Reviews

Ann Harding and William Powell are terrific in this strange little gem of a movie which runs the gamut from Pre-Code Drama to Screwball Comedy! (the closing dinner party scene is worth the price of admission). John Cromwell directs with a sure hand, especially in a great tracking shot involving the two sisters.

It's incredible how modern films seem to lack any sense of sophistication and style in comparison with even lesser known films from the 30's like this one.

A pure joy to watch.

Just caught this gem last night at the Film Forum during their incredible Pre-Code Women festival!

Top acting honors to Miriam Hopkins, Jack La Rue et al. It is truly amazing how some of the pre-code dramas and comedies (sadly most of them missing from video, much less dvd!) hold up so incredibly well.

While I admire the ingenuity and class that some of the later 30's and 40's movies had in dealing with the Code restrictions, early dramas like The Story of Temple Drake demonstrate the same artistry in handling a sexually frank storyline.

Little Faulkner is left in this, but the mood and atmosphere of this film is superb!

Boy, will this film separate the moviegoers from the movielovers!!

I saw this with the unruliest audience in years! Clearly half the audience hated it, while the other half, myself included, LOVED it!

I was a fan of Billy Bob's since Sling Blade, and of Matt's since his wonderful performance in the overrated Good Will Hunting, but together, with brilliant contributions from Henry Thomas, Penelope Cruz, et al, they make this film come to life.

This is a beautiful, old fashioned film. The shots are beautiful, not because of the landscapes, but because of the care in composition. I appreciate Billy Bob's use of the full screen, this film will obviously suffer on television.

The dramatic storyline, while dealing with violence and sexual imagery, manages to convey both without being extreme. And I for one am grateful! I have absolutely nothing against screen violence, I just find it done so poorly in modern movies, that for once I appreciate a director that can do more with suggestion than with indulgence.

Matt Damon has turned into the most interesting actor of his generation to watch! His performance in the near perfect Talented Mr. Ripley convinced me that he indeed has the chops to pull off a real career, and this film cements those thoughts. He is terrific. Henry Thomas and Lukas Black offer strong support, along with such terrific actors as Ruben Blades, Sam Shepard, Bruce Dern and Penelope Cruz.

This film will turn off many people, probably those people who enjoyed The Grinch, or Cast Away, or The Sixth Sense. Those films were aimed at audiences that required the filmmakers to HIT them over the head with their imagery, and lack of intelligence. This film is smarter than that. Not everything is spelled out for you. All the Pretty Horses is a film that requires an audience to commit themselves to the experience.

Is this film "old-fashioned"? Yes, in many ways, but it is such an intelligent, beautiful, and emotional experience. It was a joy to watch.

Yes, this film is indeed a saga. Ang Lee has described it as Jane Austen meets Bruce Lee, and he is obviously right on the money!

The design elements are majestic and the visuals linger in your memory long after you are finished watching this wonderful film. I'm sure this movie is way above most audience member's heads. First and foremost, it's in Chinese, which must scare away about 99.9 percent of U.S. audiences. Too bad, for they are missing the best film so far this year!

I loved the way the script handled so many characters and subplots without once losing control or interest. The acting was uniformly good, but it is the beauty of the shots and the powerful wizardry of the martial arts scenes that really transcend the medium. This film completely elevates you along with the magically endowed characters flights above the rooftops. It is amazing how Lee manages to balance the supernatural elements with the period drama.

I'm sure this film will not please everyone. It belongs in the pantheon with such beautiful works as Metropolis, 2001: A Space Odyssey, or even The Wizard of Oz. It is pure FILM MAGIC! It surpasses the genre of Kung Fu Flicks, practically rewriting the genre. You have to be a true cinephile to enjoy work this beautiful, and this rich in film imagery.

The ending is truly beautiful, and perfectly closes the chapter on the many subplots involved in the film.

Ang Lee is truly a film genius. He is the descendant of Howard Hawks and William Wellmann, who managed to direct many different genres of film and succeed admirably well in all of them. I can't imagine any other director alive today who could excel in the films Mr. Lee has chosen to direct.

If you love movies, truly love them for their visual poetry and storytelling, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Now I understand why Visconti regards this classic as his personal favorite!!

Overwhelmingly Terrific! The acting, design, music, cinematography, and especially direction are superb.

This epic, grand, personal, and highly dramatic tale of five brothers and their mother who move from Southern Italy to Milan to change their station in life is filled with wonderful vignettes and powerful set pieces.

The fight between two of the brothers in the slums of the city is one of the most harrowing and touching scenes ever in cinema history. This is the kind of fight which actually means something. When they hit each other you feel it down to the core of your being, not just watching mindless brutality like you would in some brainless movie.

The cast is uniformly good with standouts from Katina Paxinou as the long suffering mother, Annie Girardot as the doomed prostitute who is the catalyst of the story, and especially Alain Delon who is blessed with a cinematic beauty which adds poetry to everyone of his close-ups. The one actor who really surprised me was Renato Salvatori as the violent brother Simone. His gradual and completely believable change from sweet young man to violent brute is incredible to watch.

This film satisfies every true movie lovers dream. To visit a place you don't know, with characters who fascinate you, and are framed in a true CINEMATIC style, that succeeds on every level.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!! I will add my voice to those who cry out for the DVD release of this true classic.

Wow!

This film will unhinge you, frighten you, disturb you, cause you to look over your shoulder when you are alone at home, and entertain the hell out of you!

They definately don't make movies like this anymore. Polanski captures the working class atmosphere perfectly. Deneuve and the rest of the cast are perfect for this exploration of a young girl's descent into madness.

This film is daring for many reasons. Keep in mind that this was made in 1965, and it's daring for then depiction of sexuality still maintains interest.

You could definately dissect this as a frigid young woman's nightmare of her awakening sexuality, or even as the last stages of madness, coming into fruition for a woman who has apparently always been considered "too delicate" or "too emotional".

It doesn't matter. The film is pure cinema! The camera work is stunning, the jazz influenced score works perfectly as a counterpoint to her descent into hell, the design elements are all top-notch.

Try and see this film at a revival house! This one cries out for the big screen!

I especially loved how this film feels. It is impossible to discribe, but you feel her claustrophobia, and her fears on every level.

You might think you have seen these "thriller" tricks before, but keep in mind the date of this film. It is the original, and don't you forget it!

A definite must for REAL movie lovers!

Well, this film may not appeal to the legions of folk who consider drivel like The Sixth Sense to be great drama/thriller material, but to those of us who adore movies and respect the great ones, this one is a gem.

This great-granddad to later works like "Dead Calm" or even "The Talented Mr. Ripley" manages to deliver the goods on this wickedly smart little tale about a young middle class couple who pick up a hitchhiker who manages to turn their life around in the course of one day.

What sets this film apart from others is it's place in movie history and it's polished (no pun intended) directorial style.

This early hit by future great director Roman Polanski manages to make you believe in these three people without questioning the typically silly things that people do in thrillers. Of course most of us would not invite a strange hitchhiker onto their private boat for an evening, especially when the hitchhiker carries with them a huge hunting knife and an attitude.

Just throw your disbelief to the wind, and sit back and enjoy this little gem. I loved the juxtaposition of the vast open air and beautiful water vistas with the claustrophobic atmosphere aboard the little "yacht". The terrific moment when the couple dares the young man to hang over the edge of the boat and he begins to "run" on water alongside. Even the inevitable seduction rings true due to the circumstances. I won't reveal anymore scenes.

This film is to be enjoyed by all! The only complaint is while I saw this film at the normally wonderful Film Forum in NYC, the grossly outdated and shabby looking subtitles positively cry out for a restoration!!

Well, well, well, where do I begin?

I give this movie major points for "TRYING", but I can only give this movie 5 stars out of 10 for the lame, cliche ridden screenplay.

I realize that Greg Berlanti writes for Dawson's Creek, but boy oh boy does this script reek of cliches from that teen drama! First of all EVERY single character speaks in the exact same manner, doling out advice as if they had only so many minutes of TV screentime to settle their separate problems.

I appreciate the work done by Timothy Olyphant (very brave) and of course John Mahoney makes any dialog sound good, but they are fighting a losing battle against the new-agist-self-relevatory speeches they are forced to make. Everybody in this film talks as if they had watched a 17 day marathon of Oprah and read every single Marianne Williamson book in print. NOBODY in the world has that much self analyzing going on! If they did, who on earth would want to be their friend?

Dean Cain and Michael Bergin are totally wasted, excuse me Mr. Producer, but with two gorgeous guys like this around, could you at least include a little more nudity??? After all, over half of the movie is spent ogling men and treating them like pieces of meat, you might as well provide us with a little bit of meat. God knows, we have to endure every starlet dropping her bra in most Hollywood flicks!

The cliches truly drown the possibility of a terrific "Breakfast Club" for the gay set. (I won't say "Big Chill" since I feel we already had that film with "Love, Valour, Compassion")

I was most saddened by the misuse of Matt McGrath. He is sensational, he truly attempts a real three dimensional character here, and his smart alecky brainy guy is the only character who truly comes off as "self-aware".

I cannot recommend this movie, I wish I could. We desperately need a good gay buddy flick. But this is not it. I suppose you could do worse, but we definately deserve better!

The main reason modern day action flicks seem to fade from box-office glory into the dustbin of forgettable movies (i.e. US Marshals, anything by Stallone or Schwarzeneggar, etc) is their inherit unbelievability.

This 1961 War/Action classic maintains it's glory because it actually has a SCRIPT!!! Hurray! Yahoo! Whatever else you want to say!

I was amazed at the high level of quality throughout, from the top notch cast (especially Sir Stanley Baker and Irene Papas who excel in smaller roles which are less showier than the bigger box office draws of Peck, Niven, and Quinn) to the terrific Oscar winning special effects. Now I realize that most people watching this film now will complain about the aforementioned effects, but they are the kind of people who rate movies based on today's technologies. Face it, in a few years films like Gladiator and Titanic will look as hokey to moviegoers as some older films look to us! We must suspend our disbelief and enjoy the production values of older films, only then can we truly appreciate their genius.

Anyway, this war classic moves along at a brisk pace, never forgetting that there are characters involved behind the canvas of action. It also manages to maintain a sense of humor about itself, what a rarity! Without resorting to the pandering humor of today's movies.

The on location shots in and around Rhodes provide a great backdrop for this action classic. This film was a huge success when it came out, even managing to snag Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. (sadly, the director would never again match this critical success)

The DVD contains wonderful extras, trailers and interviews with the surviving cast members, and of course it's main attraction is the restored print in widescreen!

If you're in the mood for a great action flick that manages to combine terrific acting, direction, adventure and even humor, you could do no better than this 60's classic.

Well, this is certainly SOME kind of classic!

I recently saw this film as it was meant to be seen, in a theater with a packed audience of Gay men and Lesbians (and don't panic, some token Heteros too)! This was at the 2nd Annual Provincetown Film Festival, and this evening was hosted by John Waters. (If I need to explain who he is, then forget EVER seeing this movie)

John Waters informed us that this was the movie that he shows to friends of his as his "litmus" test, if they don't enjoy it, he claims to never speak to them again! I'm inclined to agree.

If you're a fan of camp, SEE THIS FILM! If you're a fan of Elizabeth Taylor, SEE THIS FILM! If you're a fan of Joanna Shimkus, well I don't know what to say then, except congratulations! You're the first one! (although, she is great in this movie)

What more can you say about a film that has Elizabeth Taylor decked out in Kabuki-Vegas drag holding an intimate bitchy dinner party with an aged and drunken Noel Coward (in a role written for a woman, and first offered to Katharine Hepburn!) To watch Miss Taylor in action, is to behold a true screen legend fully embrace her diva acting self. She lets rip with such abandon and power, she manages to wipe everybody else off the screen, including HERSELF!

While Richard Burton, Noel Coward, Joanna Shimkus, and Michael Dunn (of Ship of Fools and Wild Wild West[tv version, please!] fame) manage to deliver the goods in this Tennessee Williams free for all, it is the incredible Miss Taylor who grounds this late 60's arthouse flop, and manages to transcend it's failing qualities, to make it a screen orgy of bad taste and over the top drama!

Try and keep a straight face during Miss Taylor's prolonged coughing fit on the balcony! I thought I was going to be sick just watching her hack up her lungs. Watch Richard Burton somnambulistically maneuver his way through a role played on stage by Tab Hunter! (I can't help but think, that this film might have actually been pulled off as a straight drama with the original casting of Simone Signoret and Sean Connery!)

We lovers of camp and all things over the top should revel in this failed artistic masterpiece!

This film gets a 10 Star rating as Camp, and a 4 Star rating as anything else!

endnote: Where is the DVD/Video release of this film????!!!!!!

The beauty of this film is undeniable, unfortunately, it was butchered upon release, harming it's initial critical and audience reception. Thankfully! Today, we can glory in the masterful restoration of this true cinema classic. If you know anything about Jean Vigo and his work, you are familiar with his place in cinema history. He is the true "enfant" genius of film.

Zero pour Conduite and L'Atalante are two films which routinely appear on those annoying "Ten Best Films of All Time" lists. Lists which normally seek to squeeze in as many films as possible into 10 slots. (Those Sight & Sound people don't seem to be able to understand what 10 means!) Anyway, if you are a REAL Movie Lover (not somebody who ranks Tarantino or The Sixth Sense as masterpieces, get real) you will come to the films of Jean Vigo at some point in your moviegoing experiences.

Be prepared for poetic visuals which manage to combine the grittiness and mundane of everyday life with flourishes of surreal moments and true romantic splendor which captivate the heart of the movie lover.

This film should not be overly analyzed. Just sit back and enjoy the beauty of this mood piece. Vigo was a genius who could make a filthy barge look like the most beautiful object in movie history! All of the traditional elements are there. The acting and design are perfect without being showy. The cinematography can FINALLY be enjoyed due to the terrific restoration process! WHY ISN'T THIS FILM ON DVD????

But the magic of this film is due only to the indefinable genius that was Jean Vigo. If you truly love movies, you must watch this gem. (but please try your best to see the restored version, it will captivate you!)

I have read numerous accounts on the making of Rope, most of them focusing on the "trick" of continuous filming using 8-10 minutes of uninterrupted film. (length of film varies according to different sources) But rarely do they focus on the final finished product. Does this film work??

The answer in brief is Yes.

Certainly, this film does NOT rate as one of Hitch's best, but it is interesting and definately worth seeing, especially if you're a film buff or Hitch fan. The acting is uniformly good (stagey, but good), with Constance Collier and Sir Cedric Hardwicke stand-outs (probably for their vast stage experience more than anything else). They both know how to work the camera and maintain the theatrical energy needed to sell this "film/play".

James Stewart struggles valiantly with his miscast role, and succeeds. Dall and Granger are both good but rather hammy as the murderous gay couple. The rest of the cast are able but nothing extraordinary.

The beauty of this film lies in it's dazzling camerawork (dazzling for being so restricted) and the mood set by the designers. (with the exception of the normally brilliant Adrian, what in the world is that ensemble that Joan Chandler wears???)

The best scene for me was definately the housekeeper's (Edith Evanson) clearing of the party plates and candleabras, building the suspense to a great peak. I won't reveal what happens next, it is up to you movie lovers to find out.

As for the goofs noted on imdb, Granger's cut hand remains cut during the following palm reading scene. Look closely, you will see that he cleans most of it off with the linen, and you can still see blood in the corner of his hand! Also, the only time the film is clearly edited is the first of many reaction shots of Stewart beginning to realize that a murder has taken place.

This film would make a great evening of twisted gay killer movies, alongside "Compulsion" 1959 and "Swoon" 1992, all of them based loosely or directly on the famous Leopold and Loeb case.

This film transcends the "Children's Films" genre, to become a lovely miniature masterpiece. This director is fabulous! He is a master of mood and ambiance and a real artist with his compositions! (Just go see his Great Expectations modern remake for further proof!) The cast excels with the familiar material, Eleanor Bron is letter perfect as the wicked headmistress of the school, never descending into caricature, but still making her mark as a the villianous Miss Minchin. Liesel Matthews is a surprising delight as the title character, the other little girls are stereotypical but miraculously wonderful in their individual parts!

Rarely does a film completely draw you into it's world and grab hold of your emotions like this one. The imagery and design elements are remarkable. The passages from India are mystical and powerful, the use of green throughout the design elements is inspired and helps create this world of wonder seen through a child's eyes. Even though, we can guess the ending, it still manages to wring you dry of tears before the final lovely "silent movie" fade-out.

A pure delight from beginning to end! (this must be seen on DVD to fully appreciate the design elements)

After being told to watch this extended-video-masquerading-as-a -movie by several friends, I now vow NEVER to listen to these friends again!

On the plus side - This movie does have energy to burn, but when it freezes into it's "sick-soul-of-Europe" moments, it grinds to a deadly halt and simply reminds the audience how surface this entire piece is. The employment of techno music and animation and other MTV style tactics is used well, however, what is the point?? None sadly.

On the negative side - This is nothing we haven't seen before, just a wildly mixed bag of stolen pieces from Bresson to Godard, to Antonioni to Gunter Grass!!! The acting is amateurish at best, and only enhances the distancing we already feel for these characters. We don't understand or like them, how on earth can we care about them?? The multi veiwpoints become achingly dull and banal before the final freeze frame shot. It isn't even smart enough to be interesting on a Rashomon-multi-story level. This film is aimed so low, it can only please those people who regard MTV editing and manic direction as something innovative.

As to the comment listed below which compares this to Almodovar's All About My Mother (without having seen it NO LESS!) Don't be absurd! Almodovar's film is stylish and emotional and funny and about HUMAN beings, that make you laugh, cry, and FEEL about them! Finally, Oscar got one right this past year! Their Foreign Film Category has been laughable in the past (see: Madame Rosa, or Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears) (or worse, their exclusion of Ran, or the Red, Blue, and White trilogy!), but this year they nailed the true winner! Do yourselves a favor, don't see "Run, Lola, Run", go see a real movie instead!

Oh where to begin? The casting was beyond reproach, I do go on the record right now as saying that Miss Hewitt made a valiant "attempt", but failed miserably.

Nobody with any sense of who and what the real Audrey Hepburn was about could sit through this debacle without becoming ill. The characters (I use that word, because any passing resemblance to William Holden, Bogart, Mel Ferrer, Kay Kendall, Billy Wilder , William Wyler, Truman Capote, etc is so pale and insulting, that all that is left is a "character" type, not a real person) all react to this fictional Audrey as if she is eminating the most extraordinary Star Quality, but WE NEVER SEE IT! Miss Hewitt is hopelessly unable to generate any lustre or vivacity as Hepburn. The dates are screwed up, the design elements are amateurish, the faux costumes draped on Miss Hewitt make her look like a five year old playing dress up in a drag queen's closet, and the attempts at recreating scenes from Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's et al are so pathetic they don't even merit examination. STAY AWAY FROM THIS TRIPE!! If you are an Audrey fan, you will be scandalized, if you know nothing of Audrey, go rent some of her movies, this one will teach you NOTHING about her. This has to rank up there with previous horrible choices like Cheryl Ladd portraying Grace Kelly, or Lynda Carter failing miserably at portraying Rita Hayworth. If you want a good or at least decent recreation of old Hollywood stick to movies like Chaplin (flawed, but at least a good performance by Robert Downey Jr.), or even Marilyn with the Emmy nominated turn by Catherine Hicks (who gets most of it right), or hell, even Ann Jillian as Mae West (gutsy attempt). BUT NOT THIS MISERABLE FAILURE!

This is a wonderfully directed and uniformly brilliantly acted Suspense yarn with a heady mix of drawing room comedy. The now tired genre of stranding an odd-ball mix of characters in a trapped setting is given a comically fresh and wickedly mysterious lift by the vastly underappreciated director James Whale. This "ghost" tale, taken from the work of J.B. Priestley, and strikingly similar in tone and characters to his wonderfully melodramatic play, An Inspector Calls, is that rarity of mixed genres - Comedy & Suspense, which we will no doubt not see the likes of again. This is the world of Noel Coward mixed with Edgar Allan Poe. The cast is chock full of stars - Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Raymond Massey - and wonderful supporting character actors like Ernest Thesiger and Eva Moore, Brember Wills and the brilliant gender bending turn from Elspeth Dudgeon. See this Movie!!! The direction is brilliantly atmospheric, the characters range from silly to delicously macabre, and the tension and mood are indescribably and wonderfully bizarre. I won't spoil any of the plot twists, although they are far less important to the success of this film, then it's mood.

A terrific sense of horror looms over this amateur production. I loved the design elements, from the series of twig bundles to the abandoned "cabin" at the end with the bloodied hand prints on the walls. However, the amateur level of theatrics and ad-libbing take a major leap of imagination to overcome. Michael Williams comes off best in the least showy role, with Heather Donohue and Joshua Leonard coming across as sophomore college drama students left too long to their own devices. I understand it would be very difficult to develop any sense of plot and script when you leave it to the improvisational skills of untried talent, but perhaps a real script with improv touches would have resulted in a truly interesting horror flick. Also the conceit of having Heather NEVER give up her camera really breaks the believability in moments when no person would realistically keep filming.