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All the President's Men (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Dogged persistence can move mountains
Classic film from a classic era
Review: All the President's Men
Lots of great DVD Extras!
Thirty years later, it's still great --- and still relevant

All the President's Men (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Robert Redford , Jack Warden , Martin Balsam , and Hal Holbrook
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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All the President's Men

ASIN: B000CEXEWA
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Amazon.com essential video

It helps to have one of history's greatest scoops as your factual inspiration, but journalism thrillers just don't get any better than All the President's Men. Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford are perfectly matched as (respectively) Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, whose investigation into the Watergate scandal set the stage for President Richard Nixon's eventual resignation. Their bestselling exposé was brilliantly adapted by screenwriter William Goldman, and director Alan Pakula crafted the film into one of the most intelligent and involving of the 1970s paranoid thrillers. Featuring Jason Robards in his Oscar-winning role as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, All the President's Men is the film against which all other journalism movies must be measured. --Jeff Shannon

Description

In the Watergate Building, lights go on and four burglars are caught in the act. That night triggered revelations that drive a U.S. President from office. Washington reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) grabbed the story and stayed with it through doubts, denials and discouragement. All the President's Men is their story. Directed by Alan J. Pakula and based on the Woodward/Bernstein book, the film won four 1976 Academy Awards (Best Supporting Actor/Jason Robards, Adaptation Screenplay/William Goldman, Art Direction and Sound). It also explores a working newspaper, where the mission is to get the story and get it right.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:by Robert Redford
Theatrical Trailer
Documentaries:Telling Truth About Lies: The Making of All the Presidents Men Woodward and Bernstein: Lighting the Fire Pressure and the Press: The Making of All the President's Men
Documentary
Featurette:5/27/1976 Dinah! with Jason Robards
Interviews:Out of the Shadows, the Man Who Was Deep Throat

Customer Reviews:

Dogged persistence can move mountains.......2007-06-03

Two junior reporters at the Washington Post are assigned to cover what seems an innocuous story - a break in at the Democratic Party headquarters in Washington. Their credentials are not great: Robert Woodward has only been on the paper nine months, Carl Bernstein is on the verge of being fired for his sloppiness in completing stories in time for deadlines. Woodward (Redford) goes to cover the arraingment of the burglars and becomes suspicious when he discovers they seemed to obtain their own defence counsel without a phone call. And there is something odd about the way the men state their names to the judge. Woodward hunches down, brows knitted, notebook in hand and listens - 'Bernard Barker, anticommunist...' All the men turn out to have CIA ties. The Post's editors, Harry Rosenfeld and Howard Simon assign the dogged Woodward to pursue the story, teaming him up with Bernstein (Hoffman) who is a more intiutive reporter - a left field, lateral thinker with a charming gappy grin.

Together, through dogged persistence, they follow the story in the months up to the re-election of Nixon in a landslide in 1972. At that point their stories have created a big ripple in the political world - the ultimate outcome, of course, would be colossal.

All the Presidents Men is a great (perhaps the greatest) journalism movie. Back in the early 70s, there were no computers, emails, cellphones. Just manual typewriters, finger dial landlines, smoking in offices and checked shirts. Woodward and Bernstein search through reams of library records, check and double check names and sources. Woodward resorts to having his leads confirmed or denied by the mysterious 'deep throat' - a noir type figure, high up in the CIA, who lurkes in deserted garages at night. Eventually, they publish their stories, which are of course vigorously rebutted by White House officials. The stakes are huge - the reputation of the Washington Post, the lives of Woodward and Bernstein, the freedom of the press. Get it wrong, and the results are catastrophic. But get it right - pursue the story doggedly, expose the truth...

The effects are siesmic. The story of Woodward and Bernstein inspired legions of young journalists - watch this movie and find out why.

Classic film from a classic era.......2007-05-27

Suspense filled scenes of drama. Unrelenting acts of confrontational dialogue. Contrasting images of a nation torn apart by scandal. These are all but a few of the elements brought upon an audience with the fortunate ability to witness this well paced political thriller adapted by screenwriter William Goldman from the now infamous expose of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. `All the Presidents Men', originally released in 1976, seems more like a `call to arms' for Americans disgruntled with the modern day political machine then it does with telling the ordinary story of two newspaper reporters supposedly on the edge of one of the greatest cover-ups our nation has ever seen.

Classic film actor Robert Redford stars as the pensive yet energetic Woodard, a man torn between getting a great story and fulfilling his moral obligation to the greater good of society. Bernstein, played diligently by a young looking Dustin Hoffman, drives the film at a steady pace deserving of an Oscar, only looking back to really contemplate his own indiscretions at the cost of bringing down the U.S. Presidency. As we now know through history's pages, the outcome of such endeavors accomplished by these tenacious Washington Post reporters would have drastic consequences on President Nixon and his untimely address to the American people to present his resignation from public office.

In the end `All the Presidents Men' could easily be one of the most rewarding instances of a mainstream news media outlet holding government officials accountable for the criminal actions of their leader. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the timing of such exposure for a nation ill-ridden with the dilemma of Vietnam and a seemingly problematic Foreign Policy, using our constitutional right of free speech in the press to unravel governmental conspiracies should always remain precedent. Woodward and Bernstein worked hard to find the truth, and I have to say...I agreed with every minute of it.

Review: All the President's Men.......2007-03-09

The movie is a shining example of how "Freedom of the Press" is sometimes our only defense against big government. At the time of the "Watergate Trials", I was in my early twenties but did not truly appreciate the events of this period. The movie will take you through this incredible period and will show how perserverence, hard work and just a bit of luck destroyed a presidency. Congratulations to the Washington Post for its gutsy pursuit of justice! Loved this movie!!!!

Lots of great DVD Extras!.......2007-03-09

The movie is great and there is a really smart commentary option by Robert Redford. There are also many great extras.

Thirty years later, it's still great --- and still relevant.......2007-02-22

Movies that are this topical often lose their impact with time, but "All the President's Men" continues to pack a real punch, even after all of these years. Sadly, part of this due to the fact that the abuses of executive power remain all too relevant in our nation, but it is also due in large part to excellent pacing & editing. Simply put, it is a wonderfully crafted film.

Part of the film's greatness is that it works on multiple levels. It is the story of the arrogance of power, but it is also the tale of how arrogance can make people sloppy. It also demonstrates how a couple of relative unknowns on what was then a relatively regional newspaper can, with perserverence, bring down what appeared to be an unassailable administration. Sometimes the little guy really can make a difference. It also captures effectively what a huge risk the principals at the Washington Post were taking by pursuing this story. Had Woodward & Bernstein been unable to connect the dots, their careers, along with the careers of Ben Bradlee et al, would effectively have been finished then & there. This story serves as a reminder for those who might be tempted to take the easy way out & not ask the hard questions.

For my wife & I --- both of us veteran researchers --- this movie also serves as a glance into the past when the Internet was not the medium by which people gleaned information. For those of you who have never known life before the Internet Age, let me point out that Woodward & Bernstein, without the benefit of computers, cell phones, or any other spiffy gadgets, were able to do the research that exposed one of the major coverups of their time. Ironically, privacy restrictions which we take for granted (getting information from the librarian, for example) also didn't exist as barriers for reporters trying to scrounge up some juicy tidbit.

Even if this were a work of fiction, it would still make for gripping viewing. One cannot underestimate the impact this scandal had on the nation, and it would have been a shame if this movie had been bungled in production. Fortunately, it is a classic in every respect.

Average customer rating:

......NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!.....
OK Movieta
one of the top korean war movies ,and one of the best war movies ever
GREAT QUALITY
"Sick?!? In this war you're either healthy or dead."

Men in War
Starring: Robert Ryan , Aldo Ray , Robert Keith , Phillip Pine , and Nehemiah Persoff
Director: Anthony Mann
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
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Customer Reviews:

......NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!............2007-04-20

I did not like hardly a thing about this war picture, Anthony Mann or no Anthony Mann [Director]...Robert Ryan was superb being in command of a motley squad of straggler/soldiers...even the macho Aldo Ray was a know-it-all who showed NO fear whatso ever [that included Army Officers also]...that's alot of claptrap...hip/hip/hooray for Hollywood...this stuff may have permeated US Army cadres in the field [ and in Hollywood studios] but it could never have happen with a US Marine squad of highly trained riflemen [13 Marines]...nary any semblence of discipline nor any sense of mission showed amongst the enlisted men in this drab Army movie...it was a foregone conclusion that most of them would be KIA by movies' end...I saw this movie in 1957; it never impressed me with what we,[I]saw and done in Korea with my Fleet Marine Force comrades in the field...many decades later, I review it with even more snickering hysterics...no way, GI...no way!!....Semper Fidelis....SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

OK Movieta.......2007-04-01

Not an Oscar winner but OK for 90 minutes of
enter

one of the top korean war movies ,and one of the best war movies ever.......2006-06-06

this is a true overlooked masterpiece from anthony mann,and one of the finest war movies made!
1950,korea, a group of men is traped behind the lines after a retreat that goes bad. now they must make their way to a hill and the rest of their men,through the enemy lines and more traps and ambushes that you can shake a stick at. robert ryan,one of the best actors to ever grace the screen OWNS this movies as the leader of the group that is joined by a very good (maybe his best )aldo ray as a sgt. worried about his shell shocked colonel and can't stand ryan. the way they fight each other but still pull together to get "home" is the touchstone of this grim war tale that will keep you on pins till the end!! check it out!!!!!!!

GREAT QUALITY.......2006-02-08

The image and sound quality is great. It's hard to give better praise than the other reviewers. I would only add that none of solidiers portrayed fit into the stereotypes of the typical war movie. Also, Ryan and Ray give exceptional performances. Geneon [Pioneer]

"Sick?!? In this war you're either healthy or dead.".......2005-12-16

Korea. September 6, 1950. Lt. Benson (Robert Ryan) has one objective: to get what's left of his platoon out of this bloody mess alive. The rest of the army has retreated and Benson's platoon is now cut off from communication and surrounded by an unseen enemy that lurks in the trees and bushes. Benson keeps on trying to reach HQ by radio, but they get no answer. Because HQ no longer exist. Battalion doesn't exist. Regiment doesn't exist. Division doesn't exist. The USA doesn't exist. The only thing that's real to these doomed men is the hellish situation they're faced with. They know that they really don't have a chance of surviving, but they refuse to give up hope.

Their truck is busted, so they have to carry their own ammunition and supplies on their backs. But out of nowhere a U.S. jeep appears with two soldiers, one a shell-shocked colonel (Robert Keith), and the other a sergeant (Aldo Ray) who's dedicated to protecting his beloved colonel at all costs. Benson commandeers the jeep by force and uses it to haul the platoon's ammo, and the colonel and sergeant come along "for the ride." It isn't long before Benson realizes that the sergeant is an experienced combat veteran who seems to know all the tricks of the clever North Korean enemy, so he uses the sergeant to help him get his men back to American lines.

But when they come to their destination (after losing a few men to snipers, artillery, and landmines), Hill 465, they discover that it's no longer occupied by U.S. forces. Instead, the North Koreans are well entrenched and have several bunkers with multiple machine-guns. At this point, Benson has just 12 men left, and the only way to reach the American lines is to go straight through the entrenched Koreans. So he orders a suicidal frontal assault and throws everything he's got at the hill. Even the colonel and sergeant join in the assault, as it quickly becomes obvious that the only way they'll make it out alive is to work together to blow up the enemy bunkers.

1957`s "Men in War" was directed by Anthony Mann, a legendary director who could do wonders with a low budget. Already a master at film noir and psychological westerns, he also proved to be quite gifted at making a war movie. "Men in War" is very grim and has strong noir overtones. In fact, the Film Noir Bible ranks it as #55 in it's list of the most significant noir films of all time. The only thing I'd change is the ridiculous song that's played at the end, but otherwise this is a near-flawless classic, with great performances from Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray. Recently released at a bargain price from Geneon Entertainment, the picture quality is superb. The audio has some background noise in some places but is mostly excellent. Unfortunately, there are no bonus features, not even scene selection. There isn't even a menu. Still, at this low price I can't complain much. If you enjoy war movies then you'll definitely want to add this gem to your collection.

Average customer rating:

Well intentioned remake that falls a bit short
Warmed Over Willie Stark
Sean Penn was riveting in All the King's Men
Bayou blues
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?

All the King's Men (Special Edition)
Starring: Sean Penn , Jude Law , Anthony Hopkins , Kate Winslet , and Mark Ruffalo
Director: Steven Zaillian
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000K2UGXO
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Amazon.com

Sean Penn gives another powerhouse performance in All the King's Men, leading a topnotch cast in writer-director Steven Zaillian's underrated adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. When you consider that the previous 1949 film version earned well-deserved Academy Awards for director Robert Rossen and actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, it's no surprise that Zaillian's film was expected to earn similar acclaim, but lukewarm critical reception and disappointing box-office gave it the stigma of a noble failure. And while the film (which moves Warren's story from the Depression-era '30s to the early 1950s) suffers from uneven pacing, partial miscasting, and an occasional lack of dramatic tension, it still qualifies as a first-class production that resonates with the timeless relevance of Warren's piercing political classic. Like Broderick before him, Penn is riveting as Louisiana governor Willie Stark, an upstart political dynamo (freely inspired by controversial real-life Louisiana governor Huey P. Long) whose rise to power is ultimately doomed by corruption and betrayal.

Jude Law costars as political reporter Jack Burden, our firsthand witness to Stark's rise and inevitable fall; his orbit of political insiders includes a corrupt judge (Anthony Hopkins) with a dark secret to hide; a longtime friend (Mark Ruffalo) and former lover (Kate Winslet) who fall victim to Stark's influence; and political staffers (James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson) who remain powerless against Stark's ill-fated populist juggernaut. At Sean Penn's request, former child star Jackie Earle Haley (from the original Bad News Bears) makes a welcome return to movies as Willie Stark's quietly intense bodyguard, "Sugar-Boy." Coproduced by Louisiana-born political consultant James Carville, filmed on authentic Louisiana locations and boasting all the stately, luxurious production values of a would-be Oscar contender, All the King's Men clearly benefits from Penn's fiery performance and Zaillian's earnest embrace of Warren's still-potent subject matter. And while the film's shortcomings may have prevented it from achieving unanimous acclaim, this is still a serious, well-crafted drama with much to say about the insidious potential for fascism in America, especially when well-meaning politicians lose their souls to power. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD
The special features that accompany All the King's Men further demonstrate the film's in-production status as a potential classic. While the "making of" featurette is perfunctory at best, the other featurettes are definitely worthwhile despite Sean Penn's conspicuous absence. In "Shake Hands with the Devil," the film's cast, producer, and writer-director Steven Zaillian discuss the timeless theme of political corruption; "An American Classic" is a concise profile of Robert Penn Warren, paying tribute to the poet and author's literary achievements; and "The Legend and Lore of Huey Long" examines the life and legacy of the still-beloved governor who won the hearts of working-class Louisianans while falling prey to his own ambition. "LA Confidential" is a brief featurette about the film's use of authentic Louisiana locations and the positive effect they had on cast and crew; three deleted scenes were obviously cut from the film for purposes of time, yet offer ample proof of Zaillian's established skill as one of Hollywood's top screenwriters; and the alternate ending extends beyond the film's final shot, with a funeral scene that serves as a melancholy (and ultimately unnecessary) coda to the film's Greek-tragic drama. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins star in this riveting story of a humble man's rise to political power and the destructive force of corruption and betrayal that would ultimately unravel his soul, based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Also starring James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Patricia Clarkson.

Beyond All The King's Men

The Original
The Book
The Soundtrack

More Political Dramas
The Films of Sean Penn
The Films of Anthony Hopkins

Stills from All the King's Men (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Well intentioned remake that falls a bit short.......2007-06-14

I'm a big fan of the original version starring Broderick Crawford. Like any remake, if you could combine the best of both versions together you would have the perfect movie. That said, I thought Sean Penn did a good job portraying Willie Stark. But I think he suffers from a script that is mess. I think it was a mistake first of all to move it to the 1950s. Huey Long, who Stark is based on, came to power in the grips of the Great Depression which explains why he built all those roads and bridges and the University and new capital. I think Steven Zaillian tried to be faithful to the book. He included scenes explaining the relationship between Jack Burden and the others at Burden's Landing, but they were choppy. He also doesn't do as good a job explaining Willie Stark before be became the power thirsty man that he turned in to. Patricia Clakrson's character is also wasted in this version. I'm glad the producers included the deleted scenes on the dvd release. They fill in a lot of the gaps and I just can't understand why they were ever left out in the first place. For example, the scenes explain what drove the doctor to shoot Stark. You find out that Tiny planted the seeds. Why was this scene deleted from the theatrial version? One other criticism is that it is difficult at times to understand Penn and some of the dialogue. I almost needed subtitles. Overall, it was a well intentioned effort that just falls a bit short.

Warmed Over Willie Stark.......2007-06-05

The movie didn't have budget enough to do justice to Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men.

The writer-director is new at the game and it shows.

Sean Penn either weighs 240 pounds in the movie or is padded to appear as though he weighs that much. Penn gives a scenery-chewing performance that is so overwrought it unbalances the film. His hairdo puts me in mind of the one Eric Blair AKA George Orwell wore in his heyday.

Trouble is, the hairdo features white sidewalls around the edge. So when Penn as Willie Stark puts on a fedora, as he often does in the film, he is not recognizable as the same Willie Stark sans hat. Its a major gaffe. A more seasoned Director would have found a way around this.

Penn indulges himself in wild gestures even when talking to the person right next to him.

Stark blows his stack throughout the film. The other performances are more low key, so the Willie speeches jar the audience and undo the quieter moments in the film.

The accents. Sean Penn's Willie is impossible to understand for the first third of the film. Jude Law's Jack Burden the reporter, is only a shade off his usual British accent. Not really American. Willie is romancing his woman aide Virginia Clarkson, in addition to his wife, a skater-stripper, and the Judge's daughter. The judge's daughter is played by Kate Winslet. She's an Aussie. The Judge is played by Anthony Hopkins. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) has a thankless role as a political handler. Both Winslet and Hopkins are totally understandable but not particularly Louisiana accented. Patricia Clarkson is FROM New Orleans, but doesn't particularly have an accent.

The screenplay is a mess. There is no time for Willie to actually have the romances with the women. They are only alluded to. What is really missing though is a sense of the crowd, the base of any political film. Willie is never down among them, always above them talking over their heads. You have to hear something representative from the crowd to know what they're thinking. Apart from some sour looks, the film never gives a sense of who the voters are. The film needs to be opened up in the way stage-locked plays often are when converted to movies.

Instead of being a movie about a gargoyle in Louisiana politics, this film instead becomes a story about an insular group of political people infighting and romancing one another. The film lacks the necessary sense of the crowd that brings politics alive.

Sean Penn was riveting in All the King's Men.......2007-05-15

I did not feel inclined to watch this movie because I always look at the starring roles to help me determine if I should bother. The movies of Sean Penn that I had seen on TV never really impressed me. I generally take a helping of salt with the accolades given by Grammy awards or critics, as I have watched so many movies with great ravings only to find them to be plain junk - but not this one! This is one that got few ravings but deserved much more due to the performance of Sean Penn. I rented this film on a whim, took it home on a week-end and I still did not watch it. Returned it and again on a whim I paid the fee again to see it. I have no regrets.

This is a masterpiece, shouldered and driven almost exclusively on the shoulders of Sean Penn. That guy made me rewind and rewind just to hear him deliver a line. His mannerisms, his charisma, the way he ingrained himself into that Stark character had me hypnotized. The supporting roles were important to me, especially the role of Jack Burden played by Jude Law. However, these roles were only serving to interest me into what impact these other players had on the Stark character. I could not look away or think of anything else but what was going on in that movie. I know nothing of the history of the characters this movie may be based upon, I watched it to relax and be entertained. Sean Penn pulled me right into the movie. Now that is what I call entertainment. Thank you!

Bayou blues.......2007-04-23

I thought this movie much too dark
too shallow and too slow
Most characters don't come to life
they just go with the flow

It starts off well with Willie Stark
the hick who would be king
He turned the tables on the folk
who'd yanked him on a string

He gave 'em heck, this simple man
but power soon corrupts
He gets his fingers dirty
and a scandal then erupts

He's no more crooked than the rest
as we will soon discover
And asks his spin practitioner
some secrets to uncover

Jack Burden is his right hand man
Polite and politic
Backgrounds more like chalk and cheese
Yet something makes it stick

A tangled web they weave and spin
But much is left unsaid
Desires, dreams and ambitions
left hanging by a thread

Sean Penn fits neatly in the role
Law mostly looks pretty
Winslet never gets a chance
to show her nitty gritty

The others just weave in and out
without a strong foundation
If this one's showing on TV
I think I'd change the station

Amanda Richards, April 23, 2007

WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19

THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN

I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.

The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.

Controversial Classics, Vol. 2 - The Power of Media (All the President's Men / Network / Dog Day Afternoon) (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

The summit for movies for serious adults
YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Controversial Classics, Vol. 2 - The Power of Media (All the President's Men / Network / Dog Day Afternoon) (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Robert Redford , Jack Warden , Martin Balsam , and Hal Holbrook
Director: Alan J. Pakula , and Sidney Lumet
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000CNESUS
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Description

Warner Home Video releases three of the most explosive films from the 1970's - All the President's Men, Network, and Dog Day Afternoon - all in one collection. This three title, six-disc giftset boasts the star power of Al Pacino, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, John Cazale and more, and tackling the media mania of American journalism and reality TV, thirty years later these films are just as exciting and relevant as they were when they were made. Bonus features include commentaries by Robert Redford and Sidney Lumet and new making-of documentaries.

Customer Reviews:

The summit for movies for serious adults.......2006-05-14

CONTROVERSIAL CLASSICS VOLUME 2: THE POWER OF MEDIA is one of the crown jewel disk boxed sets in my private DVD library. It includes three incendiary masterpieces from the golden age of the 1970's: DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975), NETWORK (1976), and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (also 1976). All three were Oscar contenders for Best Picture, and all three were winners for Screenplay.

DOG DAY AFTERNOON, directed by Sidney Lumet from a script by Frank Pierson, is so far-fetched that it has to be true. On a hot summer afternoon in 1972 Brooklyn, a nobody named Sonny Wortzik (Oscar nominee Al Pacino) robs a bank to pay for his male lover's (Oscar nominee Chris Sarandon) sex change operation. What should have taken ten minutes ends up becoming an eight hour media event, complete with pizza delivery to the hostages. Lumet took over an entire block in Brooklyn, had the hostages in effect play themselves with improvised dialogue, and worked like an Army commander with a thousand or so extras and stunning second-unit helicopters. The movie has incredible vitality and conviction from Lumet, powerhouse editing by Dede Allen (another Oscar nominee), and another of the great Pacino performances. Bonuses include a vintage featurette on Lumet, brand-new audio commentary by Lumet, and a four-part 30th anniversary featurette. Plus a brand-new remastered print of a great film.

If you thought DOG DAY was looney tunes, get a load at Paddy Chayefsky's audacious Oscar-winning Original Screenplay for another great Sidney Lumet triumph: NETWORK (1976). It is a satire on network television, but so outlandish that virtually everything (except the ending-thank God) has taken place. An unbalanced man (Oscar winner Peter Finch) becomes a media folk hero with super ratings. Oscar winner Faye Dunawaty lives only for ratings-and even discusses them in bed with producer William Holden (at his very best and and an Oscar nominee). Beatrice Straight is electrifying as Holden's wife in one Oscar-winning scene. ("I'm your wife, damn it! And if you can't work up a winter passion for me, the least I ask is respect and allegiance...Are you in love with her? Then say it. SAY IT!") Then the question arises over what to do with Finch's Howard Beale character ("I'm as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!") when his ratings seriously fail. NETWORK is a brilliant satire that is almost reality thirty years later. And the direction, writing, and performances are all flawless. Bonuses here are huge: PRIVATE SCREENINGS: SIDNEY LUMET (2005) from Turner Classic Movies with Robert Osborne, a vintage Paddy Chayefsky interview from "The Dinah Shore Show", a new 90 minute 30th anniversary filmmaking documentary, and a brand-new Lumet audio commentary. Figure on three nights for this baby.

Best of the lot is producer-director Alan Pakula's ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (also 1976), with an Oscar-winning screenplay by William Goldman. Both of them together make the saga of Watergate, the fall of President Richard Nixon, both understandable and gripping. Our heroes are WASHINGTON POST reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman). A huge and wonderful supporting cast includes Oscar-winner Jason Robards as editor Ben Bradlee, Oscar nominee Jane Alexander as The Bookkeeper with some secrets, and Hal Holbrook as the enigmatic Deep Throat who is only glimpsed in shadowy night parking garages. Realism and actual locales help this one a lot. Bonuses on this masterpiece, that should have won Picture and Direction Oscars, include audio commentary by co-producer Robert Redford, a new filmmaking documentary, a documentary on who Deep Throat really was now that we know, a documentary on how Woodward and Bernstein cracked the case, a vintage filmmaking documentary, a vintage chat with Robards on DINAH!, and a gallery of theatrical trailers for other movies in this vein from the late Alan J. Pakula.

CONTROVERSIAL CLASSICS VOLUME 2: THE POWER OF MEDIA will keep you out of trouble for as long as nine nights (!), three per movie if you watch all the bonuses, so only rent it this one boxed set the week you order from Netflicks. It sells on Amazon.com for about $55. It is a sobering lament for an era when movies could be brilliantly written dramas about the media for intellectual adults. DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NETWORK, and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN are masterpieces in a stupendous boxed set that I cannot recommend highly enough if you have a huge block of time for them. Consider buying them and spending two weeks doing all of the extras and the lenngthy movies leisurely.

YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2006-01-30

All three of these movies were among the greatest social commentaries of 1970s. They were quintessential in showing us how America lost its innocence; from the corruption in our government to the bastardization of the media to our adoration of scandal. I suppose Sidney Lumet's "Serpico" should have been included in this set too, as that film was the first to record the depth of corruption in the police force, but I have to admit, "Dog Day Afternoon" is a lot more entertaining! All three of these movies are scintillating entertainment on an intellectual scale that Hollywood rarely measures up to anymore. But these films are also great and important in how they foretold the pathetic state that our media is in now (including the lack of investigative journalism in our current printed press). In fact, "All The President's Men" is as politically relevant as ever - the similarities with this administration are very interesting! And WOW! -- all the extras on these discs look phenomenal!! I'm glad I hadn't bought the earlier 'no extras' releases of these films. If you've already bought them buy this set anyway - you know you're gonna watch them hundreds of times!

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The original All the King's Men
Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?
A Film Noir Classic
All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION

All the King's Men
Starring: Broderick Crawford , John Ireland , Joanne Dru , John Derek , and Mercedes McCambridge
Director: Robert Rossen
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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All the King's Men (Special Edition)

ASIN: B000BITV92
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Amazon.com

Writer-director Robert Rossen and character actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge (in her film debut) took home Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) for this excellent adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Crawford stars as Willie Stark, a charismatic populist Southern politician (inspired by the real Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who belies his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly maneuvers, lies, and deals his way into the halls of power. John Ireland is his right-hand man, Jack Burden, a newsman turned political flack who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of Stark's most reprehensible acts of corruption. McCambridge is Stark's cool mistress come calculating assistant. The immediacy of the drama is due in part to a documentary-like style, notably in the scenes on the campaign trail where Stark sways crowds with his folksy rhetoric and estimable charm. Joanne Dru and John Derek also costar. Rossen's savage screenplay and firm direction give the film a powerful punch, but it's Crawford's blustery charm and oversized performance that carry the picture. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

The original All the King's Men.......2007-06-21

Based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which fictionalized the life of murdered Louisiana governor Huey Long, Rossen's scathing portrait of corruption and abuse of power remains one of the most compelling films about political demagoguery in the Hollywood canon. At the center of it all is B-movie veteran Broderick Crawford, who would never again give the kind of all-or-nothing, powerhouse performance he did here, to the tune of an Oscar. Filmed on location in Stockton, CA, "Men" also won the 1949 Oscar for Best Picture and remains, sadly enough, as timely as ever.

Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption.......2007-04-29

This movie, although almost sixty years old now, is still interesting today mainly because human nature and thus the fundamentals of American politics haven't changed. What has changed is the average American's cynicism towards the political process, thus rendering this film possibly more interesting today than it was when it was first made. As others have mentioned, this film is based on a novel that was based on the life of Huey P. Long, governor of and then senator from Louisiana. The politician in this film is Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), who starts out running for local office, but comes up against a corrupt local political machine that quickly shuts him down, even having his wife fired from her teaching job of many years. A few years later the same corrupt political machine is looking at their polling data and realizing that their candidate for governor will lose unless they can split the populist vote. They enlist Stark to run for office as governor, and his flattered pride doesn't allow him to see what their true motives are. Stark gives a few uninspired speeches until Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge) explains to him what is really going on - that he is a patsy in a larger scheme. From that point forward he is a man transformed. He gives fiery speeches that rile up the people and almost actually wins the race. However, four years later he returns and does win. In order to do so, he has to "make some deals" with some moneyed interests. He starts out using power to help the common people of the state, but in the end he is helping the common people of the state just because he wants power, making sure that everything accomplished by his administration comes complete with a large landmark bearing his name to assure his legacy. His misdeeds in office - both professional and personal - escalate until they become even too large for him to cover up, leading to his ultimate downfall.

The one character I found somewhat hard to understand was that of Jack Burden (John Ireland). He starts out covering Stark's story because he is assigned to do so by the newspaper for which he is working. He has such high ideals that he even quits the paper when his boss tells him that the state political machine no longer wants Stark's race covered. However, long after it is obvious what Stark has turned into, even after he knows that Stark has rewarded his friendship and loyalty by taking the girl he loves, Burden remains by his side. It takes Stark indirectly causing the death of Burden's long time mentor before he finally walks away.

There have been plenty of movies made about how power corrupts otherwise good men, but in this film there is more than a hint that Stark was never actually a good man. He was just a man who wasn't in a position to be corrupt until power gave him an opportunity to do so. In the sixty years since this film was made we've seen offenses committed by Presidents of both parties that leave the average man wondering "What WERE they thinking?". However, in order to reach the top of the political heap, you probably need to possess a tendency for risk taking along with a great deal of self-confidence, just as Stark had, and these traits can be your enemies as well as your friends.

There are virtually no special features on this DVD other than promotional pieces on Steven Zaillian's 2006 remake, which turned out to be far inferior to this 1949 classic.

WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19

THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN.

I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.

The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.

A Film Noir Classic.......2007-02-03

I'm glad to see that the Sean Penn version of this movie has sparked an interest in the academy award winning original.

There are the unmistakable marks of its time in this film. It was made just after the end of WW II, and drawing analogies to dictatorships and American socialism are right from the times themselves.

Broderick Crawford is really good as Willie, although some members of the supporting cast, especially John Ireland, are not up to the roles they play. I also don't know whether the direction was as good as it could be; there are some situations where the combination of writer/director is absolutely inspired, but I would not say that here.

The ultimate destruction of the old order is, to me, the most fascinating element of this film. Film Noir was all about that: a breakdown in an old social order, with nothing but a void seeming to replace it. That is much in evidence here exemplified, as it was in the book, by "Burden's Landing" and its complex blend of great principles lost, but old prejudices and injustices going away, too.

It's a fascinating movie, and still quite watchable today. I agree with some who say there that it is better than the remake, as good as the remake was...

All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION.......2007-02-01

Our son worked on the 2006 version of All The Kings Men with Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson and Anthony Quinn. I ordered the 1949 version as a Christmas Gift. It was interesting to see the differences between two movies made 57 years apart. I was glad I was still able to get a copy of a 1949 movie through Amazon.com. The 1949 version had some good points for the time it was made. It is my understanding that Steve Zallion, Director and Screen Play writer of the 2006 movie read the novel by Robert Penn Warren but did not see the 1949 version before writing the screen play or directing the film. We liked the 2006 version better and didn't think it received enough credit.

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Great Film Adaptation Of A Great Book
THE BEST "Novel adaption" film I have ever seen!
STEINBECK+MILESTONE+COPLAND+GREAT CAST=OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE
Near Perfection
A Classic

Of Mice and Men
Starring: Burgess Meredith , Betty Field , Lon Chaney Jr. , Charles Bickford , and Roman Bohnen
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: 6305081832
Release Date: 1998-08-26

Amazon.com essential video

Truly one of the unsung triumphs of 1939, this heartfelt adaptation of John Steinbeck's morality tale of two itinerant migrant workers seems just as fresh and powerful decades after its release. Lon Chaney Jr. gives the performance of a lifetime as the sweet yet feeble-minded Lennie, who is befriended by the weary Burgess Meredith. They both would be lost without each other in a rather mixed-up world. Sensitively directed by Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front), the film features the first pre-credit sequence in American film history. There's also a nice score by Aaron Copland. --Bill Desowitz

Customer Reviews:

Great Film Adaptation Of A Great Book.......2007-06-14

Of all the television and theatrical releases that have followed, none have reached the perfect cast of this 1939 classic. Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. in their finest roles. Where were the Academy Award nominations for these two outstanding performances? Lon Chaney Jr's final scene was worth more than what's his name's entire bore in "Goodbye Mr. Chips". ZZZZZZZZZ! Portrayals just as imagined from Steinbeck's novel.

THE BEST "Novel adaption" film I have ever seen!.......2006-06-28

I have watched over 600 classic films in my study and enjoyment of classic film. I have watched many films made from a novel--Anna Karenina, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A Farewell to Arms, etc. It seems there is always something missing in movies adapted from a novel...a film cannot always grasp the depth and "mind thoughts" of a book, for a book is more for the mind and the reader's own inner vision and imagination, and a film must deal with the outwardly visual, and so being, much can be lost in the film story. However, was I surprised when I found this DVD at the library and brought it home to watch. It was amazing! I read "Of Mice and Men" as a required novel in high school back in the late 70's. I remember liking the story, and I bought my own copy of the book (just as I did with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) and I read it over and over as the years went by. I haven't read it in several years, but when watching this film, I remembered everything that happened. I wasn't sure I was going to like Burgess Meredith as George, but he was very good. And the same with Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie, and Betty Field as Curley's wife. Once the movie began, I felt these actors did a very good job portraying the characters as Steinbeck had them in his book. I was surprised with the realism of the film...quite gritty for 1939. Usually films really watered down issues and emotions back then, but this one was surprisingly quite open about them. I rarely cry watching a film, and this film had me crying...you felt so sorry for Lennie, for Candy losing his dog, for the 3 of them losing their "dream", and the ending...that was just an incredible ending for a 30's film. At our house we do not have TV and we carefully screen movies the children watch, and we stick to the classic years (1950's and prior) 98% of the time. I know some precodes, etc. are not for children, but I didn't think this film would be too strong for a child. Yes, because of the code, nothing was shown outright, but my 8 yr. old son really cried and was very sad when the gunshot sounded and Candy rolls over in his bunk. My son knew his dog was shot, and it was a strongly emotional scene without seeing anything! And my son cried when Lennie was in the barn with his little puppy who was dead from him being a bit too rough with him. Again, we don't see the dead puppy, but the implied idea is so strong, again my son burst into tears. I felt really bad for not being more careful for my son and his feelings; had I known this film was going to be so strongly emotional, I would have watched it when my son was in bed. I then knew I could not let him see the end; I figured if these 2 scenes of the dogs dying were so hard for him because of the implied realism and strong emotions, then the ending was going to be too. I was right, it was. And the final scene with George and Lennie is so well done, you felt what they were feeling. I was really crying...like I said, not many movies do this to me! I think the direction and filming was well done; some interesting camera work caught my eye. I can't believe this movie is so "forgotten"; it is just as great or even better than some of the other 1939 films- Gone With the Wind, Goodbye Mr. Chips, and MUCH better than The Wizard of Oz! I found I understand the story much better as an adult than I did in my youth. It is funny that schools make teens read these novels; because teens have not experienced life fully enough, they cannot fully grasp the truths of life such novels are presenting. Maybe some can, but I never did! Always, it was when I was older, got married, had children, experienced the routine and sorrows of life, that I could relate to such books; for I now have "been there" too. As an adult I could see the parallel of Candy's dog and Lennie. I never understood that when I was a teen in school. Anyway, this is an excellent film that no person who appreciates classic film should miss. I am glad I discovered it, and will definitely watch it again. I hear there are "film as literature" classes in schools now, and I would highly recommend this 1939 version of "Of Mice and Men" for such a class. Do please heed my warning though: if you watch this at home and have young children do not let them watch it with you; children are not ready to handle the strong emotions presented in this film. I would say wait until your child is at least 12 yrs. old.

STEINBECK+MILESTONE+COPLAND+GREAT CAST=OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE.......2006-06-04

John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" was brought to the motion picture screen in 1939 by director Lewis Milestone(All Quiet on the Western Front)and in doing so director Milestone produced one of the GREATEST American films of all time.It is certainly Milestone's GREATEST achievment.Aided by a great cast,Burgess Meredith,Lon Chaney,jr.(his greatest and the films best role)Charles Bickford,Roman Bohnen(outstanding as "Candy"),and Leigh Whipper(here outstanding as "Crooks",also great as "Sparks" in "The Ox-Bow Incident"),and a GREAT Aaron Copland score, this is a film that should be seen by All Americans,and be seen AGAIN and AGAIN.I've seen it at least 50 times over the 38(or so) years,and it has NEVER failed to bring tears to my eyes during certain scences,especially the ending sequence.
I won't go much into the plot,of this little morality play,but it deals with the friendship of George(Meridith),and Lennie(Chaney) who are wondering field hands and their desire to "have their own little place".Depite their desire to own their own home and farm land(private property) this film was labeled "LEFTIST",and "COMMUNIST"!Oh well!
Cowboy actor Bob Steele(as "Curly"),Noah Berry,Jr.,and Betty Field(as Steele's lonely wife) also contribute to the film's success.Betty Field, I did think she could have been better,but overall ,I guess she was OK.
In 1949 Steinbeck,Milestone,and Copland picturized Steinbeck's "The Red Pony",it was NOT a success and I didn't care for it,the Copland score for Pony was outstanding.
I have a question for film buffs out there.Did Roman Bohnen,uder the name of "Rudy Bowman",appear(as trooper Smith) in John Ford's "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon"?It sure sounds and looks like him.Bohnen died in 1949 while on stage,for a production prouduced by the controversial Actors Lab(ultra-left politically) after having been grilled by the House Committee on Un-American Activities.MANY contributors to this excellent production had problems with the U.S. Congress and the Hollywood Studios arising from their political outlook and associations
My only complaint concerning the DVD-no commetary-BAD-BAD-BAD.

Near Perfection.......2006-04-05

John Steinbeck's classic novella OF MICE AND MEN has also been a 1939 movie, a stage play, and an opera; it was remade as a movie in 1992, with Gary Sinise and John Malkovich. I haven't seen the remake, but I can say that the 1939 version, under review here, is a near-perfect movie. Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney, Jr. are George and Lennie, the eternal, wandering pair whose only sense of home, of security, is found in each other. The tiny Meredith (later of TWILIGHT ZONE and ROCKY fame) is perfect as quick-witted George. I might add that while the novella's dialogue contains much swearing, this movie has none - yet one still gets a sense of George's acerbity from Meredith's exceptional performance. The hulking Chaney is also ideal as slow-witted Lennie; as much as I admire Malkovich, I find it hard to imagine the role of Lennie played with more conviction, wonder, and unaffected pathos than it is here. The film, with its Depression-era California setting, is beautifully photographed. Like the novella, it is brief; no scene is longer than it needs to be, yet each scene makes an impact. The musical score by Aaron Copland is not mentioned enough: the composer's jagged, western-inspired style could not be more apt for Steinbeck; like Steinbeck's writing, its true genius is in its brevity. The one and only "wrong note" in the movie is Betty Field as "Curly's wife," Mae, who brings about her own and Lennie and George's destruction. Lennie is supposed to be fascinated by Mae's soft hair, but there is nothing soft about Field's performance, and this lonely, victimized woman comes across as a none-too-bright tramp. I can't help thinking that the role must certainly be played with more sympathy in the remake, but I still give five stars to the original OF MICE AND MEN.

A Classic.......2006-03-19

This is the best performance by Lon Chaney Jr. as a dramatic actor. Much more than anything else he has stared in. In fact it is one of the only times he rivaled his father (may be with the exception of his supporting role in High Noon). Burgess Meredith is exceptional. This movie is very close to the original story. While redone with later versions (on TV and in movies), this one should have a place in the film buff's library.

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All the King's Men [Blu-ray]
Starring: Kathy Baker , Talia Balsam , Patricia Clarkson , Kevin Dunn , and Frederic Forrest
Director: Steven Zaillian , and Steven Zallian
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000K2UH6U
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Amazon.com

Stills from All the King's Men (click for larger image)

Product Description

Average customer rating:

Dogged persistence can move mountains
Classic film from a classic era
Review: All the President's Men
Lots of great DVD Extras!
Thirty years later, it's still great --- and still relevant

All the President's Men
Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Robert Redford , Jack Warden , Martin Balsam , and Hal Holbrook
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: 6304696493
Release Date: 1997-10-29

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Dogged persistence can move mountains.......2007-06-03

Classic film from a classic era.......2007-05-27

Review: All the President's Men.......2007-03-09

Lots of great DVD Extras!.......2007-03-09

The movie is great and there is a really smart commentary option by Robert Redford. There are also many great extras.

Thirty years later, it's still great --- and still relevant.......2007-02-22

Average customer rating:

Joey & eddie in the army then
Eddie Izzard stole this movie !
God, save this movie
What was Matt LeBlanc thinking?/Worse than Lost in Space!
Less Matt Leblanc & this would have been a good movie

All the Queen's Men
Starring: Matt LeBlanc , Eddie Izzard , James Cosmo , Nicolette Krebitz , and David Birkin
Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B0000CDL3Y
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com,

All the Queen's Men has the makings of a broad comedy--in particular, it features men in dresses. At the height of World War II, American agent Matt LeBlanc (Lost in Space, the TV series Friends) leads an oddball team behind enemy lines to steal a Nazi code-making machine; the trick is, the factory where the machines are made is entirely staffed by women, and so the team has to go in drag. But despite this seemingly farcical premise, All the Queen's Men is strongest in its dramatic elements, such as a scene in which the team is delayed when Allied airplanes bomb Berlin, forcing the undercover operatives to see the havoc of war from the other side. LeBlanc is the weak link; the rest of the team (David Birkin, James Cosmo, and brilliant comedian/transvestite Eddie Izzard) navigate the film's unstable tone and numerous implausibilities with considerably greater skill. --Bret Fetzer

Description

WWII spy comedy. An American army officer (Matt LeBlanc) leads a mismatched team of British Special Services who must go in disguise as women and infiltrate a female-run Enigma factory in Berlin and bring back the decoding device that will end the war. The team, with the exception of one member who happens to be a drag performer (Eddie Izzard), must learn the basic skills for completing their mission, like walking in heels and applying lipstick. The American and his team stumble through the German factory in full drag, barely escaping the clutches of German soldiers, while attempting to complete the most important mission of their lives.

Customer Reviews:

Joey & eddie in the army then.......2007-04-03

Matt LeBlanc makes an incredibly ugly woman. Eddie's not that cute either. But the movie's a riot. If this was the war movie that Joey made on FRIENDS Chandler would not have fallen asleep.

Eddie Izzard stole this movie !.......2007-01-10

I love Eddie Izzard. Can't help it - the man is a genius. I bought this movie just because he was in it, and he completely dominated the movie. Just loved him in it. Ok, not that it's a great movie - it's plenty entertaining, but not sure someone who doesn't like Eddie (can't imagine who) would enjoy it like I did.

The Original	The Book	The Soundtrack
More Political Dramas	The Films of Sean Penn	The Films of Anthony Hopkins