Editorial Review

The dazzling Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, brought to lush life by the director of the original stage version, Joshua Logan. Set on a remote island during the Second World War, Read more

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Reviews (75)

well worth the wait
This brand new edition of SOUTH PACIFIC is a must for all fans of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.Based on characters and segments from James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific", the story takes place on the islands during the tail-end of World War II.A pretty young nurse from Arkansas, Ensign Nellie Forbush (Mitzi Gaynor), falls in love with a wealthy French plantation owner Emile de Becque (Rossano Brazzi).Their relationship is tested when she discovers that he fathered two children with a now-dead Polynesian wife, and that he is wanted for the murder of a man in France.As Nellie confronts her own fears and prejudices, the handsome Lt. Joe Cable (John Kerr) falls helplessly in love with Bali Ha'i island beauty Liat (France Nuyen).Filling out the comedy in the tale are Bloody Mary (Juanita Hall), the wheeler-dealer with a heart of pure gold; and Luther Billis (Ray Walston), the tattooed leader of the beach-bound troops.
Should be titled Terrible Pacific.
Film quality wss poor as was the editing.Would return if I could.Edited out most of Brazzis singing which is highlight of show. We had way too much of Mitzi Gaynor.

WAIT FOR THE 2 DISCS EDITION. IT IS REALLY A MASTERPICE
Thank's God I live in Europe (Portugal)and we can buy here the fantastic 2 disc version of South Pacific remasterd. It is a fantastic DVD with a quality never surpassed by any other motion picture published in DVD. The early version like Oklahoma was not very good but...we have waited and now we have the prize. A fantastic collection with two of the 4 versions of the film.
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Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Musical Features    3. Musicals    4. Musicals & Cast Recordings    5. Musicals (Theatrical)   

Editorial Review

Penny Marshall's popular 1992 comedy sheds light on a little-known chapter of American sports history with its story of a struggling team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league was formed when the recruiting of soldiers during World War II resulted in a shortage of men's baseball teams. The AAGPBL continued after the war (until 1954), and Marshall's movie depicts the league in full swing, beginning when a savvy baseball scout (Jon Lovitz) finds a pair of promising new players in small-town Oregonian sisters (Geena Davis, Lori Petty). The sisters are signed to play for the Rockford Peaches near Chicago, whose new manager (Tom Hanks) is a former home-run king who wrecked his career with alcoholism. They're all a bunch of underdogs, and Marshall (with a witty script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) does a fine job of establishing a colorful team of supporting players including Madonna and (in her movie debut) Rosie O'Donnell. It's a conventional Hollywood sports story (Marshall's never been one to take dramatic risks), but the stellar cast is delightful, and the movie's filled with memorable moments, witty dialogue, and agreeable sentiment. And just remember: there's no crying in baseball! Read more

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Reviews (105)

Great concept, poorly executed
Poor writing and direction push what should be a heart-warming family film deep into hackneyed mediocrity.
This isn't a winner......
I've seen this movie. Even with Tom Hanks, Jon Lovitz and Geena Davis staring in it. I just couldn't enjoyed it. I found that both Madonna's character and Rosie O'Donnell's character were just flat awful. It took away from the movie, itself.

Nice way to spend an afternoon
A League of Their Own is a really nice little movie that didn't get the respect it deserved with it was released.
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Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Feature Film-comedy    3. Movie   

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Reviews (13)

Epic Picture on Forgotten Part of History!
I felt this was an is a great film portraying the beginning of the new century...the beginnings of anti-colonialism are rearing up and the Europeans and the U.S. realize that diplomacy must be used first-then war!An all-star cast tells the tale of the siege by the Boxers (a fanatical quasi-religious organization) of the Western nations embassys in Peking.Great battle scenes and lots of political intrigue.I remember seeing this as a young boy in the 1970's and I still find it to be a powwrful movie.The politically correct crowd will not enjoy it but if you like history and action this is a must see!!!

Great premise & cast butstill missed the mark
Its a pity as this could of been a great war film but it just did not have the right stuff. Heston & Niven were good as was Ms. Gardner but the spirit was strong but it could not over come its problems.

OK action film marred by some faults
"55 Days at Peking" is a decent action film for a war genre fan or maybe some one who wants to see a different time period in a film. The film is pretty decent as far as its genre goes, but there were some problems in the storyline that made me give it no higher than three stars.Read more

Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

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Reviews (5)

Franco Flaminco
**Parts of Plot Revealed*
Great film set during the Spanish Civil War
The great director Carlos Saura started with an outstanding cast and authentic detailed war time sets to create this superb film about republican vaudeville entertainers who take a wrong turn during their road show and wind up in the hands of fascist troops.Expecting to be executed, they are given a chance to entertain the fascists and obtain freedom by a stage struck Italian officer.But a chance encounter with Polish international brigade prisoners of war creates an emotional conflict for Carmen Maura.She must go through with an act that she finds distasteful and dreads the possibility that the POWs will be in the audience.The details of wartime Spain are excellent and the supporting cast is outstanding.The title of the film is taken from a charming Civil War song which also happens to be the name of the act, Carmela y Paulino.Saura has created a film that is both light and charming but with an underlying seriousness about this great tragic period of Spanish history.

Novios de la muerte.
The Spanish Civil War seen as a vaudeville show for the brutal Franco troops, where the terrified performers try to save their skins and their conscience, knowing they can't have both. Carmen Maura shines (what else is new?) as the outspoken partner in a sing-and-dance couple, but Pajares clearly steals the show as herchaplinesque, panic-stricken husband.Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - Spanish/Misc Sa    2. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (64)

Pre-Détente Cold War Tensions Sent Up in a Now-Quaint Period Comedy
Some of the bloom is off this relatively genial 1966 comedy that satirizes Cold War-era attitudes well before détente was established between the two sides. Directed by Norman Jewison, the film now has a relatively prosaic quality that makes the then-alarming situation between a group of Soviet soldiers and the townsfolk on an island off Massachusetts not terribly exciting. Adapted by William Rose from a book by Nathaniel Benchley, the story concerns a Russian submarine that runs aground on a sandbar on U.S. soil. Eight crewman led by Lt. Rozanov are dispatched to find a boat big enough to pull the submarine free. They first encounter a New York family vacationing on the island, a musical comedy playwright named Walt Whittaker with his wife and son. The Whittakers gradually overcome their fears to help the men out but not before the rest of the town is up in arms about a perceived Russian invasion. It all leads to a tense confrontation, but a surprise turn provides all with a greater sense of their brotherhood and the value of peace.
Thank the Russians for coming!
This movie is great for anyone with a sense of humor. Everyone in it gave it 110% and made this movie the best it could be. It's the kind of movie you'll watch again and again, just to laugh.
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
We enjoyed this film in the theaters long ago and I found as many laughs watching it again. For the younger viewers (under Bay of Pigs age) it may have lost some of the political nuances. But would still be amusing. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

Ziad Doueiri established his credentials as the assistantcameraman on Quentin Tarantino's early films, but his feature debut,Read more

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Reviews (24)

The cathartic gaze!
Beirut 1975. Anarchy and violence surround all the urban environment. The city is under siege, clearly divided in two regions: the Christian and the Muslim, but a brothel is no man's land and is the only demilitarized zone.
The Best Lebanese Film
Doueiri's West Beirut is many things. First, it's the best produced and directed Lebanese movie. Second, it's the only film that depicts the outbreak and early days of the Lebanese civil war. Third, it's a lovely drama about the coming of age of three teenagers at the time of the outbreak of the war in 1975. Fourth, it is perhaps the first and only film that captures the realities of daily life and dialogue in Lebanon for it is no doubt the only movie where actors actually use foul language and swear, a feature that is very common among the Lebanese people but is always censored and never seen on film.
Shrewd comdey
This movie is about the beginning of the civil war in beirut . The director did a great job portraying the life of teenagers , parents , and common people during this period. I had tears in my eyes while i was watching the movie... because i was laughing so hard. Ziad doueiri gathered a brilliant cast , that didnt need to act a role but rather paraphrase their lives in the movie. This movie is one the happiest dramas you can watch, and it will give you true insight on how it is to grow during wartime . ... Read more

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

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Reviews (4)

Drama Set Against a Natural and Historic Landscape
"When the Whales Came" is a must to see for anyone who likes nature, drama, folklore, history, and anything about Britain.Set on the remote island of Scylla, off Britain, the scenery of rolling water, sandy beaches, blue skies, and lush greenery is spectacular.The background music adds to the drama and sometimes sounds like noise being made by the whales themselves.The characters are lively, natural, and interesting and revolve around a hermit artist, the last surviving person from when the narwhal whales came the last time and were abused by the people of nearby Samson island, resulting in a curse.Two children, Daniel and Grace, befriend this "Birdman" hermit (Mr. Woodcock)and the drama is on.The movie is set during World War I and progresses from the early days of the war to the latter days and includes a happy surprise ending involving the children's fisherman father who goes off to fight for his country in France.This is a must see.Don't believe anyone who says they didn't like it.There is something for everyone in this film and adults and children alike will enjoy it.

This Is A Must Buy
This movie is truly lovely. I rented it about 3 years ago ( under a different title "When Narwhals Cry") and have been searching for it ( without luck ) ever since. I don't know why the title changed - butI'm delighted to find the movie at last! Anyone with feelings for nature orthe sea will love this movie. It will stay with you - like a fond memory ofsometing you love. Buy this movie - and please discount Leonard Maltin'sreview - I doubt if he personally watched this movie before entering thereview in his book.

It's a beautiful film!
The children are charming and wonderful to watch, and their relationships with each other and the old man and endearing.It's a good adventure story, and I'm surprised the official reviews weren't better. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children    2. Drama    3. Family    4. Feature Film-drama    5. Movie   

Editorial Review

The third episode in Steven Spielberg's rousing Indiana Jones saga, this film recaptures the best elements of Read more

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Reviews (112)

Action Packed
I don't usually care for action movies, but this one was quite good.There's a chase scene or a fight scene every couple of minutes, and the film does a pretty good job of keeping things interesting without tossing in tons of irrelevant martial arts material (i.e. the Matrix).
INDIANA JONES III
Indiana Jones III : The Last Crusade.
Recaptures that Raiders magic
It may just be coincidence but this time Harrison Ford that was a carpenter is not Dr. Indiana Jones (Junior) and his last crusade (until the next film) is to obtain a cup of a carpenter.
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Subjects:  1. Action    2. Action / Adventure    3. Adventure    4. Feature Film-action/Adventure    5. Movie   

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Reviews (31)

These women were important and deserve to have their voices heard.
I have never seen a show like this, and know that I never will.In times of war, women are often forgotten; the invisible support pushed out of the limelight by the action-packed experience of combat soldiers.China Beach tried to change that.It portrayed women in various different capacities during the Vietnam war.Nurses, prostitutes, Red Cross workers, enlisted women, officers, reporters, performers...China Beach gave them faces, histories, futures, pain, and joy.The show had an arc; it showed what happened to non-combatants both in country and back in the world after their tours.Women are often forgotten, but China BEach made that impossible.Go to the Women's monument at the Wall in DC and try not to superimpose the face of Dana Delaney onto any of those nurses.
China Beach is now available on DVD
China Beach's television series, apparently in complete form, is now available on DVD via:https://www.dvdavenue.tv/
This series still haunts me
This series pulled at my heart in a way that no series has since.It was profoundly moving.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie    3. TV Shows    4. Television   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (30)

Quality of DVD is as Good as I could hope for.
First saw this on tv many years ago and have watched the tape I made from it many times. The quality of the DVD was very, very good and looking at the box I see that it was 'renewed' in 1980. The basic story is there, but having read most of what is available on Fatima over many years, and my mother being an adherent of the 'Blue Army' (which was started by John Haffert to oppose the Red Army in line with Fatima's teaching).
Fatima pre announced by Spiritists groups
The absolut rumor , August 11, 2006
McCarthy era paranoia wins out over faith in typical 50s Hollywood hokum
Shot in the spectacularly crappy WarnerColor system, the unconvincing color is the least of the credibility problems with The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, in which any relationship to the real events at Fatima in 1917 is purely accidental (no mention of any secrets here). The kind of film that gives atheism a good name, it could probably convert the Pope to the ranks of the unbelievers so outrageously heavy-handed is its Hollywood piety. But more bizarre than the clichéd sentimentality is the fact that this isn't a film about faith at all but an astonishingly crude and cynical McCarthy era bit of anti-Communist propaganda - hey folks, even God hates Commies! The one surprise is the outright hostility with which the local Catholic priesthood is depicted: disbelieving, antagonistic and clearly doing everything possible to hush things up to protect their jobs and to avoid giving the cartoon commies an excuse to persecute them again, it does hint that someone somewhere along the production line wanted to do something a bit more daring before the saccharine won out. The fact that the film's real-life leading character saw the film and didn't like it says it all.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie    3. Religion   

Editorial Review

This massive 1977 adaptation by director Richard Attenborough (Read more

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Reviews (172)

Less than meets the eye
This movie, which I viewed 25 years ago, does not age well. While the tension between the generals is effectively portrayed, there are too many hokey elements to the actual sets. Perhaps I am wrong and some European reader could correct me, but I find it hard, in the middle of the war, with prior bombing raids, to believe that the streets of the Holland town were immaculately clean. There is too much waiting around in this movie and not enough actual portrayal of action. Too many of the officers trapped in the town escape for me to regard the movie as realistic. And would a British general have gone that far forward--I know the real Sean Connery would have but a real British general?????????

A long epic
2,000 men out of 10,000 survived in the charge for the five bridge. "I alway thought, we went one bridge too far".The movie is heavy with carnage, death, and civilian habitat destruction and decimation. The generals knew the campaign would be lost, if they did not keep schedule. Difficulties arose in logistics, defensive support, and interference by German Panzer divisions.
One of the best war movies
I you are interested in fact based movies, this is a must see. Thismovie brings out the gritty truth behind one of the largest operations in the WWII. It does a very good job of showing the relationships between the men on both sides. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie   

Editorial Review

A model for dozens of action films to follow, this box-office hit from 1967 refined a die-hard formula that has become overly familiar, but it's rarely been handled better than it was in this action-packed World War II thriller. Lee Marvin is perfectly cast as a down-but-not-out army major who is offered a shot at personal and professional redemption. If he can successfully train and discipline a squad of army rejects, misfits, killers, prisoners, and psychopaths into a first-rate unit of specialized soldiers, they'll earn a second chance to make up for their woeful misdeeds. Of course, there's a catch: to obtain their pardons, Marvin's band of badmen must agree to a suicide mission that will parachute them into the danger zone of Nazi-occupied France. It's a hazardous path to glory, but the men have no other choice than to accept and regain their lost honor. What makes Read more

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Reviews (78)

Not Aldrich's finest hour, but still surprisingly good
The Dirty Dozen holds up surprisingly well even if it is one of the few war movies where the basic training section is better than the mission itself - but that might have something to do with the fact that Robert Aldrich ensures that it's a pretty dirty and sordid business amid the more expected heroics. It's a strikingly good looking film, well photographed and designed, and while it lacks the go-for-broke cynicism of Aldrich's Too Late the Hero or Attack!, it's still a striking subversive antidote to the traditional Hollywood war movie. The recent 2-disc DVD is a great improvement on the previous release, not least because it's in the right ratio this time (the previous release was cropped to 2.35:1). The group audio commentary is intermittently interesting, but Dale Dye's self-important contributions are less welcome than the cast and crew, as he shows his ignorance of film history of the era while talking up himself at almost every turn: it's a shame the commentary isn't indexed so you can skip him and get back to people with a better idea of what they're talking about. Still, the vintage 60s featurette of the Dozen hanging out in London's 'happening' Kings Road is a hoot, and I never tire of hearing that story about how Trini Lopez found himself written out of the movie...
clunky direction
I wanted to like it as much as I liked it the first time back in '67--and it just didn't happen. Makes you wonder what someone like Akira Kurosawa would have done with an interesting premise like this.
Great War Movie
I always did enjoy the original Dirty dozen and it was still every bit as good as I remembered. I will continue to enjoy this as it is one of those rare movies that have no sex, language or unwarranted violence. Too many movies these days have all of the above and it is not neccesary. The cast is well chosen and suit the roles to perfection, especially for the first movie. The sequel was good but all too similar to the original in many ways which is why I am only giving 4 stars. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the sequel and despite all the similarities was still a fairly good movie along the same lines as the first. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

This brilliantly constructed documentary presents the story of Klaus Barbie--head of the Gestapo in Lyon, France, during the Nazi occupation--by amassing interviews with those who came into contact with the notorious war criminal. The many interviewees speak at length (accountingfor the documentary's total running time of more than four hours), and an image of Barbie as both a real person and a symbol of evil slowly emerges. Those who knew him as a student profess to be puzzled over his later reputation, but a woman who served in the French resistance and was beaten nearly to death by Barbie solemnly recounts the hideous tortures he inflicted on her. Filmmaker Marcel Ophüls (Read more

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Reviews (9)

"The word 'Nazi' doesn't exist"
At almost 4 1/2 hours long, "Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie" from director Max Ophuls thoroughly examines the career of the man who served as Gestapo Chief of Lyon during WWII and earned the name "The Butcher of Lyon" for his various crimes against humanity. The filmmaker painstakingly disassembles Barbie's life from his early boyhood, his Nazi career, through his post WWII activities, and the new life he established in S. America. While the film ostensibly concentrates on the life of one man, Ophuls subtly, and successfully makes larger statements regarding fascism--a phenomenon so widespread that Barbie managed to successfully convert his Nazi resume to further his career prospects with post WWII CIC activities and also leap into bigger and better things in rightwing Bolivia.
There Are Documentaries: There ARE Documentaries
This film is a great masterpiece.Despite the nominal subject, Klaus Barbie, the "Butcher of Lyons" during the occupation of France by Germany during World War II, it delves deeply into a much broader subject.Master filmmaker Marcel Oph�ls, so unpretentiously and with a mastery of English, German, and French, takes us back in time to the days when the Gestapo Headquarters in Paris was at the train station--Hotel Terminus--still standing with its moniker in the 1980s.He follows through interviews with famed French Nazi-hunters the Klarsfelds, to Barbie's bodyguard in South America, to Germans associated with the Germanization of Bolivia...around the globe, the story of the lowly Barbie from childhood to trial as a War Criminal in France in the 1980s is told masterfully--even with an occasional note of sardonic humor.Could it be otherwise?

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie   

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Reviews (3)

Key to Rebecca
I thought the TV version did not do justice to the book nor to the development of the characters. The producers should have stuck to the book.Cliff Roberton was very good and so was Season Hubley although her character in the book is much more interesting and complex.

So where is the DVD release?
I've been waiting and waiting.I really want to get the DVD, 'cause I've already replaced too many tapes that have been worn out or eaten by by VHS machine.

A made for TV movie that is close to the book
If you have seen "Eye of the Needle" (1981), then you will probably like this movie as they are both good adaptations of Ken Follett Novels. However this one was a mini series on TV so there was not as much thought put in to it as if it were a made for theater movie. However the film was made in Tunisia.
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Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure    2. Movie    3. Mystery / Suspense / Thriller    4. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

Fine casting, rugged characters, and authentic military detail make Read more

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Reviews (44)

Poor acting and unbelievable battles
I disagree with most of the other reviewers on this one. To start with the Germans all speak English with hoaky German accents! One reviewer said that Robert Vaughn's portrayal of a German officer was the best acting in the movie. I would probably agree and say that just shows how awful the rest of them were. For another thing most of the battle scenes are very unrealistic. The American armored infantry tactics seem to have been borrowed from 1920's era Chicago gangster flicks. They pile into a half track and then race by the Germans at top speed shooting from the car!They also never bother to call for artilery, air strikes, or armor. There are many better (both from an acting and acuracy stand point) WWII movies I would recomend over this one: A Bridge Too Far, Midway, The Battle of Britian, and of course Patton.

HardTo Top
This film has a grand scale to go with realistic characters.It probably was less popular than it should have been due to the contempt the lesser ranked soldiers show towards the officers. Such disrespect was not tolerated in those days. The battle sequences are terrific. It easily is one of the top five war movies ever made.

KRAUTS GUARDING THE BRIDGE FROM ANGLO YANK INVADERS
"Not one inch of our sacred soil is to be yielded to the enemy." Adolf Hitler's Command to his Generals. "The Bridge at Remagen must be destroyed."
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Subjects:  1. Action / Adventure    2. Feature Film-action/Adventure    3. Movie   

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Reviews (21)

A dedicated journey by an aunt and uncle
If you are a frequent viewer of foreign film, you may know that periodically, you need to view a film twice, especially with oriental films.In this case... Japanese, old film, similar looking people, complex names, lack of clear close-ups, etc.
Singing about the dark times
Ever since Theodor Adorno first raised questions about the possibility of making poetry after Auschwitz, art has been haunted by the possibility of its own failure, the possibility that one of its most remarkable features--its ability to shock the viewer into new ways of seeing--might be eclipsed by the great spectacles of mass death the extermination camps made possible.How could there be poetry after Auschwitz?To this question another could be added: Can there be cinema after Hiroshima?Or is all cinema doomed to failure given the incursions the mushroom cloud has made on our consciousness?