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61. Hate
62. Tales From the Crypt (1972)
63. Foreign Student / Movie
64. Harold & Maude (Aniv)
65. Black Orpheus
$23.70
66. Maedchen In Uniform
67. Suddenly Last Summer
68. Mayerling (1968)
69. A Room With a View
70. Last Emperor
71. Persuasion
72. Jesus of Nazareth (3pc)
73. 1492 - Conquest of Paradise
74. Debbie Does Dallas
75. Bond: Living Daylights / Movie
76. The Castle
77. Conqueror Worm
78. Surviving Picasso
79. Murmur of the Heart
80. Trust / Movie

61. Hate
by Polygram Video
VHS Tape (11 February, 1997)
list price: $14.95
Asin: 6304331177
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

This angry, antiauthoritarian French film--originally titled Read more

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Reviews (38)

5-0 out of 5 stars a very good film, and prescient
I first saw 'la haine' about a year ago in a french class. then, this past autumn, as we all know, riots broke out in the ethnic outskirts of a number of major french cities. it's been 9 years since the film came out, and unlike some of its american urban film counterparts (spike lee excluded, of course) it is somehow prescient, getting better with age. anyone can throw around a buzzword like "urban alienation", but only a film like 'la haine' can truly convey it.
5-0 out of 5 stars In your face drama
I've seen this movie several times, and it just never gets old. Although Kassovitz claims Hate is not meant to be a documentary or make any political points, the message is glaring and heart-rending.
5-0 out of 5 stars hate i know 2004
I am french so I got the story better than the subtitles
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Foreign Film - French    3. Movie   


62. Tales From the Crypt (1972)
by 20th Century Fox
VHS Tape (01 January, 1998)
list price: $9.98
Asin: 6305033048
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Before Read more

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Reviews (23)

5-0 out of 5 stars amicus studios gives us a very creepy "tales from the crypt"
amicus studios was in it's prime with this wonderful little shocker about 5 people lost in a crypt and the old man they meet and the future he tell's about each one.
4-0 out of 5 stars Fine Amicus Horror Anthology
"Tales from the Crypt" is an Amicus horror anthology with five stories that unfold when five tourists stray from their tour and wind up in a sealed catacomb with a mysterious crypt-keeper (Sir Ralph Richardson) who questions them about their lives.Each tourist has a tale of the macabre to tell and as usual, it is a mixed bag, but overall, one of Amicus' best, my top favorite being "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors."
5-0 out of 5 stars Great Horror Anthology
One of the few rare gems in horror. If you deem yourself a horror fan you simply cannot miss this movie. Rent it or better yet, buy it but most definitely, do not miss it!!! For those reviewers who have been asking for the movie on dvd, check out this site: www.monstersinmotion.com and search for the movie... you'll be pleasantly surprised. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Horror    2. Horror / Sci-Fi / Fantasy    3. Movie   


63. Foreign Student / Movie
by Universal Studios
VHS Tape (01 September, 1998)
list price: $9.98
Asin: 6303294103
Sales Rank: 4650
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Features

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  • Color
  • Dolby
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Reviews (9)

4-0 out of 5 stars Don't throw away your diamonds!
This is a sweet story about young love (forbidden love) on its surface, but a bit more than that upon closer analysis.The repressive racial climate of the 50's is seen through the eyes of one who was not brought up in it and in the narration, Philippe's recounting of his first introduction to this segregation is just heart-wrenching: 5-0 out of 5 stars Justa good movie to see......
I have been a fan of Marco Hofschneider ever since I saw him in Europa Europa. I think that he is a very good actor and a good role model for the non blonde, blue eye Germans like myself. In this movie, Marco plays a French foreign exchange student, Philippe, that attends a university in the 1950's south United States, and falls in love with an African-American woman, Robin Givens. The story is a wonderful tale of overcoming skin colour differences and falling in love for the person someone is. 3-0 out of 5 stars Foreign Student: A Stacked Deck
In most romance movies, the viewer can pretty well predict early on whether the lovers will wind up together. There is something about the opening tone, usually set by music, shades of color, locale, or brief introductions to the lovers, that foreshadows their future. In FOREIGN STUDENT, the red light of failure flashes right away and stays flashing right to the credits. Marco Hofschneider plays a sweet French student studying in the south United States in the 1950s. He meets a lovely Robin Givens, who radiates a smoldering passion that Marco flits toward. The problem is that in the south of that time, interracial relationships were doomed from the start, yet the lovers try. Each seems to feel that in another place and another time, they could succeed, but in the here and the now, they can only invite disaster. Of the two, Marco is the more emotional one, the lover who sees only the object of his desire and not the formidable obstacles to its fruition. Givens is the one who has her feet planted firmly is the sociological soil of her time. She cannot be faulted for beginning the affair--after all Marco is the perfect dream man: handsome, cultured, athletic, and speaks French into the bargain. But she has enough sense to hear alarm bells go off inside, and she breaks off the relation.Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie   


64. Harold & Maude (Aniv)
by Paramount
VHS Tape (01 April, 1997)
list price: $9.95
Asin: 6300216268
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Black comedies don't come much blacker than this cult favorite from 1972, and they don't come much funnier, either. It seemed that director Hal Ashby was the perfect choice to mine a mother lode of eccentricity from the original script by Colin Higgins, about the unlikely romance between a death-obsessed 19-year-old named Harold (Bud Cort) and a life-loving 79-year-old widow named Maude (Ruth Gordon). They meet at a funeral, and Maude finds something oddly appealing about Harold, urging him to "reach out" and grab life by the lapels as opposed to dwelling morbidly on mortality. Harold grows fond of the old gal--she's a lot more fun than the girls his mother desperately matches him up with--and together they make Read more

Features

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  • Color
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Reviews (244)

4-0 out of 5 stars I Go To Funerals.
Harold and Maude is Hal Ashby's 1971 cult hit. Dividing critics, the film nevertheless collected a massive following, spawned a play on Broadway, and has also given birth to new phrases, "Harolding" and "Maudism".
5-0 out of 5 stars One of THE BEST films to help you face living
Prior to VHS or DVD - back in 1971-75 - when movie theaters (remember those, the ones where it was only $1 for two films and a short and the films were shown in BIG theaters - so what if the sound wasn't Dolby or DTS - films were still films not; just 1 of 10 stock plots enhanced by computer special effects.
4-0 out of 5 stars Still Quirky and Funny Black Comedy Tells the Ultimate Opposites-Attracts Love Story
This 1971 black comedy is still a stitch, even if it doesn't feel as audacious as I'm sure it once did. Directed by the maverick Hal Ashby, it is the epitome of all opposites-attract love stories as a twenty-year old depressive connects with a 79-year old life-loving woman. They actually bond over their mutual interest in death, as they keep showing up at the same funerals. However, the root of their respective interests couldn't be more different - Maude shows up to reconfirm how lucky she feels to be alive, while the hearse-driving Harold simply likes the morbidity of it all.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-comedy    3. Movie   


65. Black Orpheus
by Homevision
VHS Tape (16 June, 2000)
list price: $29.95
Asin: 6302784980
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Marcel Camus's 1959 update of the Greek myth features an all-black cast and a story set in the frenetic energy of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Orpheus, a trolley car conductor and superb samba dancer, is engaged to Mira but in love with Eurydice. For his change of heart, Orpheus and his new doomed lover are pursued by a vengeful Mira and a determined Death through the feverish Carnival night. Camus at once demystifies and remystifies the old story, shifting not only its location but its tone and context, forcing a reevaluation of the legend as a more passionate, pulsing, sensual experience. The film is really one-of-a-kind, an absolute whirl that barely needs words. Read more

Features

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Reviews (55)

5-0 out of 5 stars Very Original
Greek mythology was something I've never paid much attention to. Having said that, I knew nothing about the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. It wasn't until I got this from the library (after noticing it had won the Palme d'or at The Cannes Film Festival and had won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film) and read the little booklet included in The Criterion release that I found out about the whole story. Needless to say, I found the whole idea intriguing. The filmmakers took this Greek myth and transferred it to Rio de Janeiro in the middle of Carnival and, in doing so, created a colorful and beautiful movie. That's not to say Black Orpheus is a very entertaining film, but the lush scenery and music make it a masterpiece. The story is pretty simple; Eurydice has arrived in Rio to stay with her cousin Serafina. Eurydice is running from a masked man (Death) and is in a frequent state of fear. When she gets onto a streetcar, she meets Orpheus; Orpheus is a streetcar operator and a ladies man who has just become engaged to Mira. When they're getting a license, the man jokes to Mira..."Let me guess. You're Eurydice." Orpheus, is popular around his community for his musical talent. It's said that when he plays his guitar and sings, he makes the sun rise. Anyway, the story is a Greek "tragedy" so you can guess that the love between Orpheus and Eurydice doesn't quite go as planned. The film's tragic ending is quickly lifted by a beautifully photographed scene. This movie is, technically, a love story...But the Orpheus-Eurydice is merely the foundation of the story. It's the music and art direction and cinematography that makes this so good. The music, especially, plays a huge part in the film. The look of the movie gets even better when you realize how long ago it was made. Look at the film "Some Like it Hot" (released the same year, 1959) and then look at this film. This movie will not entertain the masses for years to come, but movie/Greek mythology buffs might want to check it out. Or just people who appreciate beauty in film.
5-0 out of 5 stars Poetically beautiful
This movie is worth buying and watching over and over, the passion is felt between the characters and the setting. I just love the movie and it takes you to another world, another era.
5-0 out of 5 stars Five star slop job!
I hated this movie because it had no nudity...and bossa nostra music annoys me. If you wanna see nekkid girls, don't watch this movie. Mind you, I only watched the first 3 minutes before I figured I needed something more substantial...a TRUE masterpiece like "Back To The Beach". Buy THAT movie instead of 'Black Orpheus' because at least you get Frankie Avalon and Annette FunnyChello and PeeWee Herman. I just flicked through "Black O" and watched the first 5 seconds of each chapter but that was enough to tell me that this movie stinks.
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Subjects:  1. Best Picture Winner    2. Foreign Film - Portugese    3. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    4. International    5. Movie   


66. Maedchen In Uniform
by Homevision
VHS Tape (13 June, 2000)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $23.70
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 6303120725
Sales Rank: 4368
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Features

  • Black & White
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Reviews (8)

5-0 out of 5 stars A superb gem of the German filmography!
This is -under any perspective you analyze it- the bravest and boldest film around the lesbianism. But this approach will allow you to explore the most dark corners related with the feminine loneliness and ontological desperation.
3-0 out of 5 stars Platonic love at a Prussian Boarding school
I have watched this movie in a class that I am taking now entitled German Film:Beyond Faschism.5-0 out of 5 stars A Different Love
The way the intense, loving relationship between the young schoolgirl and the teacher was portrayed and developed was very moving.However, I didn't get a sense of sexual love or tension between the two.Instead, I felt more like the movie showed me the different kinds of love possible between two people, regardless of gender.The girl loved her teacher almost like a mother, but not quite.There was definitely something more to it than that type of strong yet simple and easily understood love.There was a sense of longing and forbidden love mixed in with this maternal love.I saw this movie not as an illustration of lesbian love, but rather as a sort of wake-up call that made me question my previous notions regarding love and what it meant to me.And if you ask me, saying that a movie can make you question these types of things is the highest form of praise I can think of. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action / Adventure    2. Foreign    3. Foreign Film - German    4. International    5. Movie   


67. Suddenly Last Summer
by Sony Pictures
VHS Tape (26 September, 1997)
list price: $19.98
Asin: 6302655897
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

This black-and-white film adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Southern gothic play is perhaps more famous for the rumored off-screen shenanigans of its stars than for its over-the-top repressed sexuality (only Williams could pull off that paradox, and pull it off he does). Supposedly, stars Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor battled for screen time; Hepburn warred very publicly with director Joseph Mankiewicz; and a postaccident Montgomery Clift relied heavily on painkillers and support from friend Taylor during the grueling shoot. Even this, however, cannot top the events of the film itself, revolving around the unseen playboy Sebastian and his mysterious death, which has something to do with young boys, a decadent European vacation, and Taylor in a provocative wet, white bathing suit. To give away the plot would spoil the fun, but suffice it to say that what Taylor saw was so horrible it drove her nuts, and Sebastian's mother (Hepburn) wants her to have a lobotomy in order to keep it from coming out; Clift is brought in to do the procedure. It's all a hoot and a holler, but as played by the two leading ladies (both of whom nabbed Oscar nominations), it's also compelling, chilling, and utterly gothic. Taylor gives a fierce performance, as the climaxing monologue that reveals Sebastian's "secret" rests entirely on her shoulders, and Hepburn plays brilliantly against type as Sebastian's manipulating, overbearing mother. Only Clift, saddled with a dreary character in charge of plot exposition, fails to deliver. Adapted by Gore Vidal. Read more

Features

  • Black & White
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Reviews (55)

4-0 out of 5 stars Terrific melodrama in black , white and shades of gray
Southern gothic melodrama, excellent cast, subject matter is very dated by today's standards.But, well acted. enjoy!

4-0 out of 5 stars Flamboyant Southern Gothic Tennessee Williams Served Up by Masters
It's hard to take your eyes off an impossibly beautiful, 27-year old Elizabeth Taylor, especially in her skintight white bathing suit, and the fact that she gives a powerhouse performance, likely her best prior to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", is reason enough to watch this 1959 Gothic melodrama from the fulsome pen of Tennessee Williams. She plays Catherine Holly, a mentally unstable young woman traumatized by a violent incident which ended with her cousin Sebastian's death last summer in a Mexican beach resort.
5-0 out of 5 stars A Hot One!
Not many movies can combine murder, incest, medical science, cannibalism, homosexuality, lobotomies, amnesia, bitchy nuns and good ol' Southern charm and get away with it, but "Suddenly, Last Summer" does it in spades!
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   


68. Mayerling (1968)
by MGM (Warner)
VHS Tape (01 September, 1998)
list price: $19.98
Asin: 6304084145
Sales Rank: 11319
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Features

  • Color
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Reviews (7)

4-0 out of 5 stars Saturated With Khachaturian's Best Music & Entertaining Too!
IN A NUTSHELL: A FILM WORTH SEEING & HEARING
5-0 out of 5 stars Great film!
James Mason is as handsome as ever.It's a really well worth seeinf film.I highly recommend it.

5-0 out of 5 stars Not Perfect, But Vastly Entertaining
I have been told that the French predecessor of this film is better, but I don't see how.The compelling true story of the downfall of the Hapsburg family is recounted here with an emphasis on the personal tragedy of Prince Rudolph.Here is a man trapped in a loveless marriage, domineered by his tyranical father, deprived of the love of a mother who tries to dazzle everyone, caught in the uprisings of democratic politics, and addicted to cocaine to dismiss his pain.To add to his personal pain, he meets a beautiful, penniless noblewoman, whose family is basically out of favor, and falls hopeless in love.The politics, the personal manipulation, the suffering of the lovers is beautifully presented by MGM in their grand style. Sharif may not be the optimal Rudolph, but who could be immune to Catherine Deneuve's charm.James Mason is a perfect cold and stern Emperor, and Ava Gardner (miscast) fares adequate as the Emperess.It is James Roberton Justice, who plays the Prince of Wales, who steals the movie.His every scene is a joy. The European character actors who fill out the cast do a fine job, and the story unfolds as the tragic love should.Whether you believe that Rudolph killed his mistress and himself, or that his father had the secret police remove him, you will enjoy this movie.Good musical score too! ... Read more

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


69. A Room With a View
by 20th Century Fox
VHS Tape (01 January, 1998)
list price: $12.98
Asin: 6300250512
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

The prestigious filmmaking trio of producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala had made other critically acclaimed films before Read more

Features

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Reviews (144)

1-0 out of 5 stars One star for being something to put you to sleep
It seems millions of americans suffer from sleep deprivation.I challenge anyone to watch parts of this movie for one week and have any problems sleeping.
5-0 out of 5 stars A Feast for the Eyes
The mid-1980s was a banner time for E.M. Forster fans. Two of his novels, "A Passage to India" and this, "A Room with a View", were successfully and wonderfully adapted for the big screen. ("Howard's End" would come a few years later.)
5-0 out of 5 stars I LOVE this movie!!
This is one of my top ten favorite movies of all time.It's funny and beautiful, with a perfect cast.The music and the scenery is breathtaking.I agree with a previous reviewer, I can't think of anything that isn't perfect with this film. ... Read more

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


70. Last Emperor
by Columbia Tristar Hom
VHS Tape (07 December, 1992)
list price: $19.98
Asin: 6301055845
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Bernardo Bertolucci does the nearly impossible with this sweeping, grand epic that tells a very personal tale. The story is a dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the emperors of China. It follows his life from its elite beginnings in the Forbidden City, where he was crowned at age three and worshipped by half a billion people. He was later forced to abdicate and, unable to fend for himself in the outside world, became a dissolute and exploited shell of a man. He died in obscurity, living as a peasant in the People's Republic. We never really warm up to John Lone in the title role, but this movie focuses more on visuals than characterization anyway. Filmed in the Forbidden City, it is spectacularly beautiful, filling the screen with saturated colors and exquisite detail. It won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Read more

Features

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Reviews (124)

5-0 out of 5 stars Pu Yi : prisoner No. 981!
This film is really mesmerizing. The sumptuous locations that worked out as real stages to tell the tragic story of the raise and fall of the last Emperor of a very reduced territory of a huge nation. Enclosed in this zone, prisoner of the conventionalisms, his castrated childhood, slaved by his own power, became a fervent fan of the Western way of life thanks to the wise advises of his British mentor: R.J.
5-0 out of 5 stars Accomplishes the impossible
Ask any director in a world not yet blessed with The Last Emperor whether it might be possible to create a film that documents, with reasonable depth and historical accuracy, the modernization of China--from imperial days through the Cultural Revolution--and that does so while managing also to capture the immeasurable gravity, ethos, and pathos of the twentieth century and all its billions, and you'd be told in so many words that such a task was absolutely, without a doubt, impossible, no matter the allotted length.
5-0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece
The Last Emperor is one of those movies that dazzle us even after 18 years of its original release. The acting is fantastic, the Photography simply beautiful, and the locations,(specially the Forbidden city sequences) are breathtaking.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie   


71. Persuasion
by Sony Pictures
VHS Tape (12 November, 1996)
list price: $19.95
Asin: 6303965415
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Movie adaptations of Jane Austen's classic novels were all the rage (relatively speaking) in the mid-1990s. Read more

Features

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  • Color
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Reviews (265)

2-0 out of 5 stars Hard to get into.
I love Jane Austen's works, and Persuasion, for me, comes next in line after Pride and Prejudice.I think the story is more gentle and you really see a transformation in Anne.The movie, however, I just didn't like.The characters weren't portrayed well and I thought the movie was boring.Anne in the movie had pretty much the same look on her face the whole movie which drove me nuts.The guy who played Capt. Wentworth i thought was too angry most of the time.I really couldn't enjoy this film because I couldn't get over the bad acting.I'd love to see Persuasion redone with hopefully a better result.My advice: read the book and skip the movie.

1-0 out of 5 stars Nice idea, wooden acting

4-0 out of 5 stars A beautifully subtle and genuinely emotional film
This is clearly one of the most polarising of Jane Austen adaptations on film. Some viewers will love the genuinely moving acting, the authentically costumed characters, the beautiful scenery and sets, the incredible story-telling and the wonderfully subtle touches that abound in this film. Others will loathe the complete absence of makeup, the fact that Amanda Root is visibly older than 29, the slow and tender story, the use of natural lighting and the re-writing of the Mr Elliot sub-plot (including his unforgivably and casually cruel behaviour towards Mrs Smith).
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Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   


72. Jesus of Nazareth (3pc)
by Live / Artisan
VHS Tape (22 February, 1995)
list price: $24.98
Asin: 6302643627
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Originally made for TV in 1977, this in-depth (six hours plus) version of Jesus' life is so thorough that the first hour is devoted solely to the story of his birth. The film doesn't skimp on some of the other landmark events of this famous story either. Director Franco Zeffirelli gives more than 12 minutes screen time each to the Last Supper and the Crucifixion.Passages of the Bible are quoted verbatim, the locations have a Palestine-like authenticity, and, aside from some of the principals (Robert Powell as Jesus, Olivia Hussey as Mary, and Stacy Keach as Barabbas), many of the non-Roman characters are actually played by Semitic-looking actors. Zeffirelli diligently provides the sociopolitical background that gave rise to Jesus' following and the crisis in belief it caused for the people of Israel (and one or two Romans). While not graphic by today's standards, some of the scenes--baby boys being ripped from their mothers' arms and slaughtered, nails being driven into Jesus' hands--may disturb young and/or sensitive children. Read more

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Reviews (284)

5-0 out of 5 stars The True Vine.
One of the great works of the cinema - by far my favorite rendering of The Life on film - what I like most is the script's fidelity to Scripture and the magnificent and inspiring exposition of the Parables.This part of the film - the comprehensive depiction of Christ's Mission in spirit and meaning - through the context of the text of the Gospels - is to be found nowhere else in the genre - and assuages reception of the inevitably more interpretative scenes.Undoubtedly, in comparison with the recent effort of Mel Gibson, et al., the representation of the Passion looks somewhat tame. However, the comprehensive quality of the narrative here provides more than enough ballast to keep the viewer rapt.Continuing the comparison, it does take some time in the early frames get over the British accents.After all, the film was made in English for English speaking audiences.However, inspired acting up and down the line puts that one to bed fast.After few minutes of the genius of Peter Ustinov (in one of his finest moments) as Herod, stomping, ranting, raving mad in his political calculations - you forget the petty flaws.Needless to say, Robert Powell's career/performance as Jesus is vastly superior to any other on celluloid, and one of the supreme gestures in the history of media.Awesome.And Olivia Hussey's brilliant rendering of the Virgin Mary is, in my opinion, distinctly more affecting and profound than her celebrated rendering of Juliet, which, for whatever reasons, has played continuously to Amercan high school audiences for the past thirty years. In retrospect, and mostly due to what we see here, the modest and retiring Ms Hussey must be regarded as one of the greatest actresses of her era.This masterpiece, seen again and again, only gets more powerful, imparts more insight with each viewing.Having first viewed "Jesus of Nazareth" in it's premiere as one of the earliest T.V. mini-series back in the 1970's, I bear witness to the truth of the assertion that this film is one of the few that loses nothing to time and, characteristic of true classics, seems rather to gain.
5-0 out of 5 stars A Crucial Study
I was only 12 when I saw this the first time, and my father had to actully push me to watch it. Well, now I know more about the cross that parents are forced to carry for the sake of their children. As in his "Romeo and Juliet," "Taming of the Shrew," "Hamlet," and "Tea With Mussolini," Director Franco Zeffirelli's work is nothing short of phenomenal. In my opinion, one's study of the Bible is not complete until he or she has seen this movie. As in his other movies, Director Franco Zeffirelli gives us fascinating scenery and great background music. He also has actors who become the characters they are suppose to. (Some previous reviewers pointed out that as Jesus, Robert Powell never even blinks!) Interestingly, the movie starts a little before even the Gospels. (Mary and Joseph haven't made the formal arrangements yet.) The arguably best thing about this movie is that not only does it harmoniously combine the 4 Gospels, it actually adds a lot of educated speculation and turns briefly mentioned characters from the Gospels into fully 3d human beings. As Christians of today, we have hindsight, so we can easily fall into the trap of simply labeling characters weak, bad, etc. What this movie does is it removes hindsight and helps us understand the characters in the Bible more. Jesus was in fact bringing changes to established order, and naturally, despite his wonderful deeds, people could have divided feelings about him. Isaac Asimov said that the Jewish authorities had been taught that their religion placed emphasis on a strict adherence to the letter of the law, while Jesus' view was that it was alright to deviate from the written law if it meant doing a greater good. We often think of Caiaphas as the man who handed Jesus over to the Romans. But even the Anglican Bishop Richard Holloway said that Jesus called himself the son of God, and as the high priest, Caiaphas had to react to that. (We also tend to forget that Caiaphas had a job to keep order. And if he let things get out of hand, the Romans would take matters into their hands no matter how bloody things had to get.) We often just see Judas as the one who betrayed Christ. Well, was this out of malice? The Gospels say he hung himself afterwards. Certainly he wasn't happy about what he had done. As the movie suggests, he could very well have been tricked by Jesus' enemies into doing so: "If he really is the Messiah, God will not abandon him. And if he isn't, you will have saved Israel from another false prophet." Judas may very well have thought that he was bringing Jesus to a meeting where he could explain himself before the religious authorities. (King Richard III actually eliminated some of his enemies by putting them under the impression that they were just coming to a meeting and of course when they arrived, they were imprisoned and executed.) All in all, this is a phenomenal movie that not only harmoniously combines the 4 Gospels, but it also offers a lot of educated speculation that helps things make more sense. It also helps us to understand people we may have only seen through limited vision. Whether you are Roman Catholic, Anglo Catholic, Methodist, or any other Christian, this movie is an essential study.

5-0 out of 5 stars JESUS OF NAZARETH
Hi there,
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   


73. 1492 - Conquest of Paradise
by Paramount
VHS Tape (01 January, 1998)
list price: $14.95
Asin: 6302787300
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

One of Ridley Scott's most wrong-headed films, this one (like all of his movies) looks fabulous and sounds utterly ridiculous, almost from the beginning. His first mistake was casting the wonderful Gerard Depardieu as Columbus and forcing him to speak English, which Depardieu does with decided difficulty. After spending way too much time on the ocean with Columbus's three ships (you kind of wish they would sail over the edge of the world), they arrive in the West Indies, only to turn around and sail back. The rest of the film deals with the not particularly comprehensible politics of Columbus's venture, which leads to the violent slaughter of trusting natives by a band of cardboard villains. Depardieu, who radiates sympathy, looks like he's at sea with this material. Read more

Features

  • Closed-captioned
  • Color
  • Dolby
  • NTSC

Reviews (103)

5-0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant
I'm not bothered by Depardieu's accent.There are many movies out there where it's hard to understand everything the actor says.He was a great choice for playing Christopher Columbus because he could portray, with depth, the emotional integrity of a man embarking on a voyage that has never been done before.He has to possess a certain determination to give him enough strength to believe in himself and his dreams as well as convince the highest of the nobility to support him in his quest.Depardieu conveyed that, not only in his lines, but in every close-up.Watch Columbus's reaction when he and his crew sight land for the very first time.While the relieved crew cheered raucously that they would survive after all, Columbus merely closes his eyes gratefully, relieved and satisfied to know that he was right all along.Depardieu could have ruined that scene by equally jumping for joy like the simple crew, but Columbus was not a simple man.He was visionary.That's why Depardieu was right for the part and played it well and convincingly.
5-0 out of 5 stars Extremely underrated MASTERPIECE
This movie is a masterpiece. Period. Bad reviews generally come from critics that fail to get the movies' intention: there is no intention different from telling the story from Christopher Colombus' perspective of the events that he unfolded. From the film maker there is no desire to have a blockbuster movie or to win audiences, this movie has no compromise other than to make a beautiful work of art that depicts and celebrates a extraordinary event. And it is an extraordinary event indeed. Some try to minimaze the powerful clash of cultures and sense of discovery that happened in the year 1492: the world was changed, long way more that the man getting to the moon (I remember a critic complaining that the director showed the arrival of Colombus as more spectacular than the Apollo 11 landing; well, it was!). Perhaps you might fail to catch on this idea and others the movie represents if you are not fromLatin America. Perhaps. In the movie without any effort Riddley Scott shows how Spain's politics of that time corruptedthe new world even using Colombus as a mere instrument and moreover, Columbus also contributed to make everything a mess due to personal interests. This type of government is something that has repercussions today in Central and South American countries, more than 500 years later.
1-0 out of 5 stars barely watchable on two fronts
By many accounts, this movie was poorly made; certainly not one of Ridley Scott's finest moments.
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Subjects:  1. Action / Adventure    2. Drama    3. Feature Film-drama    4. Movie   


74. Debbie Does Dallas
by Arrow Productions
VHS Tape

Asin: B000A37YBA
Sales Rank: 11498
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75. Bond: Living Daylights / Movie
by MGM (Video & DVD)
VHS Tape (17 October, 2000)
list price: $9.94
Asin: 6302380294
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Timothy Dalton made his 007 debut in the lean, mean mode ofSean Connery, doing away with the pun-filled camp of Roger Moore'sfinal outings. He establishes his persona right from the gritty pre-credits sequence, in which he hangs from a speeding truck as it barrelsdown narrow cobblestone streets, battles an assassin mano a mano, andlands in the arms of a bikinied babe. This James Bond is ruthless,tough, and romantic.