Air Power (1956) Review

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(More customer reviews)With great excitement I sat down to view this DVD, one of my all-time favorite documentaries. I was extremely disappointed to find, that in my favorite segment: The Liberation of France, the final scene had been cut! It was the best scene in the whole series. The beautiful footage of two flights of Thunderbolts, criss-crossing above the Arch de Triomphe was missing! These documentaries are works of art. You can't cut the last scene of one anymore than you could with Gone With The Wind. What were these guys thinking? I'm returning my set. I refuse to support such insensitive and indiscriminate editing and I urge others to do the same.

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This exceptional six hour documentary, produced by CBS News in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force and narrated by the voice of America, Walter Cronkite, chronicles the impact that the fighting machines of the air had on the outcome of World War II. Follow Hitler's determined attempts to conquer Britain by sending the Luftwaffe over the English Channel to bomb London. Relive the infamous day when Japan's Air Force attacked Pearl Harbor, the D-Day invasion of Normandy and the deadly dogfights in the Pacific theater. Featuring spectacular and rare documentary film footage, this fascinating retrospective also explores aviation's impact on the 20th Century. Culled from over 300 million feet of film and featuring an original score performed by the CBS Symphony. Here are the unforgettable stories of World War II...Air Power.

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The Frogmen Review

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(More customer reviews)To those of us who share the collective title of "boomers" (not to be confused with certain nuclear submarine types) , there are certain movies out there in the DVD marketplace now that bring back fond memories. In the early 1960s, television was coming out of a period when most of what was shown..movie-wise...were cinematic studio "oldies" shown on local "late shows". "early shows", "shock theatres", etc. This is where we got introductions to Crosby & Hope, Karloff, Lugosi, King Kong, the Duke, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, the "Three Mesquiteers", Errol Flynn, and many others.
As these new 60s got underway, though, something new and exciting began on the NBC network. The Peacock crowd (with their new toy , color television) cranked up a new tv show..."Saturday Night At the Movies"...shown every Saturday night (natch)at 9:00 p.m. EST (or DST in summer). Verbally hosted by Donald Rickles (NOT to be confused with comedian DON Rickles), "Saturday Night At The Movies" was a special arrangement between NBC and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation to show recent quality movie releases (10 years old or less)...many in (surprise) Color!...on prime time each week.
This show quickly became a solid hit and inspired many imitators (ABC launched a "Sunday Night Movie" shortly thereafter in a deal with United Artists). On Saturday night one now got a dose of more recent cinematic fare (and much better image quality) than we'd been previously used to. And, oh, what we got to see!!!! "Titanic" (Webb & Stanwycke), "THe Seven Year Itch" (Monroe & Ewell), "Niagra" (Monroe),
The Day the Earth Stood Still" (Rennie & Neal"), "No Highway In the Sky" (James Stewart), "Prince Valiant" (Wagner), "The Hunters" (Mitchum, Egan, & Wagner), "The Enemy Below" (Mitchum & Jurgens), and on and on: "The Desert Fox", "The Desert Rats", "Cheaper By the Dozen", "How To Marry A Millionaire",
"Halls of Montezuma", "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef". "Red Skies of Montana", etc.
And, among these, "The Frogmen".
And seeing it again has been a treat, because it is a wonderful movie. Reminds one of how good they USED to make them (before they were "gimmicked up" to be on-screen video games for
no-brain adolescents). There is action and excitement a'plenty here, along with a good BELIEVABLE story (how rare is THAT nowadays? "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"???) and some GREAT acting performances....Richard Widmark and Dana Andrews in particular. Widmark (the original "edgy" actor....LONG before Nick Cage) turns in yet another of his fabulous performances as the new CO of UDT Team 4 in the South Pacific, late in the war. As usual Widmark operates on all acting cylinders here...he works with vocal timing and perfect dialog delivery, dead-on body language and mannerisms, and couldn't-be-better eyework...proof once again that this great star-yet-not-a-superstar was one of Hollywood's hands-down best actors (Check out "Halls of Montezuma" or "Madigan", among other roles). Widmark does not play a cardboard hero here. He is a man plagued with flaws and doubts...yet a good, brave man. Just a complicated one.
And, good as Widmark's performance is, Dana Andrews stands up to equal it as Widmark's nemesis. Andrews plays a Chief Petty Officer in Team 4 who is like oil to Widmark's water, and who, with dogged resentment to Widmark's "taking the place" of Team 4's lately-killed former commander, won't "cut the new guy any slack" and keeps resentment stirred up against Widmark by all the enlisted team members. The war of acceptance or non-aceptance between the new C.O. and "the guys" lies at the heart of the movie. And this is a "war" well played throughout.
Jeffrey Hunter privides strong backup here. as does Gary Merrill (Captain of the UDT mission ship), and a group of good character actors (some, like Jack Warden and a couple of others, who would become much more high profile later on).
Biggest mystery about "The Frogmen" concerns Robert Wagner.
He is always listed as "being there", and is named PROMINENTLY in the the credits....yet he is barely there at all! He cannot have any more than 45 seconds screen time...if THAT!!! He seems to play a junior bridge officer (when seen) named "Ensign Franklin", who, recognizable AS a young Robert Wagner as he stands in proximity to Gary Merrill in two long shots of the bridge, does NOTHING but stand there. On one other scene, for about a 5-second run (tops...if THAT) he is called on by Merril to "Mr. Franklin, lower a boat". To which order Wagner delivers (near as I can tell), his only three lines in the movie: "Aye aye, sir!".
That little peculiarity apart, everything else about this film works. Co-operation by the Navy helped produce a "ton" of informative UDT action scenes: the viewer is shown the operations of the departure and pick-up boats, the sling-catching of the frogmen that retrieves them out the water into a rubber raft attached to the pick-up boat...actual scouting of beach traps and the mining of same with stachel demo charges...the planting of a "Welcome to the Beach" sign as a rag on the marines (based on a real WWII practice)...and a full scale harbor penetration in dry suits and scuba at the film's end to blow up Japanese submarine pens. The producers (and Navy)
"fudge" this a little bit by having the team go in wearing 1950s era aqualungs, regulators, and hoses (rather than the real WWII style rebreathers they would really have used), but this might have been done for some security reason (hard to tell). No matter, the scenes work. That's what really counts.
All ends well here...just the way you want it to. All team conflicts aren't shown to have been "ironed out" completely, but enough evidence is there to show that a corner has been turned in team relations with UDT 4 to suggest the old guys and the new guy might just be headed for some hard-won mutual acceptance after all.
Again, good movie. Well worth watching and in glorious black and white .
With this out, and "Halls of Montezuma" (another Widmark winner), makes you hope Fox puts out "Red Skies of Montana", the most exciting smoke jumper/forest fire movie ever put to film. Also wouldn't hurt to see the OTHER big FROGMAN movie either: Dan Dailey as the "Underwater Warrior".


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FROGMEN - DVD Movie

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The Battle of the Atlantic Review

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(More customer reviews)This BBC production is part of the excellent series of historical programs that british television has produced on the second world war. The material is written and produced by Andrew Williams and I have read the book which he published on the same subject. In one hour and a half it is not possible to cover all aspects of the subject so that the focus is on the duel between U-Boat command and the Royal Navy. In addition there is a fascinating section on the role of the codebreakers at Bletchley park who broke the German Enigma-machine code and were able to anticipate the U-Boat movements. The human cost of this struggle was horrendous with great loss of of life on both sides and this DVD shows the tradegy of war with no punches pulled. There are interviews with seamen on both sides which add enormously to the impact of the program. I would recommend this DVD to anyone with an interest in history.

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Hitler's submarines, his "Grey Wolves," made their first appearance in 1939, and by 1942 had brought the Allies to the brink of defeat. Churchill would later admit, "The only thing that ever really frightened me during the War was the U-boat peril." At the most desperate hour, the capture of an Enigma machine and the invention of radar would prove instrumental in turning the battle, and therefore the war, around. This three-part series includes eyewitness accounts from former U-boat crew members and fascinating images of U-boats in action, along with dramatic reconstruction, to bring this crucial struggle for control of the "saltwater highways" into focus.

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Lust, Caution (Widescreen Edition) (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ang Lee breaks through again with a masterful adaptation of Eileen Chang's short story, Lust/Caution (like what he did with Annie Prolux's similarly brief story, Brokeback Mountain). While the hype seems to be mostly misplaced on the controversial acrobatics displayed by Tony Leung and Tang Wei in bed, Lee's storytelling leaves one breathless.
The love story unfolds against the backdrop of 1930's Japanese-invaded Shanghai where tyranny and suffering were synonymous. Nubile Wang Jia Zhi played by Tang Wei joins the resistance movement and gets herself drawn into the role of a spy to crumble the traitor, Mr Yee. In between the espionage and wild climatic trysts, both of them unknowingly embroil themselves in love and deceit, much deeper than they would have liked themselves to.
Tang Wei, as a newcomer to cinema, is impeccable. Her evolution from a wide-eyed country girl to a seductive temptress is enough to make the hardest of most men, in this case, the distrusting Mr. Yee fall for her. Wei acts pretty much on instincts and her body language does wonders at seducing the somewhat vulnerable Mr. Yee played by multiple-award winner Tony Leung. Wei breaks down in the memorable scene where she's talking to the resistance leader on her unyieldingly sacrificial role that is both a torment and insidious attack to her emotions.
As usual, Tony has the penchant for playing dark brooding men and in this instance, an evil Chinese traitor. He does not act. His presence already commands attention as the cynical no-nonsense minister. The pivotal sex scenes, split into three parts, are not just there for visual enhancement. They actually convey the shift in roles between the two throughout their complex relationship. The raw emotions displayed on their faces were enough to convince anyone hard-hearted to think twice about the essence of love. I must say these are some of the best bed scenes you'll ever witness on film.
Of course, the supporting cast of Joan Chen as Mrs Yee and Wong Lee-Hom as Tang Wei's resistance compatriot, Kuang Yu Min, is every bit just as spectacular. In the end, the story about love is bittersweet. You'll also see how fervent the resistance movement, which puts the enemy above self and others, was through Wang Jia Zhi's eyes. Lust Caution is 157 minutes' of rewarding watch that will linger on in your minds well after the credits roll. (A+)


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Provocative, thrilling and passionate, Lust, Caution is the daring new film from acclaimed Academy Award®-winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Set against the backdrop of a transforming country,a young woman finds herself swept up in a radical plot to assassinate a ruthless and secretive intelligence agent. As she immerses herself in her role as a cosmopolitan seductress, she becomes entangled in a dangerous game that will ultimately determine her fate. Erotic, breathtaking and suspenseful, this award-winning film is being called "exquisitely beautiful" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) and "lushly sensual" (Leah Rozen, People).

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The Desert Fox (1951) Review

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(More customer reviews)Originally copyright by 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, in 1951, only six years after the end of World War Two, this black and white film gives a shallow overview of the last years of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel: the Desert Fox.
Once you get past the opening rather stagey scenes, of British commandos raiding a German headquarters building in north Africa, hoping to kill the Desert Fox in his lair, the rest of the film is carried along guite well, by the great performance of James Mason, as Rommel. This performance is the only reason I rated this film as four stars, without Mason I would have been disapointed.
Other members of the cast do fine jobs too, notably Cedric Hardwicke and Leo G. Carroll. One can find good entertainment based on real events.
D-Day: the invasion of Normandy, is a highlight of this film. There are several minutes of what appears to be genuine newsreel footage of the storming of the beaches: the ships off shore, the guns, the planes, brave men falling. It's all very real at this point.
"The Desert Fox" was made in an era when the directors, producers, and the Hollywood Establishment in general, were less preachy, and less likely to distort the truth in order to promote a social agenda. That is a big plus for this film.
On the down side: the film starts off with several undisclosed advertisements for other videos, of like kind, by Fox. This is borderline dishonest, as consumers have paid for entertainment and expect it to be commercial free. At the very least, the ads should be disclosed, before anyone makes a purchaseing decision.
All in all, "The Desert Fox" is good entertainment and deserves a look.

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James Mason delivers a strong performance in this fascinating portrait of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. In the early 1940's, Rommel's juggernaut Afrika Korps dominated North Africa. But as the tide turned and he came to the painful realization that his Fuhrer, to whom he hd sworn allegiance, was destroying Germany, his ingrained sense of duty pushed him into a conspiracy against Hitler. Co-starring Jessica Tandy as Rommel's wife and Cedric Hardwicke as another anti-Hitler conspirator, The Desert Fox is an intimate look at one of the most respected military tacticians of modern times.

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BBC History of World War II: Hiroshima (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am from Hiroshima. My father was 15 years old and was deployed as a student worker at a ship yard at the time. He does not talk much about his experience, but told me bits and pieces about what he saw. When I was an elementary school student, we had to watch the video footage of the victims that was extremely graphic. So nothing in this program was new to me, although it was very interesting to see how nuclear fusions started inside the bomb.
Having said that, I think this program is a good overview for people who are not familiar with the event. It talks about how the bomb was developed, the political circumstances, the US military mission, GIs who engaged in the mission, and of course, the effect on the people in Hiroshima. There is little criticism or political overtones in the way the program was made, although it is clear that there were terrible misunderstandings between Japanese and US leaders, and that a handful of Japanese extremists led the country into ruins.
I wish the program talked more about the way the atomic bomb affected people long after the event. There is one section that describes the "mistery illness" that plagued the survivers, but it did not talk about the deformed babies born to the mothers who were pregrant at the time, or the cancers that many of the survivers suffered later in their lives. The program also did not mention anything about the American POWs who were detained in Hiroshima at the time. They all perished along with thousands of people of Hiroshima. I am not sure how many Americans know this.
My father is fine. His family lived in the suburbs so none died because of the event although some of the family heirlooms had burn marks that were visible even decades later. My mother's grandparents, however, lived right by the T-shaped bridge that was used as a target so no remains were found. I remember my grandmother used to go to the annual memorial service every year. Although it was somewhat difficult for me to see the suffering of people reenacted in the program, the stupidity of the leaders, and the happiness and the joy that Americans were feeling after the bomb was dropped (not because I am bitter or critical of their actions, but because they really did not realize what was going on in Hiroshima and that they opened the door to a new era of nuclear threats), we need programs like this so we can learn from the history and remember that the war is savage, no matter what side you are on, and that the war should really be the last resort to resolve a conflict.

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It was the defining moment of the 20th Century - the scientific, technological, military, and political gamble of the first atomic attack. This drama-documentary attempts to do what no other film has done before - to show what it is like to live through a nuclear explosion. Set in the three weeks from the test explosion in New Mexico to the dropping of the bomb, the action takes viewers into the room where the crucial political decisions are made; on board the Enola Gay; inside the bomb as it explodes; and on the streets of Hiroshima.

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Secrets of World War II Review

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(More customer reviews)In 11/07 Nucus/Martin Production released three companion DVDs dealing with World War II:
(1) Gladiators of World War II: The fighting forces of the Second World War (1998) (BBC c2007) (2 double-sided DVDs, with 13 48-minute episodes; TT10:50)Gladiators of World War II
director, writer: Charles Messenger; narrator: Robert Powell
(2) Heroes of World War II (2003) and Weapons of World War II (2003) (BBC c2007) (2 double-sided DVDs, with 10+10 24-minute episodes; TT7:55)Heroes and Weapons of World War II
director: Jonathan Martin; writer: Tim Newark; narrator: Robert Powell
(3) Secrets of World War II: Revelations from the Second World War (1998) (BBC c2007) (4 DVDs, 3 double-sided, with 26 52-minute episodes; TT22:32)
director: Jonathan Martin; writer: Robin Cross; narrator: Robert Powell
These four TV series are valuable in treating interesting phenomena of World War II that are less frequently covered on video. Each episode is in stereo, 4:3 format, and vintage B&W (mostly) and vintage color, with modern embellishments (maps, background info, etc.) in color. The quality of the archival footage is variable of course, but all is watchable. The quality of the modern color supplements is very good to excellent (e.g., Bletchley Park). Narration is by actor Robert Powell (born 1944).
CONTENTS--GLADIATORS OF WORLD WAR II (1998) (each episode 48 min):
1. Waffen-SS
2. Special Operations Executive [SOE]
3. SAS [Special Air Service]
4. The Desert Rats
5. The Free Polish Forces
6. RAF Fighter Command
7. The Paras and Commandos
8. Norwegian Resistance Fighters
9. The Kamikaze
10. The Royal Navy
11. The Chindits
12. The Free French Forces
13. The Anzacs
CONTENTS--HEROES OF WORLD WAR II (2003) (each episode 24 min):
1. The Men Who Invented Radar
2. The Man Who Designed The Spitfire
3. The Man Who Stood Up To Hitler
4. The Men Who Cracked Enigma
5. The Men Who Stopped the Bismarck
6. The Man Who Saved Britain's Cities
7. The Man Who Hoodwinked Hitler
8. The Men Who Liberated Belsen
9. The Men Who Lit Up Germany
10. The Men Behind D-Day
CONTENTS--WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR II (2003) (each episode 24 min):
1. Tanks
2. Midget Submarines
3. Gliders
4. Aircraft Carriers
5. Fighter Bombers
6. Heavy Bombers
7. The Battleship
8. Rockets
9. Fast Attack Boats
10. The Machine Gun
CONTENTS--SECRETS OF WORLD WAR II (1998) (each episode 52 min):
1. The Corpse that Fooled the Axis
2. Adolf Hitler's Last Days
3. Secret Mission to North Africa
4. When Hitler Invaded America
5. The Bruneval Raid
6. What Really Happened to Rommel
7. Cracking the Enigma Secret
8. Human Torpedoes
9. The Secrets of the Battle of the Bulge
10. The Greatest Sea/Air Battle in History
11. Above Us - The Enemy (Secrets of the Submarine War)
12. The Secrets Behind the Battle of Guadalcanal
13. The Real Heroes of Telemark
14. They Flew for China
15. How Germany was Bombed to Defeat
16. The End of the Scharnhorst
17. The RAF versus the V Weapons
18. Japan's Last Secret Weapon
19. The Minehunters
20. The Nazi Plundering of Europe
21. Confusion was their Business
22. Merrill's Marauders
23. The Amazing Colonel Doolittle
24. Destroying Hitler's Oil Fields
25. Home Run from Colditz
26. Cruises of the Secret Raiders

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During the chaos and destruction of WWII, ordinary men and women from all walks of life were thrown into fearsome, real-life situations worthy of any Hollywood movie -- the only difference is that this series every story is true. Ordinary GIs and US Air Force and Navy personnel suddenly found themselves flying against the Japanese in China, jungle fighting in Burma and being dropped by submarine on enemy coasts at midnight. Each fifty-two minute story gives the viewer a clear view of the historical context, the strategic objective, and the tactical effort made by flyers, sailors and foot-soldiers - often in the most oppressive and life threatening situations - to win victory from the enemy.

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Hitler - The Rise of Evil (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I gave "The Rise of Evil" 5 stars because that's what it deserves. The show is extremely well-constructed, cast, and directed, even if the screenplay takes some liberties with history along the way. Yes, the story could have gotten along without the dog beating scene, the one where Hitler's father abuses him violently, and probably a few others. But the dramatic effect would have been impaired.
I watched the "making of" documentary that came with my DVD before I sat down to view the 3-hour movie. Then, I watched the documentary again after seeing the show. I'd recommend this approach to others to understand why the producer and director were subject to such criticism before and after the film was finished.
When this miniseries first came out we going out of town and totally missed it. My wife and I watch very little network TV because it doesn't seem like it's designed for thinking adults. This program is very much the exception and should be a must for anyone interested in world events and the dangers of facism.
Any review of this program must include comments on the performance of Robert Carlyle who plays the adult Hitler. Although the very Scottish Mr. Carlyle may be small in stature and far-removed from Hitler's teutonic roots he is mesmerizing as der Fuehrer. Carlyle captures the part so well you worry about what he could possibly do in the future to escape type-casting. It's all there: the iron will, the vicious temper, the evil political genius. Scary, truly scary.
The other actors in the show do very well, too, and there are a lot of well-defined characters. Peter O'Toole's role in the movie is limited but he does a fine job as President Hindenburg. The decent people who are steam-rolled by the 3rd Reich were sorry victims, indeed, but that's the way it must have been.
There were some characters who were notable by their absence, like Heinrich Himmler, Reinhold Heydrich, and Martin Bormann. Also missing was much on Nazi mysticism and the occult. Maybe these missing pieces are being held for a sequel. I'd certainly be interested if there were one.

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Featuring a star-studded cast, this epic mini-series traces the mind of a burgeoning madman as he begins his ruthless climb to power. From his emergence out of the ashes of World War I through the birth of the Nazi Party, acclaimed actor Robert Carlyle portrays Adolph Hitler in a performance that "conveys the depths of the tyrant’s evil" (San Francisco Chronicle). Includes the Bonus Documentaries: "Hitler and I: Reflections of Evil" (directed by David Cherniack) "Hitler: A Career" (written and directed by Joachim C. Fest)

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The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)The story of the magnificent 332nd Fighter Group is woven into a dramatic tapestry of the horror of war and the disjointed approach of many Americans to a difficult time and a situation many would have preferred to ignore. The performance of the pilots who graduated the Tuskegee Training Program (they NEVER lost an escorted bomber to enemy action!) unfolds against the backdrop of misunderstanding, racism and political machinations that nearly destroyed the entire enterprise. This film does a magnificent job of telling the tale without being melodramatic, preachy or snide, but does full justice to the accomplishments of the pilots and their eventual victory against both German pilots and their own nation's refusal to recognize their talents. For the student of World War II, this is a well-known and much-respected story. For the student of African-American History, it is a tale of pride which shines as brightly as the stars on the American Flag these men so courageously defended. Fishburn and Cuba Gooding are superior as men caught between their own humanity and the de-humanizing effects of war. If ever a film deserve a 5-Star rating, this one does.

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Featuring an all-star cast headed by Laurence Fishburne, fireballs of high speed air action explode off the screen in this exciting story of the "Fighting 99th," the first squadron of black American pilots to be allowed to fight for their country. Based on the true story.

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The Man Who Never Was (1956) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although the film was a ostensibly a 20th Century Fox production, THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS was filmed in England using primarily English crew and cast (though American leads). It belongs to a tradition of English war films in which aspects of the war are treated slowly, deliberately, and with great precision. While in the US war films tended to feature John Wayne leading Marines into combat, the British tended to focus much more on the preparation and plans of operations. For instance, the very fine film THE DAM BUSTERS features very little in the way of actual combat. And THE MAN WHO NEVER WAY has no combat whatsoever.
The movie is based on a book by the same name about Operation Mincemeat, in which the British attempted to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion spot for D-Day by planting a corpse with fake papers on a beach in Spain, knowing that the Spanish would pass the papers onto the Germans. The entire movie is involved with the formation of the plan, and then creating the man who never was, creating his papers and personal effects. On one level, not much happens in the film, but on another it is one of the most fascinating films ever made about the war, because of the practical problems they deal with in the executing of the operation. Knowing that it was all based upon real events greatly adds to the appeal of the film.
Clifton Webb, who was in fact far too old for the part, turns in a convincing performance as Lieutenant Commander Montagu. In most of his films he comes across as arrogant, but in this one he instead communicates competence and intelligence. Gloria Grahame is excellent as the primary female presence in the film. If you look carefully, you can spot Stephen Boyd in a small role, a few years before he would portray Messala in BEH-HUR.

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Clifton Webb stars in this fascinating account of a daring intelligence operation designed to mislead the Nazis prior to the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily.In an effort to convince the Germans to redeploy their defenses, Lt. Commander Montagu (Webb) creates a false English officer and fabricates letters that indicate the British intend to land in Greece.Montagu than plants these documents on a dead man and orchestrates the "discovery" of this "officer" on the coast of Spain, Knowing the papers will fall into German hands.What follows is a taut cat-and mouse game as British Intelligence waits for Berlin to respond, then races to stay one step ahead of the Nazi agent dispatched to determine if the dead man is genuine.This true story of ingenious deception is a riveting tale of wartime espionage.

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The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection (1944) Review

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(More customer reviews)MPI Home Video has made a terrific decision here, combining all of its previously released DVD boxed sets of this classic 14-film series into one affordable package. It is a must buy for any Sherlock Holmes fan, or anyone who enjoys classic mysteries, who does not already have all of these wonderful films.
When these were first released on DVD it was truly a cause for celebration, as it represented the completed painstaking restoration of all 14 classic films by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
The UCLA Theatre Archives did an award-winning job in restoring and thus preserving these great films from 35mm master copies into the digital format, sometimes literally being forced to piece together the celluloid remnants that they found.
It took the archivists several years to complete the entire project, but was well worth the wait. The result is that the black and white images seem as fresh today as when the films were released to theatres more than 40 years ago. The archivists deserve a hearty thanks from all movie fans concerned with preserving America's classic cinema heritage for future generations to enjoy.
This boxed set includes a facinating feature on what it took to restore the films. Well worth watching, it's wonderful that it's included.
Atmospherically, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is arguably the best of the 14 Holmes films, and the only one based specifically on a Conan Doyle story. It, and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," are the only two "period" films in the series and run longer, the remainder taking place in then modern-day England and America of the late 30s and early 40s and run about 90 minutes each.
Because the "regular" series was made during World War II, there are many references to it, as well as some facinating patriotic drum beating on the part of Holmes that concludes many of the films.
In both "Hound" and "Adventures," Holmes dons his deerstalker cap, popularized by original Strand Magazine illustrator Sidney Paget who made the image synonymous with the great detective. It is interesting to note that in the first of the non-period films in the series, Holmes reaches for his handy deerstalker, but is stopped by Watson. "Holmes," Watson said, "you promised." Leaving the deerstalker on the peg, Holmes grabs a "modern" hat instead.
Rathbone is especially sharp in "Hound of the Baskervilles," and is partnered by Bruce, who plays a bumbling Watson throughout the 14 films that was not Conan Doyle's vision of the great sleuth's biographical "Boswell." Nonetheless, the pairing is hugely entertaining and satisfying.
The creation of the moor, the sinister grimpen mire and truly terrifying hound remains fantastic and does much to engender this story as one of Conan Doyle's most popular with modern-day
readers and viewers alike.
The final scene represents the only reference any of the 14 films made to Holmes' "seven-percent" cocaine habit as Rathbone asks Bruce to retrieve "the needle." The scene, criticized as too risque by 1939 audiences, caused the film's producers to make a conscious decision to omit any additional mention of Holmes' recreational drug use in future outings.
All of the films are really enjoyable and bear up wonderfully well under repeat viewings. For me, two of the best films of the "regular" series are The Scarlet Claw, where a village believes the supernatural is at work killing people, and Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, where Holmes must solve the riddle of the Musgrave Ritual.
Not matter your age, these films deliver hours of enjoyment, and thanks to the UCLA Theater Archives and MPI, will for generations to come. I only wish that Rathbone and Bruce had lived to see their great work released to new audiences in this pristine DVD condition.

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The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection stars Basil Rathbone as the legendary Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as the venerable Dr. John H. Watson. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection is comprised of all 14 classic films on 5 discs: "THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES: ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES,""SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR,""SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON,""SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON,""SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH," "SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE SPIDER WOMAN," "SHERLOCK HOLMES THE SCARLET CLAW," "SHERLOCK HOLMES IN PEARL OF DEATH," "SHERLOCK HOLMES HOUSE OF FEAR," "SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE WOMAN IN GREEN," "SHERLOCK HOLMES PURSUIT TO ALGIERS," "SHERLOCK HOLMES TERROR BY NIGHT," SHERLOCK HOLMES DRESSED TO KILL."

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The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?) (1947) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is great if you are a fan of Abbott & Costello. I figuered with 2 discs for 8 of their movies it would be poor quality. I was very surprised to see the excellent quality of the movies on these discs. Very Very Good. Worth every penny.

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Get ready for big laughs with Abbott and Costello, undeniably the most popular comedy team of all time!Now, the classic films of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are available on DVD in this hilarious collection.The wildly popular comic duo has entertained audiences since 1931, conquering vaudeville, radio and the silver screen in nearly 40 films.Enjoy these side-splitting hits like Buck Privates and Hold That Ghost in this collection of eight full-length features.The Best of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello: Volume 1 will have you laughing out loud again and again!One Night in the Tropics (1940)Bud and Lou get mixed up in a "Love Insurance" scheme. Buck Privates (1941)The duo accidentally enlists in the U.S. Army to avoid getting arrested!In the Navy (1941)Bud and Lou are sailors bound for duty on the high seas in this musical comedy.Hold that Ghost (1941)The boys inherit a haunted house formerly owned by a mobster.Keep ‘Em Flying (1941)Bud and Lou enlist in the Army Air Corps and get caught up in a love triangle.Ride ‘Em Cowboy (1942)The duo head to the Lazy S ranch to hide after Lou accidentally proposes to an Indian girl.Pardon My Sarong (1942)Bud and Lou travel to the South Seas where Lou is mistaken for a legendary god!Who Done It? (1942)The boys are suspected of murder while being targeted by the actual killer.

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Hetalia: Axis Powers - The Complete First Season Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been following the manga and anime since the series debuted in Japan. My biggest fear for the dubbing of "Hetalia" was that it would be stripped of everything not PC (which is literally the entire show). However, in the English version, the jokes are more offensive and the innuendo more rampant. The Japanese version skirted around any Nazi references, but the English version throws one in no more than a 2 minutes into the first episode. Couple that with America referring to Russia as "cannon fodder" and you've got yourself a winner of a show. If you're easily offended then this is obviously not the series for you, though I appreciate the culture clash and parodying of stereotypes. Of course, I also laugh at dead baby jokes.
Fans of the series might complain about the dialogue changes, which, from what I've seen, capture the spirit of the situation but contain altered jokes. Some of the voices are taking me a while to get used to, but overall I think the dubbing was well done. If I hadn't watched the Japanese version, I probably wouldn't think twice about judging the English voices. It's simply hard not to compare when you're used to something else.
I am impressed by the script changes and actually like the English dialogue more than the original. I'm basing my opinion on the few short clips FUNimation has put on YouTube, but I have high hopes for the rest of the series.

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Forget everything you learned in history class, and imagine all the nationsof the world as cute guys hanging out on a wildly inappropriate reality show. Now, toss in every stereotype ever and prepare to pledge allegiance to your favorite superpower in Hetalia Axis Powers!
Maybe you\'ll surrender to Italy\'s charms. He\'s a sweetie who\'s always got a noodle in his mouth and he\'s bff with blue-eyed Germany and shy Japan. Sounds nice, right? Of course, their friendship sort of causes world war II, but is that really such a big deal? Not if it means those adorable allies France, America, and England will be stormin\' the beach! No matter who comes out on top, victory is yours! Now ditch your textbooks and try to keep up, because history happens fast in Hetalia Axis Powers!

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Operation Petticoat (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)Cary Grant is cast as the commander of the Sea Tiger, a sub held together by a lick and a promise. Tony Curtis is cast as Lt Nick Holden. He was assigned sea duty as a punishment, and is very outside of his element. Since the country is at war, supplies are very scarce, and Holden discovers that he does have a talent in being a thief. If they can't get a requisition filled, Mr. Holden can find it. This crew has one catastrophe after another, and then they get stuck with team of nurses that are stranded. This is a hilarious movie that will make you laugh out loud. The cast is superb, and not just the talent of Grant and Curtis, but all the supporting players.


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OPERATION PETTICOAT - DVD Movie

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Uprising (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Uprising" is a story of the Holocaust that really could not be told until NBC showed this two-part made-for-television movie in 2001. The story of the Warsaw ghetto uprising has been told before. In the 1978 mini-series "Holocaust," a major subplot had to do with Moses Weiss (Sam Wanamker), who becomes active in the uprising before being caught and shot by the Nazis at the end. Other movies dealing with the Holocaust have touched on this heroic but futile act of resistance against Hitler's army. This time, however, the point is to cast the uprising in terms that count for more than a moral victory.
When Poland fell to Nazi Germany the city's Jewish population was put into a walled in section of the city, thereby creating the ghetto. In the summer of 1942, after 300,000 Jews were deported from Warsaw to Treblinka the first reports of mass murder were heard in the Warsaw ghetto. Mordecai Anielewicz, then 23-years-old, and other young Jews formed the Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa (Jewish Fighting Organization), issuing proclamations calling for the Jewish people to resist being sent away in railroad cars to the death caps, and firing upon German troops trying to round by Jews for deportation.
The "Uprising" began on April 19, 1943, when German troops and police entered the ghetto and were repulsed by the fighters. It is believed that less than a thousand such fighters held off the heavily armed and better trained Germans for almost a month, using mostly pistols and Molotov cocktails, but on May 16 the revolt was finally crushed. Seven thousand of the 56,000 Jews captured were shot, and the rest were deported to either killing centers or concentration camps to be exterminated by the Nazis. At one point the Warsaw ghetto consisted of 450,000 human beings.
The point of "Uprising" is not only that for the first time somebody stood up against German occupation, but that some of the fighters did indeed survive. Mordechai Anielewicz (Hank Azaria), Yitzhak Zuckerman (David Schwimmer), Tosia Altman (Leelee Sobieski), and many others depicted in "Uprising" are historic figures. Azaria and Schwimmer obviously stand out, not because of the roles they play in the narrative but also because the actors are going to great pains to remind fans they are not just comic actors. Also standing out are Sadie Frost as Zuckerman's wife, Zivia, and Stephen Moyer as freedom fighter Kazik Rodem, who wrestle with the hard questions of not only knowing what to do, but how to do it. Director and executive producer Jon Avnet has recreated the ghetto in great detail and makes full use of cinematographer Denis Lenoir and composer Maurice Jarre to make sure this television movie looks and sounds like a theatrical film.
"Uprising" repeatedly asks the question of how a moral person can sustain a moral code in an immoral world, and the uprising serves as the obvious answer. Where "Uprising" is different from its predecessors is how Avnet recasts history to emphasize a sense of how the Jews "win" here. Even though the Nazis will kill 99% of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, they did not get them all and they did not get them fast enough to please Himmler and Hitler. Nazi General Jurgen Stroop has to endure being out thought and out fought by a bunch of rabble, all the way having his failure filmed by documentarian Fritz Hippler, who is working on "The Eternal Jew" because for some reason the Nazis do not find the German people to be anti-Semitic enough. The Nazis continue to commit atrocities throughout this movie, but the emphasis is clearly on what the other side is doing.
"The Grey Zone," which also came out in 2001, is of a similar mind in terms of presenting Jews fighting back, and depicts the October 7, 1944 uprising when members of the 12th sonder-kommando succeeded in blowing up two of the four crematoria at Auschwitz II-Birkenau. The sonder-kommandos were the ones who escorted their fellow Jews to die in the gas chambers, then took the bodies to the crematoriums, and disposed of the ashes. For four months the sonder-kommandos carried out their duties, and enjoyed certain privileges (compared to the other inmates), and then were executed. This group of Jews also decided to fight back and like those who resisted the Nazis in the Warsaw ghetto, deserve to be remembered. But only once we have accepted the total horror and scope of the Holocaust can we tell stories such as these, ever mindful that they represent a minority report. How many of you were stunned with a train full of Jews left Auschwitz in "Schindler's List"? The incident was true, but it becomes difficult for us to accept that other side of the story given the overwhelming death count of the Final Solution.
The two commentary tracks are a mixed bag. Avnet spends too much time commenting on the historical accuracy of the action and not enough talking about his decisions as a director, particularly with regards to what changes he had to make when his planned theatrical film was downgraded to a television movie. Azaria, Schwimmer, and Voight recorded their commentary two weeks about September 11th, and engage each other to talk about the production and their performances. Sobieski's comments were recorded separately and edited in, and like Avent, she has a hard time going it alone. There are two documentaries accompanying "Uprising." "Resistance" is a too brief look at the history of the resistance movement in the Warsaw ghetto, although it does provide background on the characters and interviews with some of the surviving fighters. "Breaking Down the Walls: The Road to Recreating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising," is a behind the scenes featurette with clips and interviews. However, anyone inspired to find out more about the history of the events dramatized here will find plenty of resources easily accessible on the Internet.

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After Germany invades Poland in 1939, the Nazis decree that 350,000 Warsaw Jews be forcibly moved into a cordoned area known as the Warsaw Ghetto. Idealistic teacher Mordechai Anielewicz (Hank Azaria) decides the Jews must rise up against the Nazis and creates the Jewish Fighting Organization (JFO).He tries to secure the support of Adam Czerniakow (Donald Sutherland), the morally conflicted head of the Warsaw Ghetto's Jewish Council, but Adam declines because he knows that any act of resistance will provoke the Germans to retaliate by killing innocent Jews.Determined to mobilize a resistance alone if he has to, Mordechai recruits his friends and covert couriers whose ability to pass as Aryan helps them smuggle in arms and explosives from the Aryan side of the city, building up an arsenal to fight the Nazis. When the Germans begin deporting 300,000 Jews to the Treblinka death camp, the JFO begins acts of resistance that culminate with ghetto fighters firing their first gunshots against the Nazis.When it becomes clear that the JFO is a force to be reckoned with, the German High Command sends in General Stroop (Jon Voight), who is determined to end the uprising in two or three days. Capturing the horror that unfolds is Fritz Hippler (Cary Elwes), a filmmaker assigned by Hitler's chief propagandist to promote anti-Semitism with a film about Jewish life in the ghetto. When the Nazis continue to suffer more casualties in their battle with the ghetto fighters, General Stroop decides to raze the ghetto.But even that can't stop the JFO.Forced to go underground into bunkers but energized by their success, the resisters fight on, ultimately holding off the Nazi army longer than the entire country of Poland.They're determined to live with honor--and if need be, die with honor--while lighting the torch for resistance in the occupied territories.

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Once An Eagle starring Sam Elliott (1976) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been waiting for years/decades for this mini-series to be released on home video. For those who don't remember, in the aftermath of the success of "Roots" for a brief period networks put a lot of money into producing miniseries programing. It was going to be the next big thing to save the networks (kind of like reality shows today).
As a result, this adaption of "Once An Eagle" is top-notch. The production values are outstanding and, to use a cliche, it features an all-star cast. Sure, the story of the two officers (once admirable, one despicable) is a little black and white, but it's still a whale of a story. The WWI and WWII periods are really entertaining, even if the story may drag a little in the middle. [Note to purists: the story ends in World War II, while the book continues on to the verge of the Viet Nam War, but it's much more dramatic this way.]
I can't believe that over seven hours of great entertainment is priced so reasonably, much less than a lot of mediocre 90 minute movies. This item is a great value. I've already ordered two and will probably be buying many more as gifts.


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Once An Eagle - Blu Ray! Once An Eagle is the epic story of America in the 20th Century, told through the lives of two career soldiers, spanning the tumultuous years from WWI to the Vietnam Era. Based on the best-selling novel by Anton Myrer, Once An Eagle is one of the most acclaimed mini-series of all time, alongside "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance". Sam Elliott takes on the role of Sam Damon, a courageous and compassionate man who finds his calling leading his men in war and in peacetime. Cliff Potts, on the other hand, plays Courtney Massengale, a ruthless achiever who will let nothing stand in his way to the top. The eve of America's entry into WWI finds the men friends, but as events unfold, the vast difference in their personalities leads to a face-off in a life and death struggle of good vs. evil. Starring Sam Elliott, Cliff Potts, Glenn Ford, Amy Irving and Darlene Carr.

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WWII in HD Review

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(More customer reviews)I never thought I'd see something that would challenge the 1974, 26-part BBC production "The World At War" The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition) as a documentary but this 10-part documentary does that and it's a high definition remake of thousands of hours of film, most in color and most never before broadcast to the public.
From the earliest days of the war -- the 1930s in both Europe and Asia -- to the liberation of Nazi concentration camps in Buchenwald, "World War II in HD" captures many of the most important battles and turning points of the war, all told in first person narrative from people that actually fought in war or covered it as war correspondents. This includes interviews with surviving veterans made in 2008-09 with people now more than 80 years of age.
Personally, this documentary struck a chord with me in one of the earlier hours on the battle of Tarawa, an archipelago of small islands in the Pacific that was a stepping stone to Japan and an important air base. My dad fought at Tarawa; he told me the four-day battle resulted in 6,000 deaths, 5,000 of which were Japanese. "We buried the Americans in graves and dug trenches for the Japs," dad told me.
The battle footage and narrative on Tarawa pretty much mimicked what dad told me only in much greater detail. It also mentions John Huston's 1944 documentary made on the American fight Marines At Tarawa (1945) that brought the war home to the public. "We wanted people to know we don't knock hell out of them every day," a voiceover says during the documentary about the battle and documentary that won the 1945 Oscar for short documentary.
And that's just one half-hour slice of this magnificent series. It tackles many of the important Pacific and European battles including Guadalcanal, Battle of the Bulge, Okinawa and the fight Americans had with the Japanese on American soil at Attu in Alaska's Aleutian islands. Every aspect of the war, from North Africa to bomber runs in Europe to nurses' roles in the Pacific, to the American depature and return to Bataan, the Tuksegee airmen, to FDR's death, the concentration camps, the Americans meeting the Russians in Berlin, and the atomic bombs in Japan, is covered in some detail with actual war footage you've probably never seen unless you saw it first on The History Channel.
The quality of the filmmaking, the restoration of the home movies to HD, and the scripting of individual voiceovers (sometimes by stars like Rob Lowe with a special plaudit to narrator Gary Sinise) from the real-life warriors is uniformly magnificent. Never does this film lag in one minute of its 10 hours. This is one of the most important World War II releases since "The World At War" and is is surely an instant classic of World War II storytelling. No fan of history should go without seeing this. Buy it for Christmas, either for yourself or for someone else.
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The only people to see the war like this were the ones who lived it. Until now… Seventy years in the making. Three thousand hours of color footage no one knew existed. The first documentary to show World War II from the perspective of both sides in full, immersive HD color, the world premiere HISTORY series WWII in HD uses the diaries of soldiers who fought in the war\'s biggest battles to create a personal, introspective and detailed look at life on and off the front lines. Though it was illegal for U.S. soldiers to carry diaries, many hid them away in their packs and recorded their experiences in detail. Now, through the use of these diaries and other source documents, as well as HD color and on-location shooting around the world, WWII in HD transforms their journey into a tangible piece of history. Culled from rare color archival footage from an exhaustive worldwide search and converted to HD with meticulous technique, WWII in HD provides a picture of World War II as it has never been seen before.Product Alert: Make sure that your Blu-ray player's firmware is up to date prior to playing this product. Visit www.amazon.com/firmware for more information on how to update your Blu-ray player's firmware.

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