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Carousel
Sinatra made a good call.
Carousel gives you a catharis
Life is like a "carousel"
Carousel great, DVD skips

Carousel (50th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Gordon MacRae , Shirley Jones , Cameron Mitchell , Barbara Ruick , and Claramae Turner
Director: Henry King
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000HT3PFG
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Amazon.com

Like its immediate predecessor, Oklahoma!, this 1956 screen musical boasted then state-of-the-art widescreen cinematography, stereophonic sound, a starring romantic duo with onscreen chemistry, and the Rodgers & Hammerstein imprimatur. Adding to its promise was a source (the venerable Ferenc Molnar play Liliom) that had already been filmed three times. Yet unlike the original Broadway production, and despite evident craft, Carousel proved a box-office disappointment. Why? Hindsight argues that '50s moviegoers may have been unprepared for its tragic narrative, the sometimes unsympathetic protagonist, and a spiritual subtext addressing life after death.

Whatever the obstacle, Carousel may well be a revelation to first-time viewers. The score is among the composers' most affecting, from the glorious instrumental "Carousel Waltz" to a succession of exquisite love songs ("If I Loved You"), a heart-rending secular hymn ("You'll Never Walk Alone"), and the expectant father's poignant reverie, "Soliloquy." Top-lined stars Shirley Jones (as factory worker Julie Jordan) and Gordon MacRae (as Billy Bigelow, the carnival barker who woos and weds her) achieve greater dramatic urgency here than in the more successful Oklahoma!, with MacRae in particular attaining a personal best as the conflicted Billy, whose anxiety and wounded pride after losing his job are crucial to the plot. It's Billy's impatience to support his new family that drives him to an ill-fated decision that transforms the fable into a ghost story. Adding to the luster are the coastal Maine locations where 20th Century Fox filmed principal photography. --Sam Sutherland

Description

Gordon MacRae is Billy Bigelow, a smooth-talking carny barker who falls in love with a millworker (Shirley Jones) on the colorful coast of Maine. Filmed on location, with a beautiful seaside setting as a backdrop and a thrilling score for accompaniment, their romance unfolds. But right before the birth of his daughter, Billy is killed while committing a robbery. Now in heaven, years later, he returns to earth for one day to attend his daughter's high school graduation and teach her one very important lesson.

Customer Reviews:

Carousel.......2007-06-25

The score's the thing in the bittersweet musical "Carousel," based on yet another Rodgers and Hammerstein play. Though on release the film's darker themes played less well with audiences than jauntier predecessor "Oklahoma," time has been kind to this picture. Once again MacRae and Jones make a winning, handsome couple, and their mellifluous voices do full justice to timeless classics like "If I Loved You" and "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Sinatra made a good call........2007-06-04

"Carousel" is a worthy musical among the great tetralogy by Rodgers and Hammerstein, representing American musical theater at its zenith. (I have little to no patience with the self-congratulatory "ultra sophisticates" who for some reason can't praise the undeniable song-writing brilliance of Rodgers and Hart unless it's at the expense of Hammerstein, who gets hammered for serving up only "schmaltz.") No one has come close to the Rodgers and Hammerstein team (except Hammerstein himself, in the case of his collaboration with Jerome Kern for "Showboat") at creating American melodrama (a fusion of music and drama) that is at once profound, socially-conscious, and archetypal in its representations of a nation's "unwritten" history. So to the extent that the film makes a larger public aware of an original, indigenous lyric theater, not to mention deeply moving songs, it deserves some credit.

The musical, however, deserves more credit, because it's primarily on the strengths of the original that this flat, artificial, leaden movie, the weakest of any Hollywood adaptation of a major R&H musical, has held up. (Ironically, the fifth and weakest of the major musicals, "The Sound of Music," is probably the best movie of the bunch.) Everybody by now knows the story of Sinatra accepting the role of Billy Bigelow, then welching on the agreement once he learned he would be required to shoot two final takes of each scene--a separate one just for the new, wider anamorphic ratio, for which a minority of theaters were equipped. In retrospect, he made the right call. This is filmmaking at its worst--a belief that the novelty of technology--lots of color and a really big screen--will satisfy cinema's and the public's requirements for "realism."

It's instructive to compare the story (and film) of "Carousel" with Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." Almost contemporaneously, both films addressed deep-seated insecurities and fears felt by viewers after the war years, "Carousel" most directly with "You'll Never Walk Alone," a consolation if not uplifting message for those who had been left behind. In "Carousel" Billy Bigelow, the no-good, "earns his wings" by doing well by his daughter after a botched stick-up results in his death. In Capra's darker, more profound yet more life-affirming film, George Bailey has earned all kinds of wings, practically becoming a savior-saint to his community. But that righteous pride proves his undoing: he can't handle the thought that he's let down all of Bedford Falls by losing what they had invested in him--one thousand dollars. And for that single "grave" mistake he commits suicide (Billy Bigelow in the movie falls on his knife by accident). George can't redeem himself or earn any more wings--he's performed too many good deeds already. So it's poor wingless Clarence who is sent on a mission to Bedford Falls to restore to George his flawed, imperfect humanity. In the process, George and we discover that civilization is not overrun by Mr. Potters: people actually can be unselfish and forgiving.

The pity is that "Carousel" wasn't filmed in the 1940s, and by a creative and inspired filmmaking giant like Frank Capra. At least there's the consolation of the unequaled interpretation of these songs by the Sinatra-Nelson Riddle team ("The Concert Sinatra," Reprise, 1963). Any expectant father who hasn't heard Sinatra's dramatic, poignant, and timeless reading of the "Soliloquy" has missed out on one of the true joys of being a father.

Carousel gives you a catharis.......2007-05-13

This movie is full of joy and love and pain. It is the story of the life of a man who is a Carousel barker - a good one, too, but who doesn't know who to earn money any other way. He meets a sweet and independent, beautiful young woman, who works at a mill. They soon find themselves out of work, married and with a baby coming.

And it's about second chances. The Carousel barker gets a second chance to set things right after he dies trying to find a way to get money to support his family.

The movie is the origin of one of my favorite songs of all times - You'll Never Walk alone. "When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don't be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm is a golden sky and the sweet silver song of a lark...."

Life is like a "carousel".......2007-04-19

Ok, so some of the songs didn't hit the top 40, but the ballads don't belong there. . .they belong in your heart. Soft ballads sung by some of the most talented voices to hit the screen none other than Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, together again in "Oklahoma." The story is simple: local girl falls for good for nothing carousel barker bum and sees only the good in him, whereas most folks just see the bad. Fine songs include, "You'll never walk alone", "If I loved you", "June is busting out all over", and the tremendous "Carousel anthem." The best thing about this musical are the scenic Maine lakes and coastal areas, plus the final musical splash number with excellent choreography. Soundtrack with deleted songs is additional plus!

Carousel great, DVD skips.......2007-04-05

Of course Carousel is a classic, and the music endures, however, I was excited to view this DVD of Carousel with my daughter so she could audition for an upcoming summer stock production. I was disappointed that the DVD stalls and gets hung up regularly. It was so frustrating to watch that we gave up. This is the second time since Christmas that this has happened when purchasing a DVD thru Amazon.... After ordering the Star Wars 6-pack, Star Wars II was not watchable. Does Amazon have any quality control behind the scenes???? Repackaging and returning it doesn't seem worth the expense....

Average customer rating:

Mood Movie with Great Cinematography and an Unsatisfying Ending
Brilliant
2nd best movie of all time
Heavenly
luminousity on film

Days of Heaven
Starring: Richard Gere , Brooke Adams , Sam Shepard , Linda Manz , and Robert J. Wilke
Director: Terrence Malick
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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1900 (Special Collector's Edition)

ASIN: 079215455X
Release Date: 1999-03-30

Amazon.com essential video

Richard Gere works in a Chicago steel mill at the turn of the century, but must flee the city after accidentally killing a man. Heading for the wheat fields of Texas, he packs up his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and his younger sister (Linda Manz). Instead of a better life, they head straight into tragedy when a wealthy farmer (Sam Shepard) falls for Adams. Believing him to be dying and expecting to inherit a fortune, she agrees to marry him. Their plans change when Shepard fails to die and Gere takes matters into his own hands. Aesthetically flawless, this film about a romantic love triangle is diminished by the small scope of video. Originally shown in 70mm, it is an eye-catching period piece that won its cinematographer, Néstor Almendros, a 1978 Oscar. Texture and color are the unbilled characters in this tragic tale, and are just as important as the players. The story, sadly, fades somewhat when compared to the glory of the visuals. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

Mood Movie with Great Cinematography and an Unsatisfying Ending.......2007-06-26

Days of Heaven is best on a big screen, as the naturalistic cinematography is incredible. I used to think Richard Gere was just a pretty face until 19 years ago when I saw this movie and his raw talent. I found the ending unsatisfying and wanted to rewrite it, but I had a hard time forgetting this movie.

Brilliant.......2007-04-19

One of my favorite films.
This film is a quiet masterpiece that you could watch with the sound off and still love its beauty, grace, and story.
I don't know why it's absent from so many of those "Greatest Movies" lists.
It is very simple and lyrical. It spins a delicate web of romance and pity and jealousy and revenge. Most of the other reviews are correct about its elegant cinematography, haunting music, and its beauty as a whole.

And the girl's narration is the cherry on the sundae. Perfect.

2nd best movie of all time.......2007-03-09

Anything by this director is going to be amazing. i like how his films pay so close attention to the place that the story is set in- in no other film will you hear wind blowing through the grass and bugs flying around your head. it is a powerful story as well

Heavenly.......2006-08-05

I first saw this movie when it was released in 1978, instantly becomming a Malick fan. The movie is georgious, understated and wonderfulling narrated by Linda Manz who was also in The Wanderers around this time, and last I read, now lives in a trailor park.
The film is subtle, beautiful, and just a joy to watch. IIn the late 60's and through the 70's I was a film nut. Not so much anymore but still try to catch good films. Malick's best film and in my top five all time.

luminousity on film.......2006-07-18

I will go out on a limb here and declare this movie the most heartbreakingly beautiful film I ever saw. I went to see it when it came out, and it continued to haunt me until I obtained my first VCR, whereupon it was one of the first movies I purchased. The story is told pretty much visually, and it is such an old story that the viewer doesn't need any more dialog than there is. One reviewer addressed the issue of Linda Manz's New York accent when the trio of protagonists is supposed to be from Chicago; but after multiple viewings, it became clear to me that these guys have been nomads since day one, so it's quite plausible to me that they, in fact, did come from New York originally (Richard Gere also has a decided Noo Yawk sound) and in the way of migrant workers, had only recently called Chicago home. The opening of the movie - old turn-of-the-century stills - is rife with the melting-pot faces that, mostly, started out in New York and went where the work was.

When I need an example of absolute perfection - my opinion - in cinematography, this is the film I would always choose. So many isolated shots come to mind - a wine glass sitting on a riverbed underwater with a fish swimming by; five guys, conversing quietly in another language as they walk, bundled against winter; the panic of animals in a brushfire, a burning tractor coming out of a fire at night like a machine from hell - as well as spooky, ghostly sights of people around a campfire at night on a rivershore; faces that you would not normally consider beautiful taking on a luminous quality because of the talent of the filming. The story almost takes a back seat to the filmwork, although it is nearly a Greek tragedy; Bill, Linda, and Abby, migrant workers scraping to survive and stay together (Bill and Linda are sister and brother; Abby is Bill's lover) escape a situation in Chicago (Bill has inadvertently killed a bullheaded boss) by jumping a train loaded down with immigrants and ride to the wheatfields of the Texas Panhandle, where they become just three more harvesters until the owner, played with a sweet vulnerability by Sam Shepard, catches sight of Abby in the field and falls in love with her. Bill sees this in his unfocused mind as a way for his little group to advance, after he overhears a conversation between Shepard and a doctor which suggests that the young landowner is dying. Bill persuades Abby to accept the owner's offer of marriage - which, to her credit, she seems initially reluctant to do - reasoning that she can make the guy happy for the little time he has left and then the fortune he has will be all theirs. His plan hits a snag over three things; a suspicious foreman, who loves the landowner like a son and distrusts the trio of migrants right now; the landowner seems to hit his second wind after marrying Abby; and, the biggest bad thing, Abby falls in love with her new husband. Left out frustrated in the cold, suffering unending animosity from the foreman, Bill does the only intelligent thing he can think of and leaves, only to return some time later. From there things go very badly.

This movie gives a real flavour of what the early 1900s must have been like - the serendipity of a travelling circus, apparently out of gas, who land on the owner's property and give performances in exchange for room and board (and probably gas)- these things happened then, impromptu little entertainments that seemed to have little relevance to the surroundings but which were eagerly looked for - diversions were few and far between, folks - and at one point, the newformed family group runs to meet and wave at Woodrow Wilson's passing train. The ordinary people doing the harvesting, though only touched on, are clear and real; you've seen these people in town, working, playing, fighting. And the pathos of the underclass comes out in something Linda Manz's character says halfway through in a voiceover: "You're only here once, and you should have it nice."

This movie is tragic and beautiful, with good performances, especially from Linda Manz as the hapless younger sister who is at the mercy of circumstances she is powerless to control, and who learns the cruel lesson so many like her had to learn in those days; how to survive on your own. Ms. Manz pretty much disappeared from film after that and returned to private life. Too bad - she was a breath of fresh air in a lot of ways. In fact, the only people who really advanced filmwise after this were Richard Gere and Sam Shepard - although Gere isn't as good yet as he could be (again, my opinion) and Sam Shepard is underused or too preoccupied with his writing. I highly recommend this movie to cinematography aficianados and to anyone who likes a good period piece told with great sensitivity and minimal dialog.

Average customer rating:

switch
Not for the kids
Ellen is fantastic
4-Star comedy
A Good Laugh

Switch
Starring: Ellen Barkin , Jimmy Smits , JoBeth Williams , Lorraine Bracco , and Tony Roberts
Director: Blake Edwards
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde
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ASIN: B00004XMV7
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Amazon.com

Blake Edwards (Victor/Victoria) wrote and directed this sharp if somewhat underachieving satire about sexual politics, in which an unrepentant playboy (Perry King), with a long trail of broken hearts behind him, dies and comes back as a woman (Ellen Barkin). Barkin is terrific as a babe with the mind and soul of a stud, and her struggles to reconcile her male impulses with the realities of her new body are the best material in the film. Jimmy Smits is fine as her best friend (back when she was a he, however), and JoBeth Williams is memorable as one of the deceased fellow's castoffs--she ironically becomes an ally of his incarnation as a woman. This isn't Edwards at his greatest, but it's a highly watchable minor entry in his canon. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

switch.......2007-05-15

This is a very funny movie and I have not been able to find this in local stores or rental stores. Thanks to Amazon my search was over.

Not for the kids.......2007-05-13

Very well done movie on if you were a man that was murdered by a female (among many) you did wrong one too many times, and the wisdom above decided to send you back and as a female, if you could find one female that liked you which would save you from going below (hell).....and what a hoot watching this man in a womans body, walk in heels, handle men, and calling his former dates trying to find that one female that had something nice to say about him. Lots of foul language, but a good comedy. The ending will surprise you. Good movie.

Ellen is fantastic.......2007-03-11

One of the funniest movies ever!! Ellen Barkin is fantastic in her role. Would love to know what type of training she had prior to filming.

4-Star comedy.......2006-11-10

This is an original, delightful comedy that everyone would enjoy.
Ellen Barkin at her best.

A Good Laugh.......2006-11-04

I saw this movie some years ago and always wanted a copy to watch when I needed a good laugh. Originally from the New York Metropolitan area, I enjoy the brazenness of Miss Barkin and the laundered depiction of the lesbian scene enjoyed by the wealthier New York women however close to the truth it may or may not be. Give your brain a rest, enjoy the beautiful women, and have a fun evening watching this.

Average customer rating:

Yet Another 'Urban' Version of an already excellent movie.
movie is ok
Excellent movie
a romantic comedy
Down To Earth

Down to Earth
Starring: Chris Rock , Regina King , Chazz Palminteri , Eugene Levy , and Frankie Faison
Director: Chris Weitz , and Paul Weitz
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JH9O
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Amazon.com

A tepid reworking of Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait (itself a remake of 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan), Down to Earth tries to mold comedian Chris Rock into an amiable romantic lead, but it softens the scathingly observant humor that made Rock a standup successor to Richard Pryor. Rock's aggressive style is bracingly expressed in a few good scenes, but through most of this movie--from the directors of American Pie--he struggles with dialogue that would barely pass muster in a low-rated sitcom. Edgy potential loses out to crowd-pleasing with the familiar body-switch formula: by way of premature death and bad timing on the part of heaven's Vegas-styled gatekeepers (played by Eugene Levy and Chazz Palminteri), Rock--as struggling comedian Lance Barton--is reincarnated as a 55-year-old white billionaire with a nasty reputation.

Adjusting (too easily) to his racial transition, Lance charms a hospital administrator (Regina King) who's amazed to see the selfish white billionaire turning into romantic philanthropist. This allows plenty of black/white-contrast jokes (did you ever see a fat, middle-aged white guy who's into hip-hop?), and Rock, who cowrote the screenplay, still manages to work some pointed politics into the movie's good-natured tone. It's guaranteed that some will find Down to Earth quite entertaining, but others will wonder how potent this comedy could have been if Rock had been more willing to confront the harsher truths that lurk beneath the humor. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Yet Another 'Urban' Version of an already excellent movie........2007-05-04

This is a remake of an actually funny, clever, and classy movie called "Heaven Can Wait." Throwing in the urban comedian with the 'updated' script just results in a piece of garbage. You can't turn a class act like Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait into an "urban" version and expect it to be good. What a waste of time, money, and film. Rent the original and see what a true classic this is.

movie is ok.......2007-01-28

Chris Rock is an extremely funny guy, except in this movie.

He has a pallid script with which to work that does not let his humour shine through, except for infrequent glimpses. He is unable to carry this torpid film. Though he tries, he is hampered by the lack of chemistry between him and his female co-star, in addition to a bad script.

One-time watch movie (so just rent it)

Excellent movie.......2007-01-12

This movie is a must see!! I watched it on television and had to purchase it.

a romantic comedy.......2006-05-23

Comedian Lance Barton (Chris Rock) makes a fool of himself on stage one night and gets booed off. When biking home that night, he accidentally gets hit by a truck and is sent to heaven. In heaven, he gets the opportunity to go back `down to earth', only in someone else's body. To Lance, when he looks in the mirror, he sees himself, but when other people see him, he's Charles Wellington, the most richest man on earth, and the most unliked by everyone. Lance sees this and during his stay on earth, tries to make peace. One thing leads to another, and he gets the girl Sontee Jenkins (Regina King), who at the beginning was mad at Charles (Lance) for not caring about hospitals (or something along those lines). This film also stars Jennifer Coolidge as Charles Wellington's wife, and Wanda Sykes as the maid Wanda. Wanda was so funny in every scene she was in. So was Jennifer. Everything they did was so natural!

Down To Earth.......2005-09-27

Hilariously outrageous! One of Chris Rocks best! This movie sees him dying too early only to be brought back in an old white guys body! But here's the punch line, he's a comedian in the movie as well! I was in stitches, definately a must see if you like Chris Rock's dynamic style of comedy.

Pennies from Heaven (1978 British Miniseries)

Average customer rating:

Pennies from Heaven worth the wait
Probably the best mini-series in the history of media
A marvel
The Rarest of TV Fare: Intelligence and Originality
Pure Heaven

Pennies from Heaven (1978 British Miniseries)
Starring: Bob Hoskins , Cheryl Campbell , Gemma Craven , Kenneth Colley , and Freddie Jones
Director: Piers Haggard
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Singing Detective
Pennies From Heaven
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Pennies from Heaven
Music from the Singing Detective and More

ASIN: B0001Z4P6O
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Amazon.com

Dennis Potter's astonishing six-part miniseries remains one of the edgiest, most audacious things ever conceived for television. The story tells of one Arthur Parker (Bob Hoskins), a sheet-music salesman in 1930s England. Beaten down by economic hard times and the sexual indifference of his proper wife (Gemma Craven), Arthur cannot understand why his life can't be like the beautiful songs he loves. On a sales trip through the Forest of Dean, he meets a virginal rural woman (Cheryl Campbell) he suspects may be his ideal. Ruination follows. Punctuating virtually every scene is a vintage pop song--lip-synched and sometimes danced out by the characters. This startling innovation makes the contrast between Arthur's brutish life and his bourgeois dreams even more dramatic.

Potter's dark vision digs into British stoicism, sexual repression, the class system, and even the coming of fascism in Europe. But it is especially poignant on the subject of the divide between art and reality. Piers Haggard directs the long piece with deft transitions between songs and story. (It was shot partly on multi-camera video, partly on film.) The cast is fine, especially the extraordinary Cheryl Campbell, who imbues her character with keen intelligence and no small measure of perversity. Bob Hoskins triumphs in his star-making part, bringing a demonic energy to his small-time Cockney, nearly bursting his button-down vests with frustration and appetite. Pennies from Heaven was remade in 1981 for the big screen (with Steve Martin), an interesting, Potter-scripted adaptation; it's one of the reasons the original has been unavailable on home video for so long. --Robert Horton

Description

Dennis Potter's masterpiece mini-series follows the adventures, mishaps, and yearnings of a traveling song sheet peddler on a tight commission as he tries to make dreams fit the promises of the lyrics he carries.

Customer Reviews:

Pennies from Heaven worth the wait.......2007-05-17

I've been looking for this series on DVD for YEARS! It's finally available, and it was definitely worth the wait. Dark, poignant, and funny all at the same time, this series uses poopular music from the 20s and 30s -- often inappropriately -- to express the inner heart of the characters. A young Bob Hoskins plays the lead: a sleezy traveling salesman who is hard to love, except that he does such a wonderful job of playing this character. Writer Dennis Potter is at the top of his form.

Probably the best mini-series in the history of media.......2007-02-19

Great acting, great soundtrack, great reissue. God, if only there were another mini-series in the world like this. It's better than you can imagine.

A marvel.......2007-02-03

This decidedly different 'musical' ain't gonna be to all tastes--but if you appreciate a genuinely offbeat concept superbly realised by a first-rate cast, this is for you.

The principals, Bob Hoskins (as the loutish, megalomaniac Arthur Parker), Cheryl Crawford (as the at first winsome, then increasingly hard-boiled Eileen) and Gemma Craven (the hapless and resentful Joan) couldn't be better cast. The bizaare stylisations of the lip-synched musical numbers look positively effortless as handled by them. One can hardly imagine American actors being able to handle this kind of material with their level of ease and versatility.

For me, the real test of this type of production isn't simply how well the leads carry it off--the secondary actors have to be equally good, or the whole thing comes apart. In this respect, especially, "Pennies" excels. Among the most notable of the supporting cast are two British character actors whose work I've admired for years, and who are sadly largely unknown to most audiences in this country. Hywel Bennett as Tom, a sleazy, yet oddly attractive pimp, brings the perfect aura of guttersnipe sexiness and low-bred self assurance to the part. He also, without ever once doing or saying anything overt, convinces the viewer that his character is a menacingly nasty bit of work--it's not at all hard to believe that Eileen would take it on the lam with Arthur rather than risk facing Tom once she's reneged on her deal with him. But for me, the most touching performance comes from the marvelous Freddie Jones, as the headmaster of the school where Eileen teaches. Initially introduced in a manner that suggests a typically English comic Dickensian villain, he transcends the viewer's expectations by being revealed as one of the few--possibly the only--decent characters in this story. Forced to dismiss Eileen over a compromising circumstance that has become known to the school's directors, he shows the sadness of his own disillusionment that has pushed him to treat his young charges with a certain brutality; and in a moment of beautifully underplayed pathos, almost inadvertently reveals his love for Eileen--a love he is well aware she could never(for any number of reasons) reciprocate. All he can do is offer her enough money to help her leave and re-establish herself elsewhere, and wish her good luck. As with Bennett, it's what's left unsaid and underplayed that makes his Headmaster Warner so painfully convincing.

And there are any number of other small gems of performance; Ronald Fraser as a Blimpish member of Parliament who proves himself to be a lot cannier at the blackmail game than the hapless Eileen and Arthur is among the most notable. I can't think of a single poor performance by anyone in the cast--and in a cast of this size, that's no small feat.

If you can get past the initial oddity of the concept, and if you're a fan of truly top-notch, fully realised acting --as opposed to the average histrionics that pass for acting in most American television performances--this strange (and strangely compelling) series is one you will not want to miss.

The Rarest of TV Fare: Intelligence and Originality.......2007-01-09

The late Dennis Potter's writing (as it was in The Singing Detective) is both intelligent and searing. The characters are heartbreakers and the acting, especially by Bob Hoskins and Kenneth Colley is peerless. This is what television could and should be, but almost never is. Compare this to the abominable remake with Steve Martin. Hail Britannia!

Pure Heaven.......2006-07-23

In 1979 Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister of the British parliament, she had in her sights reform of many institutions, the coal miners were one and the British Broadcasting Corporation was another, throughout the 1980's various Director-Generals came and went and so did a lot of creative programming staff, deals that were once concluded on a handshake would eventually need a committee to close. I only mention this because some might argue that the heydays of British television resided in the 1970's, if one needed any proof of this you could do no better as an example than the BBC's production of Dennis Potter's drama "Pennies From Heaven" a six part serial or what would now be termed a mini series, it contained many innovating set pieces whereby the cast would mime to records of the 1930's period that had been especially chosen to be cued into the soundtrack to enhance the plot, I think it would be fair to say that nothing quite like it had been seen before (or since for that matter,) Starring Bob Hoskins working as a sheet music salesman between the first and second world wars who fantasizes about the songs that he sells and through his infidelity gets caught up in events that eventually overtake him. If "Pennies" were being made today no doubt it would be "cut" a little tighter but the production values and originality still hold up well. Bob Hoskins shot to fame after this and indeed he was quite brilliant as the main protagonist winning a BAFTA nomination for his role as Arthur Parker, In its year of broadcast, "Pennies" won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Most Original Programme, leading lady Cheryl Campbell who was also BAFTA nominated for her roll as Eileen Everson and Gemma Craven playing Hoskins wife were both superb as was the direction of Piers Haggard a BAFTA winner, however one of the main ingredients and stars of this serial was the choreographer Tudor Davies, who created wonders in one confined space after another.

I sold sheet music myself during the period "Pennies" was made but one can only imagine the business before television when most people had a piano in their front room and writing songs was still an art.

In it's usual brutish way Hollywood having made a flop movie of "Pennies" in 1981 supressed this BBC version for ten years, this reminded me of similar antics in the 1940's when a studio in tinsel town having remade the film Gaslight in 1944 attempted to have all prints of the previous British version of Gaslight (1940) destroyed. These efforts were eventually unsuccessful, though the film was rarely seen for several decades, don't you just admire their business ethics?

But I digress; "Pennies From Heaven" at almost eight hours long means you are going to need more than a few buckets of popcorn plus a case or two of beer, a personal unexpected bonus for me was how I grew to admire the early recordings used in "Pennies" in fact I bought the double soundtrack album on CD it's a real treat. The BBC have recorded a commentary with the director Piers Haggard and producer Kenith Trodd on episodes one and six which I found to be very interesting, from a technical point of view regarding resolution, I do wish the BBC would have used 35 millimeter film instead of their usual choice 16 mill for their external shots, also from time to time the sound levels appeared to be somewhat uneven on my DVD, having said that this should not spoil your enjoyment of what I consider to be a real gem and probably the most original programme ever to come out of British television.

Average customer rating:

Carousel
Sinatra made a good call.
Carousel gives you a catharis
Life is like a "carousel"
Carousel great, DVD skips

Carousel
Starring: Gordon MacRae , Shirley Jones , Cameron Mitchell , Barbara Ruick , and Claramae Turner
Director: Henry King
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

South Pacific (Collector's Edition)
Oklahoma! (50th Anniversary Edition)
The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition)
Show Boat
State Fair (60th Anniversary Edition)

ASIN: 6305320799
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Amazon.com

Adding to the luster are the coastal Maine locations where 20th Century Fox filmed principal photography. Newly remastered by THX, Carousel looks and sounds better than ever. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Carousel.......2007-06-25

Sinatra made a good call........2007-06-04

Carousel gives you a catharis.......2007-05-13

Life is like a "carousel".......2007-04-19

Carousel great, DVD skips.......2007-04-05

Average customer rating:

Disappointing! Not what I expected. Average.

Kingdom of Heaven (UMD Mini For PSP)
Starring: Giannina Facio , Jon Finch , Brendan Gleeson , Iain Glen , and Philip Glenister
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Universal Media Discs | Stores | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Universal Media Discs | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Sin City (UMD Mini For PSP)
Black Hawk Down (UMD Mini For PSP)
The Chronicles of Riddick (Unrated) (UMD Mini For PSP)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (UMD Mini for PSP)
The Bourne Supremacy (UMD Mini For PSP)

Accessories:

Sony PSP PlayGear Amp
Sony PSP Comfort Grips Black
Sony PSP Psyclone Nodus Sound System
Sony PSP Travel Case

ASIN: B000AARKOY
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Description

From Ridley Scott, the visionary director of Black Hawk Down and Gladiator, comes this spectacular epic of courage, honor and adventure. Orlando Bloom stars as Balian, a young Frenchman in Medieval Jerusalem during the Crusades, who, having lost everything, finds redemption in a heroic fight against overwhelming forces to save his people and fulfill his destiny as a knight.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing! Not what I expected. Average........2007-05-08

I guess I just expected too much before I watched this film. I am a student of medieval history, the crusades, and the Templars and I expected an intelligent film (which Ridley Scott usually produces). What I saw was an anti-war "epic" wanna-be.
The acting was OK. The battle scenes decent. The editing and camera work well done. The problem was the story. Historically, the film was surprisingly accurate, but the characters were not believable in this time period; specifically Orlando Bloom's character.
It was like a 20th (or now 21st) century man thrown in to a world of political, religious and social disorder. The time of the crusades was one of fanaticism based on beliefs that the only way to heaven was by being absolved of sin; the catholic church in their greed to rule the world, set out in a bloody conquest to destroy the Jews and Muslims in the Holy Land and the only way that they could get commoners to participate was to promise that heaven awaited them on the other side.
This was the dark ages (called that because it was before the age of enlightenment), a time when most people couldn't read, and even if they could, didn't have anything to read because everything was in latin, including the bible. People had to believe what the pope told them. If they didn't believe the pope, they had to do what their feudal lords told them to do (because the lords would have them arrested, killed, homeless, wifeless or childless if they didn't).
Essentially, this film tries to prove that men had free will in the dark/middle ages and history proves that this is not possible. Just as we cannot understand what it was like to live during the revolutionary war, the civil war, the hundred years war, or any other war from a previous time period, we cannot understand the massive, sweeping lack of power possessed by the individual during the time of the crusades. Only monarchs and clergy had power at this time and only they had the potential for understanding the political, religious climate of the day.
Even educated people of the time were stupid in the world of international relations because everything back then was based on personal greed, personal gain of the church and the monarchs.

Now, so far as those of you who claim that the movie is christian bashing, let me say this. DO SOME RESEARCH!!! The dark ages was a horrible time for the church, the catholic church especially. The church was controlled by evil men with agendas that did not include glorifying God. Heresy and Simony were rampant in and out of the church.

OK, so you don't care about the accuracy, and you just want a good action movie that takes place in the dark ages. Well then, this movie is for you.
It actually was a good movie with good acting and a good script. The problem that I have is that it just isn't believable with what I know about the time period. Had I not known about the time period, I probably would have rated the film higher.

So, in the end, what you have with this is a film that seems to be trying to make a point; that war is pointless. WELL, WE KNOW THAT. LOOK AT IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

What I don't understand is why this movie was made. It is entertaining, but at what cost. It does nothing to explain the period, the mistakes of the past. It is propaganda. I know, I expect too much. I will grant you that. Do what you will with this review, but I was let down by this movie. Too bad, really. It could have been a great movie.

Average customer rating:

Mood Movie with Great Cinematography and an Unsatisfying Ending
Brilliant
2nd best movie of all time
Heavenly
luminousity on film

Days of Heaven
Starring: Richard Gere , Brooke Adams , Sam Shepard , Linda Manz , and Robert J. Wilke
Director: Terrence Malick
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Adams, Brooke | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Gere, Richard | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Libertini, Richard | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Shepard, Sam | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Wilke, Robert J | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Malick, Terrence | ( M ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

General | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Drama | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Badlands
The New World
The Conversation
Reds (Special 25th Aniversary Collector's Edition)
1900 (Special Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00000658E
Release Date: 1997-05-06

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Mood Movie with Great Cinematography and an Unsatisfying Ending.......2007-06-26

Brilliant.......2007-04-19

2nd best movie of all time.......2007-03-09

Heavenly.......2006-08-05

luminousity on film.......2006-07-18

Richard Petty Greatest Sports Legends DVD

Average customer rating:

Richard Petty Greatest Sports Legends DVD
Director: Berl Rotfeld
Manufacturer: Hoop Heaven
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Auto Sports | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000BP5RXE

Product Description

In this episode of Greatest Sports Legends, host George Plimpton explores the racing career of NASCAR racer, Richard Petty. From dirt tracks to Daytona, this video contains an in-depth interview as well as footage from the races that made 'King Richard' truly a legend.

Average customer rating:

Hog Heaven: River Run Wild
Starring: Hog Heaven-River Run Wild
Manufacturer: Circle King
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000E4SOWS
Release Date: 2007-01-26

Product Description

Saddle up! It's the American West's wildest motorcycle adventure - The Laughling, NV River Run. Join thousands of bikers on the river's edge in this video adventure of Laughlin's unique attractions. From the motorcycle sand drags and the street parties to the bikini dance shows and the spectacular Biker Build-Off, featuring some of the most expensive custom Choppers ever built. River Run Wild is a DVD packed with thrills for the true motorcycle biker. This special DVD presentation features interviews with some of the most famous biker builders in the custom bike industry and takes the viewer on a scenic tour of the awesome natural surroundings of Laughlin, NV while discovering why the motorcycle renaissance in America is exploding. If you like motorcycles, beautiful women and extreme biking fun this DVD will give you just a peek at what Hog Heaven is all about. You too can see why the River Runs WILD! Note: while this DVD contains beautiful dancing women they have left their clothes on to protect the innocent. No nudity.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

The Last Tattoo

The Very Best Of The Royle Family

Freeway [1996]

DVD: Five Corners

Ein fast perfekter Seitensprung