Editorial Review

Sometimes simplicity can be heartbreaking. So it is with Read more

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Reviews (28)

The Clock (1945)
This is one of the most beautiful and heart wrenching movies ever made. You are lulled into the movie from the beginning. I saw this on Turner Classic Movies the other night and was amazed at how beautiful it is. There is no swearing in this movie, no sex, no violence, just old fashioned romance and the display of the powerful need for love in human beings. Judy Garland is a great actor and it is directed well by Vincente Minnelli. Movies today are sick, perverted and immoral and they feed the moral decay of this once great nation. The Clock is a must see movie from better more hopeful days.

Sweet Wartime Romance with a Luminous Garland in a "Musical"-Feeling Non-Musical
A sincere piece of treacle just before the end of WWII, this 1945 romantic drama features a never-lovelier Judy Garland in her only non-singing role during her golden MGM years. Even though she is a talented enough actress without having to vocalize, she is in a movie that feels like a musical in its cinematic sensibilities - swooning romanticism, quicksilver plot turns and broad stock characters. That shouldn't come as a surprise since her then-fiancé Vincente Minnelli directed and Arthur Freed produced, both much better known for their musicals of the period. Still, they have made a sweet film with worthwhile stylistic touches such as the use of long zoom shots in maneuvering through the swarming crowds in the subway and train stations and the screen panning used in showing the mini-dramas of background characters we never see again.
Let's make a stop in the War!
During a very brief withdrawal a soldier will meet,woo and wed a girl before shipping out. A romantic drama typical of that age but with a striking message beneath the script. Follow your bliss before it may be late. Judy Garland is wonderful in this movie.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

Here's a model for adapting a novel into a movie. The bestseller by James Jones, a frank and hard-hitting look at military life, could not possibly be made into a film in 1953 without considerably altering its length and bold subject matter. Yet screenwriter Daniel Taradash and director Fred Zinnemann (both of whom won Oscars for their work) pared it down and cleaned it up, without losing the essential texture of Jones's tapestry. The setting is an army base in Hawaii in 1941. Montgomery Clift, in a superb performance, plays a bugler who refuses to fight for the company boxing team; he has reasons for giving up the sport. His refusal results in harsh treatment from the company commander, whose bored wife (Deborah Kerr) is having an affair with the tough-but-fair sergeant (Burt Lancaster). You remember--the scene with the two of them embracing on the beach, as the surf crashes in. The supporting players are as good as the leads: Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed won Oscars (and Sinatra revitalized his entire career), and Ernest Borgnine entered the gallery of all-time movie villains, as the stockade sergeant who makes Sinatra miserable. Zinnemann's work is efficient but also evocative, capturing the time and place beautifully, the tropical breezes as well as the lazy prewar indulgence. This one is deservedly a classic. Read more

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Reviews (71)

This film gets it right
This is exactly what I am talking about. This film gets it right. The entire film is about people. It has characters and it has action; what make the film really work is that so much time is spent on the characters that by the time we get to the action we really care about the outcome. We know who these guys are, what they are fighting for and how much the have to loose. This is what Pearl Harbor tried to do but failed to achieve.
One of the Best Movies I've Ever Seen
From Here to Eternity, where to begin?This is probably one of my top 10 movies that I've ever seen.I love it!Frank Sinatra is wonderful in it; Montgomery Clift is gorgeous, vulnerable, and brave in this movie; Burt Lancaster is awesome, as everyone who has ever seen him could tell you.This movie shows a clear depiction of the soldiers at Pearl Harbor before it was bombed.The book is a totally long, obnoxious book, towards the end I only read the quotations. The movie totally changed the book and made it wonderful.This is a classic, and will be for the rest of time.

From Here to the Box Office
Hollywood at its phony best or worst, take your pick. Who would believe scrawny, introverted Monty Clift as a rough, tough, defiant leather-neck, who beats up on men twice his size. Evidently, the producers, who wagered that a star-struck audience would. Then there's the wholesome, well-scrubbed Donna Reed as a wholesome, well-scrubbed Honolulu hooker, who lives in what appears a Manhattan apartment. If you believe Mother Theresa did outcall, then you might fall for this Hollywood hokum. Let's not forget that notorious surf scene, where Lancaster and Kerr mate like over-heated jellyfish. The questionis howdo you parody something that's already a joke. And, oh yes, there's Burt Lancaster, clenching full speed toward becoming Tinsel Town's most celebrated great stone face, and a long, long way from his promising noir roots. And poor Deborah Kerr trapped all those years in virginal repression, when there's really a red-hot mama waiting to break out. Finally, there's Frank Sinatra's Maggio, who at least doesn't beat up hulking men twice his size, but does get an award and an afterlife as Las Vegas's shady ambassador to Hollywood, a not uncalculated consequence. Summing up: this is exactly what happened when the studios of the 50's got a hot property and decided to exploit it. And exploit it they did. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

Robert Bolt's successful play was not considered a hot commercial property by Columbia Pictures--a period piece about a moral issue without a star, without even a love story. Perhaps that's why Columbia left director Fred Zinnemann alone to make Read more

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Reviews (131)

Powerful intellectual and ethical exercise...
This is one of my favorite films from the '60's, and I saw a superb stage production of it as well, two years before the film version. Sir Thomas More, chancellor of England, is asked to choose between his King and his Catholic Church. He refuses to take a side, publicly, but everyone in the nation knows he opposes King Henry's decision to break with the Pope so that he can marry another wife. How More (Paul Schofield) tries to stay alive via a silence that shouts a rebuke makes for compelling drama. A young Robert Shaw does a flamboyant and wonderful job as King Henry, but then, the entire supporting cast, as is common in British productions, is great. Faith and greed, power and the loss of it, survival and sacrifice...all are elements of this fine film.
A courageous and moral man - Thomas More
A 1966 period movie with a true story about a man who stands up against powerful King Henry VIII and many others for his moral beliefs in regard to divorce.The king wanted a male heir and wanted to divorce his wife and take another one to achieve that.He was trying to get the church's permission to get out of this marriage with their approval.The stand Thomas More takes complicates his life in many ways, including his family and friends.More is an influential man of some means who was high in the leadership of England at that time.
Would St. Thomas More really be any more popular today?
The technical excellence of this film on every level has already been sufficiently and deservedly documented many times over.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

The hit Broadway musical from the 1940s gets a lavish if not always exciting workout in this 1955 film version directed by old lion Fred Zinnemann (Read more

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Reviews (109)

20th Century Ripoff!!!
I specifically waited to buy this on DVD hoping to get a Todd-AO version and not just the Cinemascope version.The freaking Laserdisc looks better than this!I, for one, will not be buying any more "special editions" without reading the reviews in Amazon or elsewhere when it comes to 20th Century ripoff.This release reminds me of all the 20Th Laserdiscs that were first released when laser was just starting out and how poorly the transfers were treated...now it seems we're right back to the good old bad transfer days of yore.Yuk, I recommend that no one buy ANY of their discs (especially the upcoming crappy versions of STAR WARS non-anamorphic, non-5.1 sound original movies).These people suck big time!
great
A true musical theater classic.Wonderful melodies that will last for years to come.
Visual diappointment for a great format
Like several others, I agree that the Cinemascope version was well presented, but what a disappointment as far as the Todd-ao digital transfer! The original release I bought in 1999 gives a much clearer and brighter Todd-ao version that gives you a much better idea of what the original may have looked like. I enjoyed seeing "The Miracle of Todd-ao" again, but similarly the realism that was present in the original was lost, either due to poor quality of stock or inabilty to be able to digitally correct and sharpen the image. (I find it hard to imagine that Fox couldn't resore it better).There was an apology printed on our Region 4 version.
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Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Musicals    3. Musicals & Cast Recordings   

Editorial Review

Fred Zinnemann's epic drama is a splendid showcase for Audrey Hepburn, who stars as the young nun Sister Luke, who is deeply spiritual yet conflicted about whether or not she can conform to convent life. Though the film is a mesmerizing--and quite leisurely--two and a half hours, its plot is fairly simple--young Gabrielle (Hepburn) enters the convent pledging her life to God, learns the disciplines associated with the life, receives her dream assignment of going to the Congo as a missionary nurse, and once there, is forced to face whether she is meant for the rigorous life of poverty, chastity, and most difficult of all, obedience. The film does a marvelous job of portraying the challenges of cloistered life without being either off-putting or overly romantic. And Hepburn, sometimes with only her eyes, communicates all the drive, faith, and conflict of a young woman so torn. Read more

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Reviews (49)

A Classic Religious Dochotomy, as Relevent Today as 2000 Years Ago
The first thing that needs to be said about this movie is that it should be taken as a historical piece and not indicative of the life of many if not most nuns today.Yes, there are still cloistered nuns that follow the strict rules of silence depicted here.However, for example, the hospital nun who visited my mother as she was dying lived in her own apartment in town, didn't wear a habit, and seemed to me to be much more interested in the people she was serving than in following onerous rules of piety.
Powerful and unsentimental
Seen again for the first time in a couple of decades, Warner's beautifully restored DVD of The Nun's Story is a real surprise, avoiding the mawkish sentimentality that usually accompanied old Hollywood's approach to Catholicism with a sober, quiet unostentatious majesty and a mostly successful attempt to avoid cliché (there's no romance with Peter Finch's surgeon as you might expect). Fred Zinnemann, who now seems on the verge of being completely forgotten, constantly does things slightly differently - not just jump cutting from continent to continent, but avoiding convention in subtle ways. When Sister Luke departs for the Congo, not only is her departure handled in the bare minimum of shots but they're also not the ones you usually expect: no head on shots of the ship leaving for the open sea, but instead zooming out from a sideways view before cutting to the ship's wake. The visual economy never feels Spartan, but at the same time it fits the subject matter perfectly.
One of the great performances in the best film about monastic life ever made
Audrey, without Givenchy, and only a portion of her face visible, few lines and much conflict gives one of the great performances.The depth of the movie, the richness, amount to a great piece of art.Certainly, the movie is not "fun," but it attests to a time when a movie about the struggle with faith could be a blockbuster. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

The hit Broadway musical from the 1940s gets a lavish if not always exciting workout in this 1955 film version directed by old lion Fred Zinnemann (Read more

Features

• Closed-captioned
• Color
• Original recording remastered
• THX
• NTSC

Reviews (109)

20th Century Ripoff!!!
I specifically waited to buy this on DVD hoping to get a Todd-AO version and not just the Cinemascope version.The freaking Laserdisc looks better than this!I, for one, will not be buying any more "special editions" without reading the reviews in Amazon or elsewhere when it comes to 20th Century ripoff.This release reminds me of all the 20Th Laserdiscs that were first released when laser was just starting out and how poorly the transfers were treated...now it seems we're right back to the good old bad transfer days of yore.Yuk, I recommend that no one buy ANY of their discs (especially the upcoming crappy versions of STAR WARS non-anamorphic, non-5.1 sound original movies).These people suck big time!
great
A true musical theater classic.Wonderful melodies that will last for years to come.
Visual diappointment for a great format
Like several others, I agree that the Cinemascope version was well presented, but what a disappointment as far as the Todd-ao digital transfer! The original release I bought in 1999 gives a much clearer and brighter Todd-ao version that gives you a much better idea of what the original may have looked like. I enjoyed seeing "The Miracle of Todd-ao" again, but similarly the realism that was present in the original was lost, either due to poor quality of stock or inabilty to be able to digitally correct and sharpen the image. (I find it hard to imagine that Fox couldn't resore it better).There was an apology printed on our Region 4 version.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Musical Features    3. Musicals    4. Musicals & Cast Recordings    5. Musicals (Theatrical)   

Editorial Review

The classic Ernest Hemingway novel about man battling nature and the demons within himself is adapted admirably in this 1958 film starring the legendary Spencer Tracy. Playing the fisherman who goes on an intense and futile quest as he contemplates his own nature, Tracy turns in a spellbinding performance of understated power. He plays an itinerant Cuban fisherman whose luck at catching his prey has been poor of late, until he becomes embroiled in an intense pursuit of a giant marlin and in the process must confront his own frailties. Though the visual aspect of the film seems dated, Tracy is more than enough reason to see this effort at bringing one of the modern classics of literature to life on the screen. Read more

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• Original recording reissued
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Reviews (16)

Faithful to the novel
This version of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is a faithful adaptation of the novel. The story focuses on Santiago, an old man who has spent 84 days without catching a fish. Spencer Tracey plays the old man to perfection for the most part, as he sets out on the 85th day to capture his big prize. While it isn't a movie that blows you away with either script or action, it is a film with a purpose.
Fine Hemingway adaptation
Spencer Tracy gives a powerful performance as Santiago, the desperate old fisherman who must struggle to subdue and then keep the giant marlin that represents his salvation.Director John Sturges and screenwriter Peter Viertel retain much of Ernest Hemingway's symbolism, making of Santiago a Christ-like figure.A more apt Biblical analog might be Job; like him, Santiago endures the indignities and strife thrust upon him, but perseveres and endures while retaining his appreciation of nature and simple pleasures./
The Old Man...and the Sea
The title says it all. The most compelling thing to note in the story of Santiago, (the lead character)is the implication that any of his contemporaries would likely have reacted to his plight in the same way. Not through any special courage, but through a plain lack of choice. A simple fisherman on a hard luck streak, he does the only thing he can do, he keeps fishing. The sea is the only thing he has ever known, and so he turns to it day after day despite recent failure.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

One of the greatest Westerns ever made gets the deluxe treatment on this superior disc from Republic Home Video's Silver Screen Classics line of special-edition DVDs. Written by Carl Foreman (who was later blacklisted during the anticommunist hearings of the '50s) and superbly directed by Fred Zinnemann, this 1952 classic stars Gary Cooper as just-married lawman Will Kane, who is about to retire as a small-town sheriff and begin a new life with his bride (Grace Kelly) when he learns that gunslinger Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is due to arrive at high noon to settle an old score. Kane seeks assistance from deputies and townsfolk, but soon realizes he'll have to stand alone in his showdown with Miller and his henchmen. Innovative for its time, the suspenseful story unfolds in approximate real time (from 10:40 a.m. to high noon in an 84-minute film), and many interpreted Foreman's drama as an allegorical reflection of apathy and passive acceptance of Senator Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist campaign.Political underpinnings aside, this remains a milestone of its genre (often referred to as the first "adult" Western), and Cooper is flawless in his Oscar-winning role. The first-rate DVD gives this landmark film all the respect it deserves, beginning with a digitally remastered transfer from the original film negative. Additional features include the exclusive documentary Read more

Features

• Black & White
• Closed-captioned
• Original recording reissued
• NTSC

Reviews (134)

A haunting and disturbing movie drama when it first came out
I have read a number of good reviews of this DVD on this site, especially the one written by Dennis Littrel. I will thus only add a small personal impression. I remember seeing this movie when it first came out and being troubled by the sight of the 'good guy' so disturbed and unsure of himself. This is not what we were expected to see from Western heroes. Also troubling was the possibility that the good guy somehow might not win. Also troubling was the involvement of the good guy with another woman in a way which could not be understood by a very young person. If he had a fiancee then what was he doing with this elderly Mexican woman?
"I've never run from anybody before."

High Noon
This movie hails as one of the classics of all times. The storyline always keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for the final challenge of whose going to come out on top of the showdown and which gunfighters will live and die.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Westerns   

Editorial Review

An episodic account of a family of roving sheepherders in Australia. Paddy Carmody (Robert Mitchum) loves being "someone whose home is where the sun goes down," but his wife (Deborah Kerr) and teenage son are tired of the nomadic life and want to settle down. Director Fred Zinnemann (Read more

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (9)

The Wonderful Country
THE SUNDOWNERS is a very special film about sheepherders in the wonderful country of Australia. Robert Mitchum gives an impressive performance of a man torn between family and his love for the wide open country. This is a richly textured film with a touching score composed by Dimitri Tiomkin.

Robert Mitchum is Wonderful
I love this story of sheepherders set in Australia. Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr are a fine pair but one wants to take root and have a home and the other just can not stand still long enough to feel comfortable because it's in his blood you see. Mitchum is very convincing. Perhaps he identified with his character to some degree. This is sort of a change of pace for director Fred Zinnemann as his pace his methodical yet endearing to the land and people. This is a long lost classic.

It screams for a remake!
I was really charmed by the book which is a great story about family and had high hopes for the movie when I finally found it.Don't get me wrong, I really think Ms. Kerr and Mr. Mitchum are wonderful actors and the scenery is great but the story is dumbed down and everything is too cute and funny. Peter Ustimov makes me gag!
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

Part of the late-'70s wave of films about strong women (as if none had existed before that), Read more

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Reviews (32)

Actually, 0 Stars Because...
...I haven't bought the DVD yet.Loved/still love the movie as it was.But please don't just write movie reviews.I would primarily like to hear about shipping satisfaction and whether or not you think the DVD format/editing/quality etc. are to your expectations. Did you accidentally buy widescreen and want to warn others not to if they don't like letter-boxing?I ask reviewers to please remember to include product information. Thanks.

"No Dishonor."
Of course I borrow the phrase out of context; this is the advice Julia (played by a luminous Vanessa Redgrave) sends her writer friend, "Lilly" Hellman,played by Jane Fonda - reminding her not to be too brave, not to do what she cannot do.The context is 1930's Europe: a place spread over by that insidious "wave of the future," Facism.Julia has been aware of its violent underbelly since the early 30's, even dropping out of medical school and studies with Sigmund Freud to combat its dangers. Badly beaten in the Vienna riots of 1934, as evil mounts Julia becomes incresingly preoccupied and elusive. Lillian, who has spent the same years in America crafting the play that will become "The Children's Hour," receives Julia's letter while on a triumphant tour as a successful playwright in a very different,more indolent Europe: the millieu of successful artists, entertainers, etc.Julia's letter asks Lillian to smuggle money for into Germany for the antifascist cause; though frightened, Lillian agrees to do so.The remarkable journey into Berlin, with its anxiety and attending threats of arrest and danger, make up the vast majority of this satisfying film.Although Julia is only seen a handful of times, primarily in flashbacks, she is the moral anchor of the film - a "watchwoman of honor, who never sleeps."It is her exceptional courage and brilliance which make her so beloved by Lillian.We understand that Lillian's deep love for Julia makes the risk possible;one sees that she would not have been capable of it in any other time or for any other person.And Julia is worth it: a spirited incarnation of unapologetic morality,wise, and understanding:"We can only do today what we can do today," she advises Lillian - in one of the film's best lines.This is a story of the lengths one would go to for a childhood friend, and one of the most amazing definitions of obligation,loyalty and personal honor captured on film.Also look out for a great portrayal of Dashiell Hammett by the late Jason Robards.

Review of JULIA
DVD arrived quickly and safely - good srvice would use these folk again. No problems encountered.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

One of the greatest Westerns ever made gets the deluxe treatment on this superior disc from Republic Home Video's Silver Screen Classics line of special-edition DVDs. Written by Carl Foreman (who was later blacklisted during the anticommunist hearings of the '50s) and superbly directed by Fred Zinnemann, this 1952 classic stars Gary Cooper as just-married lawman Will Kane, who is about to retire as a small-town sheriff and begin a new life with his bride (Grace Kelly) when he learns that gunslinger Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is due to arrive at high noon to settle an old score. Kane seeks assistance from deputies and townsfolk, but soon realizes he'll have to stand alone in his showdown with Miller and his henchmen. Innovative for its time, the suspenseful story unfolds in approximate real time (from 10:40 a.m. to high noon in an 84-minute film), and many interpreted Foreman's drama as an allegorical reflection of apathy and passive acceptance of Senator Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist campaign.Political underpinnings aside, this remains a milestone of its genre (often referred to as the first "adult" Western), and Cooper is flawless in his Oscar-winning role. The first-rate DVD gives this landmark film all the respect it deserves, beginning with a digitally remastered transfer from the original film negative. Additional features include the exclusive documentary Read more

Features

• Black & White
• Closed-captioned
• Color
• Special Edition
• NTSC

Reviews (134)

A haunting and disturbing movie drama when it first came out
I have read a number of good reviews of this DVD on this site, especially the one written by Dennis Littrel. I will thus only add a small personal impression. I remember seeing this movie when it first came out and being troubled by the sight of the 'good guy' so disturbed and unsure of himself. This is not what we were expected to see from Western heroes. Also troubling was the possibility that the good guy somehow might not win. Also troubling was the involvement of the good guy with another woman in a way which could not be understood by a very young person. If he had a fiancee then what was he doing with this elderly Mexican woman?
"I've never run from anybody before."

High Noon
This movie hails as one of the classics of all times. The storyline always keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for the final challenge of whose going to come out on top of the showdown and which gunfighters will live and die.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Westerns   

Features

• Color
• HiFi Sound
• NTSC

Reviews (12)

When will this be released on DVD?
This is such a great movie.When will it be released on DVD?

A Literary Movie
This is the type of story I was trained, as an English Major, to enjoy (and oh how I have hated being an English Major, but these are the moments when it seems to serve me well). I did enjoy it very much. I particularly enjoyed the slow, measured pacing vs. the amazing mountain footage. The pacing & footage were perfect for each other. The actors were all great--very nuanced. Less is more. The enjoyment of the movie for me lay in its great subtleties. For example, the young mountain guide, as he is about to ascend with the doctor, looks up at the mountain with a fatigued, defeated look that sets up the rest. A very fine movie, this. I made it four stars instead of five because somehow the overall carry wasn't just enough for five. The outcome and the things leading up to it weren't quite meshed enough. The heroine seems an ersatz Emma Thompson, to her credit, and the young man is very intense; his looks at her speak reams.

Good Ebayer.
Somewhat slow delivery, however this is not the sellers fault. The item was well packaged and arrived in perfect condition, so I am satisfied with the transaction. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

With its high-intensity plot about an attempt to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle, the bestselling novel by Frederick Forsyth was a prime candidate for screen adaptation. Director Fred Zinnemann brought his veteran skills to bear on what has become a timeless classic of screen suspense. Not to be confused with the later remake Read more

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Reviews (110)

A pleasant rather than great movie.
Packed with then-famous british and french actors, The Day Of The Jackal depicts the cat-and-mouse game between a mysterious assassin trying to kill General De Gaulle and the policemen trying to stop him.
One of the Best Flicks of the 1970s
Along with Forsyth's Odessa File, Marathon Man and a handful of others, this ranks among the very best manifestations of an otherwise tasteless epoch. Believe me, I was there.
Question
I read part of the book, and then i went onto the movie.The movie was great.But has anyone read the book and seen the movie?How different were they? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure    2. Movie   

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Reviews (10)

Seven, they were seven!
Seven men escaped from Westhofen, but just one of them George Heissler will surmount all the obstacles to findat last, to materialize this dream.
Seared into memory
I first saw this movie in 1944 or 1945 at the age of 11, and the images of Spencer Tracy (number seven), as well as the suicide of the aerialist number six were seared into my memory forever. My vivid memory gives it a 5-Star.

Conquering the Captive Mind
This is a good WWII vintage movie that makes a sombre and serous attempt to explore the captive mind of Fascism.It stars Spencer Tracy as one of seven concentration camps escapees in Germany.The commandant has sworn that he will nail each of the escapees to the seven crosses he has made.The bulk of the movie focusses on George Heisler (Tracy's character) and his efforts to find someone on the outside he can trust to help him.One by one the crosses are filled and Heisler's search becomes more and more desperate and depressing.No one seems to want to stick their neck out and help him.In time, things reach a crisis point and, in the midst of dispair, hope and trust appear.The movie becomes an uplifting message that transcends that of the typical WWII era movies.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

The hit Broadway musical from the 1940s gets a lavish if not always exciting workout in this 1955 film version directed by old lion Fred Zinnemann (Read more

Features

• Closed-captioned
• Color
• Letterboxed
• Original recording remastered
• THX
• Widescreen
• NTSC

Reviews (109)

20th Century Ripoff!!!
I specifically waited to buy this on DVD hoping to get a Todd-AO version and not just the Cinemascope version.The freaking Laserdisc looks better than this!I, for one, will not be buying any more "special editions" without reading the reviews in Amazon or elsewhere when it comes to 20th Century ripoff.This release reminds me of all the 20Th Laserdiscs that were first released when laser was just starting out and how poorly the transfers were treated...now it seems we're right back to the good old bad transfer days of yore.Yuk, I recommend that no one buy ANY of their discs (especially the upcoming crappy versions of STAR WARS non-anamorphic, non-5.1 sound original movies).These people suck big time!
great
A true musical theater classic.Wonderful melodies that will last for years to come.
Visual diappointment for a great format
Like several others, I agree that the Cinemascope version was well presented, but what a disappointment as far as the Todd-ao digital transfer! The original release I bought in 1999 gives a much clearer and brighter Todd-ao version that gives you a much better idea of what the original may have looked like. I enjoyed seeing "The Miracle of Todd-ao" again, but similarly the realism that was present in the original was lost, either due to poor quality of stock or inabilty to be able to digitally correct and sharpen the image. (I find it hard to imagine that Fox couldn't resore it better).There was an apology printed on our Region 4 version.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Musicals    3. Musicals & Cast Recordings   

Editorial Review

An episodic account of a family of roving sheepherders in Australia. Paddy Carmody (Robert Mitchum) loves being "someone whose home is where the sun goes down," but his wife (Deborah Kerr) and teenage son are tired of the nomadic life and want to settle down. Director Fred Zinnemann (Read more

Features

• Closed-captioned
• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (9)

The Wonderful Country
THE SUNDOWNERS is a very special film about sheepherders in the wonderful country of Australia. Robert Mitchum gives an impressive performance of a man torn between family and his love for the wide open country. This is a richly textured film with a touching score composed by Dimitri Tiomkin.

Robert Mitchum is Wonderful
I love this story of sheepherders set in Australia. Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr are a fine pair but one wants to take root and have a home and the other just can not stand still long enough to feel comfortable because it's in his blood you see. Mitchum is very convincing. Perhaps he identified with his character to some degree. This is sort of a change of pace for director Fred Zinnemann as his pace his methodical yet endearing to the land and people. This is a long lost classic.

It screams for a remake!
I was really charmed by the book which is a great story about family and had high hopes for the movie when I finally found it.Don't get me wrong, I really think Ms. Kerr and Mr. Mitchum are wonderful actors and the scenery is great but the story is dumbed down and everything is too cute and funny. Peter Ustimov makes me gag!
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

Robert Bolt's successful play was not considered a hot commercial property by Columbia Pictures--a period piece about a moral issue without a star, without even a love story. Perhaps that's why Columbia left director Fred Zinnemann alone to make Read more

Features

• Closed-captioned
• Color
• HiFi Sound
• NTSC

Reviews (131)

Powerful intellectual and ethical exercise...
This is one of my favorite films from the '60's, and I saw a superb stage production of it as well, two years before the film version. Sir Thomas More, chancellor of England, is asked to choose between his King and his Catholic Church. He refuses to take a side, publicly, but everyone in the nation knows he opposes King Henry's decision to break with the Pope so that he can marry another wife. How More (Paul Schofield) tries to stay alive via a silence that shouts a rebuke makes for compelling drama. A young Robert Shaw does a flamboyant and wonderful job as King Henry, but then, the entire supporting cast, as is common in British productions, is great. Faith and greed, power and the loss of it, survival and sacrifice...all are elements of this fine film.
A courageous and moral man - Thomas More
A 1966 period movie with a true story about a man who stands up against powerful King Henry VIII and many others for his moral beliefs in regard to divorce.The king wanted a male heir and wanted to divorce his wife and take another one to achieve that.He was trying to get the church's permission to get out of this marriage with their approval.The stand Thomas More takes complicates his life in many ways, including his family and friends.More is an influential man of some means who was high in the leadership of England at that time.
Would St. Thomas More really be any more popular today?
The technical excellence of this film on every level has already been sufficiently and deservedly documented many times over.