utterly fascinated with everything around him, and his mind could rarely stay focused on one thing for very long. I did not know this, but he actually left many of his most famous works of art unfinished - yet even these unfinished portraits stunned the art world and established him as the most influential painter of the age and probably of all time - although this fact was not fully appreciated in da Vinci's own time.

This video follows da Vinci from childhood in Italy to his death in France, succeeding fairly well in capturing the scope of ingenious thoughts and ideas. I knew little about the life of da Vinci, so I sat back and absorbed just about everything that came at me. I was a little saddened to learn that he was not truly appreciated during his own time; Florence, Italy, as things turned out, just wasn't big enough for da Vinci and Michelangelo both (and might I mention the fact that Michelangelo was quite a sourpuss about the whole thing). While his paintings amazed those who saw them and even caused his mentor to give up painting altogether, da Vinci was never truly acknowledged as a master among his contemporary rivals. On several occasions, he had to search out a sponsor for his work, and he was not included among the group of Italian masters sent to Rome in answer to a call for the country's most brilliant artists. More often that not, he assumed the duties of an engineer, and the ideas he played around with in his head almost defy belief. His notebooks record the working of this great mind at work in incredible detail (and da Vinci's distinctive backwards handwriting). Da Vinci's notebooks are simply teeming with new ideas, hyper-studious observations of man and machine, and incredible sketches and illustrations of such futuristic things as submarines, helicopters, automatic machine guns, fortification measures, and all sorts of incredible things that would not become reality until the twentieth century. We don't get to see nearly enough of these notebooks in the video, but of course one can never really see enough of them.

Naturally, the modern-day thinkers try to get inside da Vinci's head, and thus we are forced to endure speculation that da Vinci was gay. So he had young assistants who probably modeled for him - come on, any fellow who went around asking little girls to model nude for him would have been locked up in a second. Such speculation is a hurtful reminder of a most painful time in da Vinci's own life - at age 24, he was accused of sodomy, probably by a jealous rival. There was no proof of the charge, but the shameful stigma stayed with da Vinci all his life. He also got in trouble in the latter stages of his life, but this charge belies the cries of homosexuality, in my opinion. Da Vinci was fascinated with the workings of the human body, and at one point he was procuring human corpses for dissection. He wanted to know how the body worked, inside and out, but the Church put an end to his supposedly necromantic activities.

Forty five minutes cannot even begin to cover the life and genius of this extraordinary man, but I found this video very informative indeed and rank it among the most fascinating A&E Biography videos I have seen.

Entertaining and informative
I loved this -- I not only Learned a lot about Leonardo but was entertained by it. I didn't feel the personal stuff was overdone, I like to know about the human side of genius.

Extremely disappointing
A bland account that doesn't go very deeply into the subject and fixates more on the possibility of Da Vinci being homosexual than on the accomplishments and other interesting points of the mans life.

Certainly not worth the money spent to buy it or the time to view it.

Insufficient Data
I bought this video hoping to learn more about the Genius of the Renaissance and instead found it woefully inusfficient. There is in this fifty minute video much too little given to Da Vinci's own words on his notes, and too much speculation on whether or not he was gay. Of course, to A&E, every great artist from Shakespeare to Da Vinci is gay! Like what is their problem?! The progam never went into the depth about Da Vinci's fascination with mechanics - or the reason he never finished many of his paintings. For example, one fresco commisioned in Florence was never completed because he had used an ancient technique not meant for murals. For a much more thorough examination of the artist I recommend Questar's - The Life Of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Lesson Learned?
I am a middle-school teacher. I showed this video to my students with a worksheet to focus their attention. The worksheet had three sections: 1)List 10 facts about Leonardo di Vinci 2)List 5 facts about living in Leonardo's time 3)List the three things you know now that you did not before seeing this film. My students learned that Leonardo di Vinci was a homosexual and that he wrote backwards. Although they wrote many interesting facts about Leonardo, one week later these two items were about all that they could recall. ... Read more

Reviews (278)

A CLASSIC! THE BEST ROCKUMENTARY FILM EVER!
This is Spinal Tap is the brilliant rockumentary/mockumentary chronicling the band Spinal Tap's tour of the United States. This was Rob Reiner's debut film, and what a film to begin with. This is Spinal Tap remains somewhat of a cult classic, but its hilarious characters, awesome music, and brilliant storyline comes to life on screen, and everyone could enjoy this movie. Michael McKean plays the lead singer David St. Hubens to perfection, while Harry Shearer plays Derek Smalls with great finesse. A young Christopher Guest plays Nigel with a quiet brilliance, and Guest would incidentally go on to direct and star in two of his own mockumentary films, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and BEST IN SHOW, which I must say, are equally genius, especially the recent sleeper hit BEST IN SHOW. Also great is Tony Hendra, as the cricket-stick wielding manager of the band. June Chadwick is strong as David's girlfriend Jeannine, and Bruno Kirby makes a great cameo as the limo driver. The other supporting cameos are fantastic, coming from Fred Willard(who won a Best Supporting Actor award from the LA Critics for his role in BEST IN SHOW), Dana Carvey, Billy Crystal, Fran Drescher, Angelica Huston, and Paul Shaffer. This utterly hilarious movie is excellently directed by Reiner, who plays the director of the mockumentary within the film, Marty Dibergi! Fantastic!

Original Rockumertary
This Is Spinal Tap pokes fun at documentary films with what faux director Marty DiBergi calls a rockumentary. While MTV took this title and actually had rockumentaries, VH1's wildly successful Behind The Music series is a take off (albeit a serious one) of Tap's concept. Michael McKean, Christopher Guest & Harry Shearer star as a fictional English heavy metal band Spinal Tap. The film follows them around on their concert tour and the hoopla surrounding the release of their album Smell The Glove. The three stars are hysterical. They conduct themselves with a mock seriousness and that better than everyone attitude that stars often assume. The concert sequences are great as the Tap's songs are great spoofs of the metal genre with titles like "Stonehedge" & "Big Bottoms". The movie is woefully short, so the extra footage is a welcome addition. Tony Hendra is brilliant as the band's put upon manager and a young Fran Drescher shows up as a record label executive while Dana Carvey and Billy Crystal have a small bit as mime waiters.

Fantastic
The classic This is Spinal Tap is truly the greatest depiction of a rock band in cinematic history. I remember watching this for the first time with my buddies...everything thats happened in this movie has happened to me. The guy getting stuck in the pod, the tour dates being cancelled, playing under a puppet show, all of it!! And my buddies are sitting there laughing and Im like....this isnt funny. And THATS what makes the movie so great.....its SO realistic.

The definitive rock and roll band movie.....get it today!!

Big and stupid. And clever. VERY, VERY clever.
Alright, I'm not going to bore you with the details or story of this sublime Reiner "documentary," nor am I going to babble on and on about how spot-on a parody of NWOBHM (that's "New Wave Of British Heavy Metal" to the uninitiated) this is.

Instead, I will offer you some quotes. Those alone should give you plenty of insight as to why this is one of the greatest movies of all time. To wit:

"Oh, there actually is, uh... there was a Saint Hubbins?"
"That's right, yes."
"What was he the saint of?"
"He was the patron saint of quality footwear."

"You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really. It's like a Mach piece, really. It's sort of..."
"What do you call this?"
"Well, this piece is called "Lick My Love Pump".

"As long as there's, you know, sex and drugs, I can do without the rock and roll."

"Here lies David St. Hubbins... and why not?"

"Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year. It's just not really widely reported."

"It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black."

"We are Spinal Tap from the UK - you must be the USA!"

"You can't really dust for vomit."

"This pretentious ponderous collection of religious rock psalms is enough to prompt the question, 'What day did the Lord create Spinal Tap, and couldn't he have rested on that day too?'"

And of course: "Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
"These go to eleven."

Not laughing? Well, the visuals are even funnier--malfunctioning stage props, a guitar solo that probably singlehandedly gave birth to the "neo-classical" shred style, unique ways to use a violin, and of course lots and lots of retarded sexuality and bad poetry. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Derek Shearer absolutely NAIL it. Everybody should have this film. Especially metalheads who aren't afraid to have a good, long laugh at themselves.

Rockin' and Mockin'
When this film was originally released, its targets were hard rock bands like Whitesnake and Dio, along with overly pretentious concert films like The Last Waltz and Song Remains the Same. 20 years later, the film still holds up - and practically everything in it could apply to newer bands like the Darkness, and VH1's ridiculous Behind the Music TV series. Why? The cast and creators manage to walk the fine line between satire and homage while staying in love with the spirit of rock n'roll. Sure, band members Nigel, David, and Derek may be half-witted hacks but we love them because they reflect not only most of our rock heroes - but our rock fantasies as well. There's a sense of joy in this film that's absent in many 'serious' rock bands and films that are soon forgotten. Director Rob Reiner was also smart enough not to aim for a constant barrage of one-liners and slapstick. There's actually a story and a subtext here that most parody films totally lack. The DVD comes with a grab-bag of Spinal Tap goodies, including a hilarious commentary track and rock videos. This one's a comedy for the ages. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An informative overview of the reptile family
I have been a reptile hobbyist for quite some time, and I found this video very insightful. It organizes the information very succinctly and neatly, and makes it all very understandable. And it continues the tradition of all "Eyewitness" videos by using sparse settings and graphics to tell the story of the reptile family.

I think that anyone interested in reptiles will find this video interesting. "Eyewitness: Reptile" is about 30 minutes long.

Eyewitness - Reptile
My 3 year old son received this and four other Eyewitness videos as a christmas gift and he can't get enough of them. Each video focuses on one topic, and gives basic information on that topic. The pictures are bright and colorful, and the information is clear and concise, even for a little one. Martin Sheen does a great job of narrating the films. Each video is 30 minutes, which is an ideal length for a younger child. There is also a series of books that go along with each topic to further the learning opportunity. I would recommend this video and the others in the Eyewitness Series to anyone who would like a colorful, fact-filled overview on a specific topic. ... Read more

Description

A revealing portrait of the nearly extinct "hillbilly" culture, focuses on mountain dancer Jesco White's uphill battle against abject poverty, drug abuse, petty crime and mental instability. In his struggle to live up to his father's legacy as the finest mountain dancer in Appalachia, he leans on Jesus, Elvis Presley, and his wife, Norma Jean.

DANCING OUTLAW has been screened at several major events, including the Sundance Film Festival.

DANCING OUTLAW has won 7 major awards, including: Best Public Television Program, 1992 Emmy Award and the American Film Institute Award. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Tragically hysterical. Or is it hysterically tragic?
It's both. It's "Dancing Outlaw" and it may very well be the scariest film ever made.

Dancing Outlaw" is the true story of Jesco (Jescoe, Jessco?) White, the most ignorant, backward, and flat out insane hillbilly to ever cut a rug on top of a doghouse. Remember all of those jokes about West Virginians? Well, those people exist and Jesco is one of them. Jesco and wife make the average Jerry Springer guest look like Ward Cleaver.

Besides dancing, Jesco likes to pretend he is Elvis, huff paint, drink, and terrorize his pathetic wife (...So I held the butcher knife up to her neck, right? And I said, "Woman! What did I tell you about cooking them sloppy slimey eggs!?") Jesco is obviously mentally disturbed and that will make you feel even worse about laughing at him. Some might find this documentary to be a bit too cruel. However, I got the feeling that the filmakers actually kind of liked Jesco. It is true, though, that a pretty dark view of humanity is presented here. This is very black comedy and the fact that it is real actually just gives it all a tragic significance. There are a lot of Jescos out there. I have never been so horrified and so amused at the same time.

This tape is expensive; too expensive for me. If you have the money, grab it. This movie will be THE cult classic for years to come. I thought it was out of print, but there it is. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beauty of Ireland
Excellent video. It brought back wonderful memories of my past trip to Ireland. It also gave me new ideas for my next trip. The video has a wonderful blend of lanscape, culture, and history. Unfortunately the video only covers four counties (Donegal, Dublin, Cork, and Kerry), but it covers them very well. ... Read more

Description

"Hitler's Diaries" depicts the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler and is completely unique and consists of incredibly graphic and visually stunning imagery. There are no "voice overs," no "talking heads," and no experts offering their opinions. Instead, the film stars and is narrated by Adolf Hitler, and consists of authentic and rare Nazi film footage and photographs. The sound track features Hitler's voice and speeches, and Beethoven, Wagner, and Nazi marching music.

There has never been a more authentic film on the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler.

Viewers should beware: Hitler's Diaries is also incredibly violent and horribly graphic. Unlike all other films which attempt to sanitize Nazi atrocities and the horrors of war, Hitler's Diaries is reality to the extreme: Soldiers are killed in battle. Civilians are bombed and machine gunned as they run through burning cities and down dusty roads. Men, women, and children are stripped naked and shot. Women and men are dragged to the scaffolds and hung by the neck. Jews are rounded up, herded into ditches and executed by Nazi firing squads. Murder and death is everywhere, for that is the reality of the horrors of war and the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler. And, its all real!

Hitler's Diaries is more than just horrific violence. Relying on rare photographs and Nazi film footage of Hitler and Nazi Germany, Hitler's Diaries, using Hitler's own words and writings, explains why Hitler believed he had been chosen by "Divine Providence" to conquer Europe and to drive out the Jews. It shows how Hitler employed terror, murder, propaganda, mystical symbols, religious imagery, mass rituals, and mass psychology, to rise from the gutters, gather a fanatical following, take power, and then lead agreat and cultured nation into a genocidal world war.

Hitler's Diaries tells his story from his perspective, as Hitler saw himself. As his followers and the German people saw Adolf Hitler. Hitler's Diaries is Hitler in his own words. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Hitler & the Occult
Finally somebody got it right. I agree, there has never been a more realistic and authentic film on Adolf Hitler. The movie is truly mesmerizing. The images are shocking. Women and children are machine gunned, cities are destroyed, soldiers are killed in bloody battles, Jews are marched into ditches and shot. Chilling stuff. Hitler's quotes are direct from Mein Kampf and Table Talk or from those who knew him such as Speer and his boyhood friend Kubizek. Hitler's voice forms the sountrack, emphasizing that it was not what Hitler said, but how he said it, the music and melody of his voice which droves adoring crowds wild. Hitler said his was a "religious movement" and numerous scholars agree Hitler had a "cult-like following." Hitler's Mein Kampf is littered with occult references, such as "The Lords of the Earth" and "Divine Providence" and Hitler tells of visions and hearing a "voice" which saved his life. Goebbel's referred to Hitler as "god" and likened him to "Jesus Christ" and "John the Baptist." German churches were Nazified, the cross being replaced by the Swastika. On the day Roosevelt died, Hitler and Goebbel's turned to astrological charts to divine the future. Hitler's personal library contained hundreds of books on religion and the occult, including "Magic: History, Theory and Practice" (1923), by Ernst Schertel. Schertel gave Hitler a personal copy with a handwritten dedication. Hitler's copy is covered with notes and pencil lines along the margins, with thick lines next to the passage "He who does not carry demonic seeds within him will never give birth to a new world." Only a small portion of this well researched and scholarly film concerns the occult, but the fact that these film makers got it right goes to the heart of the authenticity of this movie. Highly recommended.

Hitler's [...]
If you are a serious student of the Third Reich and sincerely interested in what made Adolf Hilter tick, stay away from this very amateurish, two-hour pastiche of old newsreels mixed in with clips from Eva Braun's private movie film in a production so cheap the director doesn't even provide a narrator for commentary. As it is the "narration" is in the form of largely unattested quotes and blatant misstatements of fact that roll up the screen continuously, blocking out scenes that often have nothing to do with the narrative. Director Joseph's reliance on out-of-context quotes from unreliable sources, August Kubizek's memoir, for instance, undercut some of the solidly factual information this film presents, if you have the patience and judgment to dig it out. The constant theme throughout this movie that Hitler and the Nazi party were somehow in league with the occult is sheer nonsense; Hitler personally ridiculed the occultists and none of the zany supernatural claptrap this movie offers as motivating Adolf Hitler is born out by the people who really knew him. I give this movie one star because I can't rate it lower than that. Don't waste your money or time on it. If you're interested in Hitler the man, start with Ian Kershaw's two-volume biography and avoid stuff like "Hitler's Diaries."

Hitler, God, & The Holocaust
A question is asked at the outset of this incredibly multi-faceted, multi-layered film, and at the end, Hitler provides the answer. The question: "If there is a God, and if God is the creator of allthings, then did God create Hitler? Why?" The Answer: Hitler believed by driving the Jews from Europe, he was "doing the work of the Lord" and the Lord chose Hitler in order to "Lead God's people back to the homeland." What does this mean? Israel (which means: "God's Strength") was reestablished as a State in the years following Hitler's death, because of and by the Jews driven from Europe by Hitler. This implies God created Hitler and caused the holocaust so the Jews would be forced to return to Israel: The Second Exodus. The film maker does not say this. Thisparticular message is up to the viewer to discern. Unfortunately, this movie has so much going on, so many hidden or subtle multi-faceted messages, probably most viewers won't catch on. The very end of the film, for example, depicts a dancing Hitler. Hitler looks like the "Trickster." Who is the Trickster? The Devil. Fortunately, the imagery and photography are so dazzling, it really doesn't matter if one catches all the nuances and hidden meanings. In short, Hitler's Diaries is a work of art, and art is always subject to interpretation.

Simply Mind Boggling
The Hitler Diaries portrays Adolph Hitler for wahte he was: An Evil Genius. Germany was in a period of deep humiliation and despair after World War I. Their economy was in shambles and the people needed someone to beleive in. Along came the commanding Adolph Hitler whose goal was to create a strong image. Unfortunately Hitler had a troubled childhood. His father beat him without mercy. However he had great talents as an artist, engineer, and an organizer. Hitler was the one who designed the Autobahn which exceded highways in the United States at the time.

Unfortunately with all his abilities, he had troubles deep in his soul. He fought viciously for power and turned against anyone who did not see his way. Also, his feeling towards non Aryans particularly Jews was absolutely repulsive. This led to difficult times to the Jewish people and other minority factions within Germany. The hangings, shootings, and beatings are documented here and they are all so gruesome.

The footage from World War II is documented here. The reality of all the lives lost and the cities destroyed just boggle the mind. Amazingly Hitler fought on until the bitter end. Cruelly he turned on his own people. Then out of desperation he killed himself.

As many painful moments as there are in this documentary, I must say that the world needs to know what can happen when a madman has too much power. I cannot imagine how so many of the German people could have stood by and let so many innocent people get killed by this madman. This film should serve as a blueprint to all nations that power is nice but fairness to all people is essential.

Another interesting note that will echo the comments of other reviewers is the statements that Hitler made to drive the Jews out of Europe as he leads his God's people to the Promised Land. Many Jews later escaped to Palestine and three years after World War II, Israel achieved statehood. It makes one wonder would Israel have existed without Hitler and his atrocities?

Anyway, this is a fine document of World History in spite of all the violence and horrifying moments. May something like this never happen again.

Hypnotic. Shocking. Frightening.
Hypnotic. Shocking. Frightening. These are just some of the adjectives which come to mind is describing this very unusual movie about a very evil man. There is also something very "stream of consciousness" about this movie. It is different, there is no doubt about that! The strength of this movie is it doesn't make judgments but presents Hitler from his own point of view, using his words which appear on the screen, and his voice as part of the sound track. Hitler was the ultimate "evil genius," a shaman who could whip crowds into a frenzy. As this film shows, Hitler's was a fantastic speaker. His mass meetings were like revival meetings. Women and men scream and cry out as Hitler gestulates and cries out and whips them into a hysterical frenzy. The sountrack is amazing and so is the music. There is footage here of Hitler I've never seen before. This movie is also different from anything I've seen before on Hitler. It is very "artsy," which some people might not like. It doesn't begin with his birth. Instead, Hitler jumps right out at you and is in your face, and it is frightening, even more so when you realize the German people looked up to him like a god. I also learned things about Hitler I never knew before, such as, when he was 17, still living in Austria, he heard a "Voice" which told him he would become the leader of Germany! That's pretty amazing. The atrocities are also amazing, even more so if you slow the film down and then realize crowds of people, including women and children, are gathered round excitedly watching their neighbors being shot or hanged. Some of the pictures and film clips included in this movie are so horrible, so frightening, and so shocking, it is hard to believe these things really happened just 60 years ago. Not everything about this film was "amazing." There were some things I didn't like, or would change. Sometimes the scrolling subtitles were distracting. I wanted to read everything, which at times, interfered with my ability to fully concentrate on the really amazing images and film clips. If you don't like to read, you should probably not buy this film. I watched this film with two friends. When it was over, we watched it again. ... Read more

Description

Adapted for the screen from the autobiography he wrote with Alex Haley's assistance, Malcolm X is a stirring portrait of the man whose life has become a rallying cry for millions. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Great Portrait of a Man
A truly well crafted documentary where excerpts from Malcolm X's autobiography and footage of his speeches drive the narrative. This is about as close to capturing the spirit of Malcolm X as well as the cultural climate in which he operated as you can get. There is no obtrusive narrator or newsperson offering up their slanted view of Malcolm X here. Archival footage is used to flesh out the scenes Malcolm X desribes in his autobiography, from his childhood to Boston, Harlem, Birmingham, and Mecca. There are also numerous vintage interviews with with Betty Shabazz, Elijah Muhammad,Philbert X, Ella Collins Little, James Farmer and many others. From the opening of the film with Billy Holiday's STRANGE FRUIT to Ossie Davis' eulogy, this is truly the film to watch if you want to see Malcolm X's incredible journey to becoming El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and the impact he made upon America and the world.

Straight, no chaser
This is raw (in all senses of the word) footage of Malcolm X without much narration. Reading the biography will help put everything into context. But once you're familiar with what's going on, it becomes all the more fascinating. Enjoy.

"Malcolm X-His own Story" Great Hit
Malcolm X ( Denzil Washington)starts as a bad boy and finally gets caught steeling and goes to jail. In jail he meets a guy who is a strong follower of Alijah Muhhamed. He sees the light and becomes a speaker for them when he gets out of jail. The movie is great and slows down a little in the end. I recommend it to anybody who wants to see a great movie about Malcolm X.

The Real Malcolm X
This is an outstanding documentary... mostly all film footage of Malcolm X in his own words. He pulls no punches in his indictment of the slavery/segregation experience of the black people at the hands of the white power structure. With equal moral force, he indicted the NOI leader for his sexual affairs. After his pilgrimage to Mecca, he had a new vision of how white people could overcome their evilness. Knowing that he was soon to be killed, he stood his ground and spoke his truth even as the bullets ripped through his body. He was truly an Islamic teacher and visionary of the first order. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

A Must-See!
I, too, like others writing here, must wait for the price of the video to come down, but when it does I will happily purchase it. After seeing this film, I wanted to go to New York more than ever. So I did! What an inspiring, wacky, insightful, powerful, lovable guy Speed is. And so is the documentary. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Why is this not a major hit!
This is an amazingly intimate film about a remarkable guy who everyone should encounter. Speed is brilliant, clever, passionate, entertaining, and then to complete the impossible, he is also profoundly thoughtful about life and others. It is fascinating and enlightening to see how Speed reconciles his pain and his practically visionary perspective on New York and life. I'm amazed this is not a major hit.

A state of ongoing wow!
After seeing The Cruise, I felt seduced by Timothy Speed Levitch's interpretation of history. I highly recommend this documentary film so that all might bear witness to such an eloquent and quotable mind.

This guy is a joke.
I find it disturbing that people consider this narcissistic repetitive user of long words a "philosopher." His undulations to the scintillation of the deification of civilization made me nauseous. I feel bad for the great authors whose names he dropped, but worse for those who are forced to endure his tours.

philosophical bus tour
"I think having an intimate 'love affair' with a flower is far more psychotic and riveting than having a love affair with some of the more banal creatures of the human race."

"Speed" Levitch is an intensely poetic individual. He's one of the most eccentric people I know of and that's not a put down. This is a documentary of someone rejecting convention and having to suffer for it. For example, he expresses some deep sadness when speaking of his grandparents. From their perspective he is a failure because he has not devoted his life to mere preservation and praticial pursuits.
Levitch takes you on a tour that is meant to force people to look at things differently. At one point, Levitch recalls a conversation he has with a women about the grid plan of New York city, with its 90 degree parrallel streets corners and rigid organization and he sees this as symbolic for the comformity and homogeneousness of civilization. It's a sad reflection of ourselves. It's a reflection of our inclination to stamp out diversity and change. These are ideas that are purposely woven into his tour and you can even see looks of apprehension on the faces of some of the tourists soon after he begins to speak.

I remember this guy from Waking Life because he had such a distinguishing voice and appearance. After seeing this I know see why he was so perfect for that movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Come meet Mark Twain. OK, true, the humorist has been dead for more years than we care to remember, and not many of us around today were alive to hear what he sounded like.But Hal Holbrook is so spectacular in his one-man performance that you could swear you were listening to Twain himself.The gravelly voice, the lined face, the slow shuffle, and cigar-induced throat clearings seem so natural that you'll have difficulty recognizing Holbrook beneath the white suit, the gray hair, and the handlebar mustache.

Mark Twain Tonight! began as a Broadway show in the 1960s and was filmed as a CBS special in 1967.Yet you'd never know it, because the humor, which is more than a century old, is still laugh-out-loud funny today. Twain--I mean, Holbrook--gives a monologue that is rambling, intelligent, and humorous as he culls together commentary from a variety of Twain sources. From dachshund hounds, politics, and patriotism to cigar smoking, memory loss, and religion, this 90-minute video leaps from subject to subject as we're entertained by material that's as fresh today as it was when it was written in the 1800s. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (11)

growing up with hal holbrook and mark twain
if you have not heard the recordings or saw the television special 'mark twain tonight' starring hal holbrook, you are in for a real treat. my aunt took me to see the one man show many years ago in toronto. when he came a second time, years later, i took her.

i have listened to the two recordings of mark twain and mark twain tonight at least once a week for over twenty years. hal holbrook is not talente, he is gifted. listening to 'jim and huck on a raft' is so touching to me it defies description. if hou have ever trusted anyone on anything trust me. this is not to be missed. i have never heard or seen anything quite like it.

Holbrook's Mark Twain
If there has ever been a polished performance, this is it! I've been fortunate to see Holbrook do this show live on three occasions. He really catches the essence of Twain's marvellous story- telling, which sets the tone for later artists such as Gene Shepard and Garrison Keillor. Hal Holbrook changed his show at every performance, and this video features him at the peak of his craft. From ghost stories to humorous anecdotes to shaggy dog yarns and tall tales, this video has them all. You'll want to watch it many times.

wry genius returned to life
my only regret about MARK TWAIN TONIGHT is that it's only 90 minutes. holbrook apparently has about 12 hours worth of material that his life shows alternate among. these 90 minutes include his views on man (the only animal that blushes), his mississippi adventures as seen through tom's eyes, and jim blaine's story of the ram and old man wheeler. the ram story alone is enough to be twice worth the cost of the dvd. buy the disk. holbrook is now at just the age where his twain would be even more sublime. let's hope the sales of this dvd inspire him to do another all these years after this 1967 performance. the sound and video are good (for broadcast tv) -- mainly though, holbrook is outstanding and twain is -- twain IS twain. buy it. watch it.

Mark Twain Tonight!
I was introduced to Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain Tonight in a high school English class in 1962 and have been fascinated with Holbrook and his Twain presentation ever since. As the story goes, Holbrook took up cigar smoking to get the timber in his voice, spends three hours in make-up preparing, and has even listened to Edison recording tubes of Twain to get the voice and inflection just right. Sit back and enjoy tales from a hundred years ago that are just as germaine today. You'll soon be convinced that the man in front of you is actually Mark Twain!

Hal Holbrook-Mark Twain Tonight
Having seen Hal Holbrook live, in Mark Twain Tonight on two occasions, most recently this past January, I must say I was delighted to aquire the DVD of his 1967 television broadcast performance. My aquaintence with Mr. Holbrooks' Twain goes back to two LPs, recorded in performance in the early 60's, lost, but not forgotten. I have long believed, and this DVD confirms that Mark Twain Tonight is easily one of the greatest treasures of the stage in the last half of the 20th Century. That Mr. Holbrook has performed Mark Twain every year since 1954, in close to 2000 shows, is nothing short of miraculous. But there are twelve hours of material that he draws from. Hopefully, all twelve hours will one day, be available in this format. This 90 minute show brings the wisdom, humor and humanity of one of the most morally brave men of the 19th century to life; and his words are as funny, poignant and relevent going into the 21st century as they were then. I am simply in awe! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

SIBERIAN BOY WRESTLERS SHOW THEIR STUFF
LITTLE WARRIORS 2

They're back! Yes, Baikal Films' young superstars of wrestling,
Little Warriors, are back again and ready to rumble. After a
terrific trip to summer camp for some much deserved fun, our boys
are in the gym and training hard. Super slammin' moves are
practiced to perfection and young muscles are strained to the
max, all in anticipation of the season's first big match. This
competition is an impressive one, opening with a handsome parade
of young boy athletes circling the hall and carrying their team
banners proudly. But don't let these smiling, doe-eyed,
rosey-cheeked boys fool you, they're some of Siberia's fiercest
young grapplers. Each one is pumped and ready to deliver a
power-packed performance of flips, slams, and smack-downs we call
LITTLE WARRIORS 2! ... Read more

Amazon.com

No other 13-year-old girl in modern history has had as a profound effect on readers as Anne Frank. Born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany, Anne, her elder sister, and her parents fled Germany in 1933 for the Netherlands to escape Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. This installment of A&E's award-winning Biography series, Anne Frank: The Life of a Young Girl, takes viewers back to her 13th birthday when she received the red-and-white-checkered diary she named Kitty. Just a few weeks later, Anne's Jewish family was forced into 25 months of hiding in the secret annex behind a bookshelf in her father's office. Her diary not only documents the life of a young girl, but the extraordinary circumstances she endured; Anne Frank has become "a symbol, a cause, an institution." Excerpts from Kitty were originally published in 1947 as Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex) and the acclaim was so widespread that an American edition, The Diary of a Young Girl, was published in 1952. Three years later it won the Pulitzer Prize. There have been Broadway plays and a 1959 Hollywood film based on the diary. A&E does an excellent job telling the story of Anne's life, and presents historical context with limited black-and-white photographs of Anne and her family, as well as footage from World War II. But most significant are the interviews with Anne's father, the only survivor of the 11 people who hid in the annex; Anne's childhood friends and Holocaust survivors; "Hello" Silverberg, the object of her school-girl crush; and her father's loyal assistant Miep Gies, who ultimately saved Anne's diary after Anne and her family were discovered and taken away to concentration camps. Anne Frank: The Life of a Young Girl describes why the young girl's gifted writing in a checkered diary has survived as a formidable force against prejudice and discrimination.--Cristina Del Sesto ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Courageous Acknowledgement of Man's Inhumanity to Man!
Anne Frank lives-in spirit. One of the strongest and certainly youngest chronicler of the holocaust. She is such a heroine role model for today's confused youth. A "must see" VHS and please don't forget a book or other readers/media by the same title. Great for discussion beginning with 10 years olds through middle school. (Not just for girls as Elie Wiesel is not just for boys). "Live life", is the message I get and if you must suffer it than do it with class and even with a sense of curiosity and adventure. And, when you die there will be a definite sense of history waiting for you. Or, should I say an infinite sense of having been and is that not the same as immortality?

Annelie Marie Frank
This was the best biograhpy i have ever seen.

Good for Beginners
This is a nice video overview of the life of Anne Frank produced by A&E's Biography. The people at Biography almost always do a nice job and this episode is no exception. There's not a lot of detail but there are some nice interviews with people like Otto Frank and Miep Gies. Hearing their voices adds something for those who have only read of them. This is what I think is the true power of videos like this--it allows readers to put faces and voices to names.

I think this video is also nice because is fills in the spaces around the period covered by Anne in her diary, particularly what happened after the Franks were arrested and Anne could no longer write. It is important for people who have only read the diary itself to become aware of these other events.

On the other hand, no video (even the best of them--Anne Frank Remembered) can presently compete with the quality of written material out there. There are so many excellent books covering every segment of Anne's life that it would be a shame for someone who is truly interested in Anne to limit themselves to this video.

good
very good, but touchin ... Read more