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Video - Genres - Military & War - Anti-War Films

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1. War of the Buttons (1994)
2. Dawn Patrol (1938)
3. Before the Rain
4. Apocalypse Now
$9.48
5. All Quiet on the Western Front
6. Kelly's Heroes
7. Stalingrad (Ws Sub)
8. The Burmese Harp
9. King of Hearts
10. How I Won the War / Movie
$9.48
11. M*A*S*H (Special Edition)
12. The Execution of Private Slovik
13. All Quiet on Western Front (1979)
14. Big Parade (Silent) / Movie
$14.24
15. Cold Mountain
16. Charlie Chaplin: Great Dictator
17. M*A*S*H
$14.20
18. Underground
$28.45
19. Civilization
20. Full Metal Jacket

1. War of the Buttons (1994)
by Warner Home Video
VHS Tape (01 September, 1998)
list price: $19.98
Asin: 6303954294
Sales Rank: 836
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Features

  • Closed-captioned
  • Color
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Reviews (50)

5-0 out of 5 stars Great Movie
I first saw this movie when I was a little, and I have to say it is one of my favorite movies. If only they came out with a DVD!!! I would recommend this movie to absolutely anyone.... Great Irish movie!!!

5-0 out of 5 stars A brilliant family film!
Another brilliant Irish film! War of the Buttons is adapted from a French book and film and is (apparently) set in County Cork, Ireland.It centers on two rival gangs of pre-teen boys (and a few girls), the Ballys and the Carricks from neighboring towns, Bally Dowse and Carrick Dowse.By their dress, the Carricks appear to be "the haves" and the Ballys the "have nots."The Ballys and the Carricks each are lead by brave, honorable, respectable boys, Fergus and Geronimo; each has its own traitor/coward/bully, Riley and Gorilla, respectively.
5-0 out of 5 stars I love this movie - it needs to be on DVD!!!
I first saw this movie years ago, and I fell in love with it right away. The scenery is beautiful, and the boys in the film are great. The story is simple but so fun. I wanted to be right in there with the kids, fighting their 'battles.' I really hope this film comes out on DVD, because I don't have a VHS player anymore. It's really a gem. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action / Adventure    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   


2. Dawn Patrol (1938)
by MGM (Warner)
VHS Tape (07 December, 1994)
list price: $14.98
Asin: 6302682584
Sales Rank: 2693
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Reviews (12)

5-0 out of 5 stars very moving film
This movie is very inspiring."The Dawn Patrol," is very war related, as it takes place during the war and the patrol's of the flying aces dropping bombs and fighting the Germans.Errol Flynn is the very heroic flyer and loves his country and honors his duty in the service.It's really inspiring, especially his relationship between his good friend in the movie and in real life David Nivan they are true friends, their friendship is broken up for awhile by something Errol has to do it being his job and duty.It's a real moving film at the same time, inspiring, patriotic , truthful and sad.It shows what being in the air patrol during the war really was like a very true and relastic account of it. A very moving film.I think it was really well done, especially the flying scenes.

5-0 out of 5 stars Grim WW1 based anti-war flick
Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone and David Niven star in the sobering 1938 film "The Dawn Patrol" which undoubtedly served as the model for the WW2 classic "Twelve O'Clock High".They are all members of the 59th fighter squadron of the Royal Flying Corps based in France in 1915.A somber Basil Rathbone playing Major Brand is the squadron leader.Day after day he depressingly orders his pilots on dangerous missions which create a high mortality rate.Ace pilot Capt. Courtney played by Flynn and his able wingman Lt. Scott played by Niven continously marshal replacement pilots with little combat experience into the skies to face almost certain death.Flynn despises Rathbone for the missions of death he orders them on.
5-0 out of 5 stars In DVD?
THE best WWI flying movie ever made period.When can we get it in DVD? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action / Adventure    2. Feature Film-action/Adventure    3. Movie   


3. Before the Rain
by Polygram Video
VHS Tape (20 April, 1999)
list price: $9.98
Asin: 6303571638
Sales Rank: 256
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Features

  • Closed-captioned
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Reviews (59)

5-0 out of 5 stars In short
This is simply the best motion picture I have ever seen. A beautiful and intelligent triology that will stay with you. Years ago, during it's first week on Swedish cinemas, I saw it twice. Since then I've seen it a few times more.

5-0 out of 5 stars Dark, intriguing and "in your face" film...I want a DVD version!
Saw this film years ago in Sweden (without English subtitles). Despite not understanding most of the dialogues, the images were stark enough to remind you the realities of life in other countries outside the comforts of your home.Definitely a film that should go out on DVD and something I'd spend my money on!

5-0 out of 5 stars Great film about a great tragedy
In watching this movie you can understand the Balkan conflict better than if you readfive books on the subject. It is about the power of war crushing the innocence of love. good acting all around and wonderful cinematography. We need a DVD relase of this one! those reading this review please tell amazon you want a DVD version, as more and more people switch exclusively to DVD it would be a shame of if this gem were forgotten. ... Read more

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


4. Apocalypse Now
by Paramount
VHS Tape (07 December, 1992)
list price: $14.95
Asin: 6300214826
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

In the tradition of such obsessively driven directors as Erich von Stroheim and Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola approached the production of Read more

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Reviews (304)

5-0 out of 5 stars The horror ... the horror ...
To call Francis Ford Coppola's APOCALYPSE NOW one of the greatest films ever made is a major understatement.It's filmmaking perfection - brilliant, powerful, and beautiful.From the chilling opening - helicopters flying through the Vietnamese jungle, setting it aflame, while The Doors' "The End" plays - to the now-classic closing ("The horror ... the horror ..."), it's an unforgettable journey into the darkest reaches of the human heart.It's unquestionably the greatest and most horrifying film made about the Vietnam War; it may be the best war movie ever.Some could even argue that APOCALYPSE NOW is the greatest film of all time.
5-0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Film In Any Form... '....The Complete Dossier' Due Out In August 06
In 1979's "Apocalypse Now", Francis Ford Coppola presented us with a mesmerizing, stunning look at the horrors of Viet Nam. It was a film that looked at the hearts and minds of the soldiers and the effects of the brutalities.The film received 8 nominations by Oscar, including Best Picture, Director, and a supporting actor nod for Robert("I love the smell of Napalm in the morning")Duvall. It took home well deserved Oscars for Cinematography(Vittorio Storaro) and Sound.
5-0 out of 5 stars Coppola's phantasmagoric ode to the madness of war
War is a kind of madness.It has its own logic.Kill or be killed.Follow orders, follow the leader.Go crazy.Do horrific things.Become a beast.Do all of this in a steamy jungle amid a alien culture for an unclear purpose in an ineffective way and you've got some idea of what Vietnam was like.Coppola's Vietnam is the Vietnam of a soldier's Thai stick/acid trip.The filming actually took place in the Phillippines, but no matter: that's better than Kubrick's excellent Full Metal Jacket which was partially filmed on constructed sets in England of all places. Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-action/Adventure    3. Movie   


5. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
by Universal Studios
VHS Tape (01 March, 1992)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.48
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 6300181421
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

This 1930 film, No. 54 on the AFI's Top 100 list, still holds up as a surprisingly forceful and honest antiwar drama. Indeed, the modern sensibility is almost as startling as the sometime stagey acting of Lew Ayres, which can be excused by the fact that, three years after the introduction of sound, actors were still applying stage techniques to talking pictures. Ayres plays a German college student during World War I, who is brainwashed into enlisting in the Army (along with the rest of his class) by a zealously inspirational college professor. Once in uniform and on the front lines, however, he quickly discovers that the glory of the Fatherland is of little concern to a soldier dodging bullets and explosions, whose comrades are dying in his arms. As powerful in its way as Read more

Features

  • Black & White
  • HiFi Sound
  • Original recording reissued
  • NTSC

Reviews (90)

5-0 out of 5 stars A beautifully crafted movie
I was young when I first saw this movie.I couldn't understand why wars had to happen, why the profesor was encouraging the students to fight for their country.
4-0 out of 5 stars A Good Anti-War Message
You will find the acting a little corney at times but the
5-0 out of 5 stars World War I, the story of a German soldier in the infantry
I saw a 1930 version on VHS, loaned from a public library.The whole movie is in English, spoken in US style.German is heard only when the soldiers are singing.The French women speak French.Keeping in mind that this movie was made in 1930, I still think it's a good movie.You might want to watch the more recent productions of it, if you don't want to tune off younger people with low interest in the subject.For example, in the scene with the French women, you assume and know that they made out, versus Hollywood movies these days, you'll see gratuitous nudity.This movie has all the elements of a good movie plot.It is an anti war film.The movie also plays out more like a play than what you would used to in a movie of current times. ... Read more

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


6. Kelly's Heroes
by MGM (Video & DVD)
VHS Tape (07 May, 1996)
list price: $14.98
Asin: 6301971809
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

This tongue-in-cheek 1970 variation on Read more

Features

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Reviews (121)

4-0 out of 5 stars "A Sherman Can Give You a Very Nice Edge.."
"Kelly's Heroes" is an odd, yet quite enjoyable war movie. This 1970's comedic, cinematic take on WWII, mixes genres such as the suicide mission/action film, the crime/caper film and the army comedy. In other words, take a lot of "The Dirty Dozen", mix a bit of "Ocean's 11" and add in some "M*A*S*H" plus "Catch-22" and you'll have "Kelly's Heroes". The film features a battered U.S. Army infantry unit, which has been on the front lines since landing at Omaha Beach. All they have on there minds is a little R&R, that includes booze & broads. That is until Pvt. Kelly (Clint Eastwood) interrogates (with a bottle of brandy) a captured German intelligence officer, who tells him about a Nazi convoy transporting 16 million dollars worth of gold bars. Kelly hatches a plan for his unit to go thirty miles into enemy held territory and steal the gold from a small French bank, that is being vigorously guarded by three Nazi 'Tiger' tanks. I know in this day and age it might sound rather odd, but this is one war movie, that is not only suspenseful, but is also a whole lot of fun! Is it an accurate portrayle of WWII? Probably not. (I doubt there were too many hippie tank commanders during the "Big One") This 1970 release pretty much through its' hilarious, sharp scripthas more of a Vietnam era mentality, which satiracally makes fun of both the army and it's attitudes about war. Unlike the John Wayne style war films of the past, these guys are hardly trying to be patriotic heroes, but they are just trying to make it through the war with their a**'s intact (and maby make a little profit on the side). The film features a large, talented cast, some of whom, were already stars and others, who later went on to become big names in both television and film. This includes Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, Caroll O'Connor, Gavin MacLeod, Stuart Margolin, Harry Dean Stanton and Len Lesser (Uncle Leo from TV's "Seinfeld"). How can you go wrong with a cast like that? If your in the mood for a good action picture with some big laughsmixed in, then I would highly recommend Kelly's Heroes".

3-0 out of 5 stars flawed but good overall
Many reviews are billing this as a funny World War II film. I'm not sure I agree, if only because 1) I don't remember laughing one time, and 2) its attempts at humor are interspersed with scenes of grave seriousness. Regardless, not a bad movie, but various devices leave you scratching your head and wondering why they bothered to put that in the film.
5-0 out of 5 stars NOT, ASANDWICHSHOP
What? like you never thought of that joke...
Read more

Subjects:  1. Action / Adventure    2. Feature Film-action/Adventure    3. Movie   


7. Stalingrad (Ws Sub)
by Fox Lorber
VHS Tape (11 November, 1997)
list price: $29.98
Asin: 6304287313
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

It's tempting to call this harrowing picture a World War II version of Read more

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Reviews (164)

5-0 out of 5 stars Up there with Das Boot
Compelling story from a "small cadre of individuals" perspective. 3-0 out of 5 stars Stalingrad
The movie was true. It was to the point. People nowdays may not what is really true.One of best.Outstanding.

5-0 out of 5 stars Classic World War 2 Film
This film is a must for anyone interested in creating a 'collectors' library on World War 2 films. The film is an unbiased view into the sufferings and agony of both German and Russian soldiers during Hitler's famous assault on Stalingrad.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign    2. Foreign Film - German    3. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    4. Movie   


8. The Burmese Harp
by Homevision
VHS Tape (16 June, 2000)
list price: $29.95
Asin: 6303073085
Sales Rank: 341
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Features

  • Black & White
  • Subtitled
  • NTSC

Reviews (11)

5-0 out of 5 stars THE BURMESE HARP
Director Kon Ichikawa made a truly great movie, especially considering that this anti-war movie was made not long after the end of the second world war. [1956 release] Having read quite a bit about the Pacific theatre of war as an undergraduate, I came to appreciate this movie about how the trauma of this horrible war affected one Japanese soldier. The soldier becomes spiritually obsessed with burying as many Japanese war dead that he comes across in his journey throughout the country of Burma. And he vows to remain in Burma until he has accomplished this task [a very formidabale task!] The fact that this Cinematic masterpiece is only available on VHS, not DVD, does not detract from the richness of the movie. I rank this movie right up there with "PATHS OF GLORY," as my two most favorite anti-war movies ever made. A must see.

5-0 out of 5 stars Haunting Japanese anti war film!
At the end of the WW2, a survivor of a Japanese Command, follows his bliss when he takes a decision: to disguise himself as a monk . He will make a reflexive tour, a powerful insight act, a soul searching journey soul searching backto those places where his fellow comrades met the death. This redemption fact once more completes the mythical cycle of the life: birth and innocence, maturity and experience and finally wisdom and redemption.
5-0 out of 5 stars Come Japan, come England, Burma is Buddha's country
At the beginning of this long film the audience sees a spectatcular view red dirt and red mountains of Burma, which is very significant because, if one is familiar with Buddhist tradition, the dust symbollizes the mortal world of suffering and it represents what one wants to brush off if one desires to follow the path of the Buddha. After seeing the bleak terrain, the audience is introduced to a small contigent of soldiers led by Captain Inoue a former music teacher. In order to keep his troops spirits up, the Captain teaches his men how to sing with varying degrees of success. His most gifted soldier is Mizushima, who has taught himself how to play a Burmese Harp which he has mastered quite skillfully.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign    2. Foreign Film - Japanese    3. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    4. International    5. Movie   


9. King of Hearts
by MGM (Video & DVD)
VHS Tape (03 October, 2000)
list price: $14.95
Asin: 6301972031
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

This film was a touchstone of the late 1960s, when it was seen as an antiwar allegory for a world in which madness seemed to reign. Of course, that would probably be true whenever this movie was shown, wouldn't it? Directed by Philippe de Broca and set during World War I, Read more

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Reviews (42)

5-0 out of 5 stars 'King of Hearts' is King in My Heart
I have been going to the movies for a long, long time...starting in the late 1930's.'King of Hearts' is very near the top of my list of favorites and I was delighted to be able to obtain my very own copy.The premise asks the question, 'Who is Really Crazy? The gentle souls confined to an insane asylum or the warmongers on the battlefield?'Though the actions of the actors is comedic and amusing, this can hardly be defined as a comedy.It causes one to think a great deal about a very serious subject.

5-0 out of 5 stars MORE URGENT THOUGH LESS POPULAR MESSAGE NOW THAN IN THE SIXTIES
We in the Sixties cheered this film heartily.
5-0 out of 5 stars A FUN movie
I have learned from previous reviews that the movie has an antiwar message.When I watched the movie, my attention was held by its humor and entertainment.I was introduced to the film by a rental, and decided to buy it to replay when I was looking for a good laugh. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - French    2. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    3. Movie   


10. How I Won the War / Movie
by MGM (Video & DVD)
VHS Tape (05 December, 2000)
list price: $14.95
Asin: 6301969510
Sales Rank: 3134
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Closed-captioned
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Reviews (21)

5-0 out of 5 stars A corrosive antimilitarist satire
" Absurd " humour against the absurd of war. Director Richard Lester dismounts the british establisment, the cynical lies and fabricated interests hidden under the smoke curtain of the patrotism, the military discipline, the stereotypes of epics and the delirious glorification and manipulative vision that some films do of war with his juvenile and iconoclast spirit and sardonic comicity. Lester uses techniques of strangeness to accentuate the grotesque side of war and the sentiment of alienation in which seems to move all the time the characters: the movie is conceived as a long chain of satirical vignettes or synthetic thought-provokative gags whithin a flashback narration conducted by the leutenant Goodbody ( a splendid Michael Crawford ), responsible of one of the worst units of the army. Likewise, the deliberately frenetic dialogues ( in the army the members of the high command speak loud and fast to their subordinates and don't wait that the soldiers think, this is, Lester makes a caricature of the militaries' rules and their tics ) are recordered in a very deliberated artificial way provoking the effect as if we were listening the thoughts of the characters or their words didn't belong to them ( this very interesting narrative resort we can already find with a similar intention in the Fleischer brothers' " talkartoons "). John Lennon leaves this time the rest of the Beatles to join to the disastrous unit leaded by Michael Crawford, who plays the role of the completely incompetent leutenant, in this tragic-comic antiwarlike movie.
4-0 out of 5 stars Not what you expected
If you are looking for the typical Beatles movie you will be disappointed with this one. It has some funny moments but this is a war movie, war is not funny. John Lennon is excellent in this film and the movie was put together well. It takes some thinking to understand some moments, so if you are not into thinking about your movies don't watch it. But if you want to watch a war movie that has great actors and director and an interesting plot then this is one for you.

4-0 out of 5 stars Beyond Lennon
Richard Lester's HOW I WON THE WAR has always been a controversial film simply because of all the publicity that Beatle John Lennon would be appearing in it. Put simply, John Lennon really just appears in it as one of several British soldiers under the command of the narrow minded and na�ve Michael Crawford during this WWII anti war film.Michael Crawford is the main character of this film. It is Crawford that undergoes a transition in this film from his military experience and he is the central focus of all the bizarre events that occur. John Lennon's character really gets no focus at all. The publicity around Lennon distorted the impression of this film for almost all time. That is unfortunate. Richard Lester's film is not bad but it is not for all tastes.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Feature Film-comedy    3. Movie   


11. M*A*S*H (Special Edition)
by 20th Century Fox
VHS Tape (08 January, 2002)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.48
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: B00005QVVB
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

It's set during the Korean War, in a mobile army surgical hospital. But no one seeing Read more

Features

  • Closed-captioned
  • Color
  • Original recording remastered
  • Special Edition
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Reviews (112)

5-0 out of 5 stars M*A*S*H(Single Disc Edition)
This is an outstanding movie in every way.Many of todays television and big screen stars were appearing here in their first major picture. Altmans narration was informative and interesting.

5-0 out of 5 stars AWSOME
One of the best comedies I have seen, ever. My first view was like 20 years ago, when it was a newelty. Since then, every single broadcast in TV I saw it. And at the end I did the best I can do...: Buy it.
5-0 out of 5 stars M*A*S*H REVIEW
M*A*S*H is one of the funniest movies ever made. All performances by the cast are brilliant. The book is brilliant too. BUY both now! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Comedy Video    3. Drama    4. Feature Film-drama    5. Movie   


12. The Execution of Private Slovik
by Universal Studios
VHS Tape (15 May, 2001)
list price: $9.98
Asin: 6302161401
Sales Rank: 226
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Features

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  • Color
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Reviews (8)

5-0 out of 5 stars Slovik faced death with certainty & acceptance
My father was a WW2 Vet. If I was a male, I probably would have been drafted into the Viet Nam war. But I am female, and the conscientious Objectors were part and parcel of my collegiate aged generation. I do not believe Slovik was a 'whiner' or a coward. He faced death with certainty; front lines meant, as the movie portrayed 'uncertainty' of 'not knowing'.. so when he was made such a sick example of, by the military, he accepted being shot by his own American army as his plight, and, he took and accepted this more than anyone in my generation would have, or since.
5-0 out of 5 stars An ageless story of Generals and Grunts.
One and a half million men were rejected for psychological reasons during WWII. Hundreds of thousands suffered combat fatigue during combat.(Depends whose counting.) A confused General slaps soldiers in a field hospital for breaking under the stress of war. (We all learn that it is only a matter of time before all would break.) The medical men say breaking is normal and Generals say it is an act of cowardice. All this sound and fury boils down to this...Private Slovick the only man to be killed by his country for being human and too honest.5-0 out of 5 stars the execution of one miserable man
i'm an entusiast colector of world war II movies and i never see nothing like that before,i was a military at another country and another war{nicaragua}almost 25,000 of many young people die over there,there where many desertion too,but we never put nobody on front of fithing squad,i admire this private,because he prefer to die by his believe,than kill or be killed in action,in honor to the truth i think he was executed no by his desertion,but like he say by his criminal record,i do think ,the sistem was the one guilty because he recruit the man knowing his record.The problem is "the history don't make honor to desertors". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie    4. TV Shows   


13. All Quiet on Western Front (1979)
by Live / Artisan
VHS Tape (24 April, 2001)
list price: $9.98
Asin: 1556589751
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Taken from the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, Read more

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Reviews (33)

4-0 out of 5 stars All Quiet on the Western Front
As a history teacher I am always looking for good materials to use in the classroom. I use exerpts of the book in my Global Hist. class and used to use the 1939 version of the film as a supplement to the reading. The older version is truer to the book but the over the top acting of Lou Ayers doesn't click very well with today's young viewers. They are more likely to laugh at the drama of the older version. The 1979 version misses some of the books irony because it bipasses, or treats very lightly, some crucial scenes in the book, but the character portrayals and somber mood of the film are much more apt to hold my students attention. I enjoyed this film when it first aired on television almost 30 years ago and was happy to finds it on DVD so that I can use it in the classroom.

5-0 out of 5 stars Very well made, well acted, important message.
This film is really excellent, with a great cast, and a thoughtful and frightening message. We see the story of a group of high school boys graduating and then immediately joining the German army to fight in World War I.The story revolves around Paul Baumer, a thoughtful and sensitive young man who gradually sees so many horrors of war, and loses so many of his friends, that he is transformed into a different person, a war-weary pessimist with no illusions, no dreams, no purpose, and no homeland.Richard Thomas does a masterful job of playing Paul Baumer. He is supported with a fantanstic cast of actors.Ernest Borgnine plays the peasant shoe maker who leads their platoon. He is an earthy fatherly survival focused man who does his best to ensure his men have food, rest, shelter, and take no outrageous risks of glory. Paul learns much from this man, who becomes a surrogate father and mentor. Ian Holm plays a military school drill instructor who is a sadist. Eventually his sadism goes too far and he is sent to the front lines where he exhibits cowardly actions that ironically result in his receiving a medal from the Kaiser. Patricia Neal plays Paul's dying mother. Paul has seen so much death that he is only able to show dispassionate empathy with his mother and tells her lies about the front lines so that she does not die of cancer worrying about her son. Donald Pleasance plays a high school instructor who fills the heads of young men on concepts of national glory, heroism, manhood, and other nonsense to which 18 year old boys fall victim.
3-0 out of 5 stars Great movie not so great dvd
Best World War 1 movie I ever seen. The DVD however should have been re-mastered. For video and audio quality expect nothing better than regular cable TV. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action / Adventure    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie    4. TV Shows   


14. Big Parade (Silent) / Movie
by Warner Home Video
VHS Tape (01 April, 1992)
list price: $29.98
Asin: 6301965736
Sales Rank: 4423
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Features

  • Black & White
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Reviews (11)

5-0 out of 5 stars King Vidor's brilliant anti-war masterpiece

2-0 out of 5 stars Some fine moments, but sum of parts pales in comparison
Are you like me in that you are interested in seeing some movies just for their historical film value?I had read that "The Big Parade" for instance, was generally considered to be the first realistic war film.It was one of the silent era's greatest grossing films.In addition, a few of its scenes remain distinctive enough to be still spoken about even today.Having just recently viewed this film, I'd be inclined to argue, that it is these scenes---and not the film as a whole---that inclines many to classify this film as significant and/or of great value.It's the story of a naive son of privilege whose youthful enthusiasm leads him to the battlefields of France as the First World War rages. But before he actually sees combat, he meets a fetching French gal who captures his fancy.The most memorable scene of the film follows---the French girl chasing John Gilbert's convoy, and his truck in particular, her reaching for him and then hanging on to his leg, not willing to be separated from the man she apparently loves.I say apparently because, up to this point, it doesn't appear---in her scenes with him---that she is overly enamored by Gilbert's character at all.Nonetheless, their forced parting is something which lingers with you---along with a few other scenes that do likewise---but for a 2 hour film such are few and far between.The other such scenes depict men inanely marching to their death in a wooded field, continuing to press on foward as men drop from sniper fire all around them & one wherein Gilbert, having just returned home near the end of the film, is embraced by his (American) fiance.So it's a romantic film set against the backdrop of war AND it's a gritty, hostile look at war balanced and humanised by romance.The film, in short, lacks focus; the director apparently not being able to decide, to his detriment, which of these two films he wanted to make. PS: I'll have you know that I'm an enthusiastic silent film fan.So, by all means have a look at this film, if you're so inclined.Just don't assume your (possibly) high expectations will be realized herein.(04oct) Cheers!

2-0 out of 5 stars Disappointingly naïve depiction of WWI
A tightly structured story relating one man�s life-changing experiences during WWI.The depiction of wartime that it presents is disappointingly na�ve, especially when compared with a film like All Quiet on the Western Front, released only five years later.The scenes of the American soldiers calmly walking towards the Germans as bullets whiz around them are rather ridiculous, as is the scene where dozens of German soldiers suddenly give up even though the Americans have only fired a single shot.Another weakness of the film is that the numerous comedic moments aren�t especially amusing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie   


15. Cold Mountain
by Miramax Home Entertainment
VHS Tape (29 June, 2004)
list price: $14.99 -- our price: $14.24
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: B0001MDP36
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Freely adapted from Charles Frazier's beloved bestseller, Read more

Features

  • Color
  • NTSC

Reviews (391)

4-0 out of 5 stars "I Came Back to You"
Cold Mountain's chief appeal lies in the absolutely beautiful scenery and cinematography, and the love story between Ada, a preacher's daughter, and Inman, a Confederate soldier.Filmed in the mountains of Romania, North and South Carolina, and Virgina, it is a relaxing pleasure to watch the seasons and the unspoiled beauty of nature.It seems to have been the filmaker's goal to return to a pristine time before the environment became ravaged.
2-0 out of 5 stars Ugly Violence
Cold Mountain, a place in Western North Carolina is no fun. Life is harsh for country farmers, and cold-blooded locals.Sure, it's beautiful to look at through the mist as long as you're not starving to death, being raped, or murdered.I thought I'd let potential viewers know ahead of time before they think they are going to see a romantic period piece for chicks: Cold Mountain is brutal with violence and sexual abuse.Most of the offending scenes are unnecessary for the telling of a "Saga."I have no idea why Minghella felt it imperative to show Hollywood blood and skin every other scene.Well, I know why.The director has these fantasies and he wants everyone to understand.
5-0 out of 5 stars A very pleasant surprise !
I came to see this movie without expecting anything - I wanted to go to the movies with my mother and she wanted to see it. I must say that I am really glad that I agreed. I didn't expect much - I DO NOT like Nicole Kidman (I find that she has a mean face) and I am not really a great fan of Renee Zellweiger or Jude Law. But I was pleasantly surprised and even more - carried away. This is the kind of movie you do not see so much this last time, the kind of stuff that Hollywood mostly stopped to make in the end of 60's. I almost had the impression that the ghosts of Bette Davis ("Jezebel") and Vivien Leigh ("Gone with the wind") were watching Nicole Kidman with approval and a friendly smile - it must be the first movie in which I almost forgot that I can't stand her.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   


16. Charlie Chaplin: Great Dictator
by 20th Century Fox
VHS Tape (05 November, 1992)
list price: $19.98
Asin: 630256185X
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Since Adolf Hitler had the audacity to borrow his mustache from the most famous celebrity in the world--Charlie Chaplin--it meant Hitler was fair game for Chaplin's comedy. (Strangely, the two men were born within four days of each other.)