King Of Hearts

Amazon.com

This film was a touchstone of the late 1960s, when it was seen as an antiwar allegory for a world in which madness seemed to reign. Of course, that would probably be true whenever this movie was shown, wouldn't it? Directed by Philippe de Broca and set during World War I, King of Hearts stars Alan Bates as a Scottish soldier separated from his unit in France. He wanders into a small French village that has been abandoned by its residents in the face of oncoming combat. Instead, the town is populated by the residents of a nearby insane asylum, whose keepers have fled--a fact that escapes the innocent soldier, who assumes these are the regular folks. A film that celebrates the innocence and wisdom of the insane, even as it questions who the real madmen are. --Marshall Fine

Description

One of the most popular foreign films of all time, playing continuously in some theatres for over five years, King of Hearts is a "bright, lilting, whimsical, lyrical" (Cue) comedy thatcleverly satirizes the absurdity of war with a "message [that is] meaningful and entertaining" (Boxoffice). Bumbling Scottish Private Plumpick (Alan Bates) is sent to a village in the beautiful French countryside during World War I on a suicide mission to detonate explosives set bythe retreating German army. The village, soon to be blown sky-high, has been abandoned by its inhabitantsand replaced with escapees from the local insane asylum. Now, with the mentally challenged running the town, Plumpick is crowned King! But his new title brings him his first horrible decision: to carry out his deadly mission or join the ranks of the blissfully ignorant who know nothing about war. King of Hearts is subtle, visually striking and, in short, the "ultimate display of madness" (Life)!

Customer Reviews:

Improved Version.......2007-06-29

I used to own this on laserdisc, but this DVD version is far superior. The LD version was full screen and this one is wide screen. There are restored scenes, and the print is considerably sharper. The colors also seem brighter. I won't mention the content, but for those who love this film...Highly recommended!

The King has returned.......2007-06-13

This is possibly one of the greatest films ever made! Its impact is just as profound today as it was when I first saw it decades ago. The performances and atmosphere are as timeless as war and comedy. It makes its social comentary through humor and flight of fancy. If you haven't seen this film, do so!

King of Hearts.......2007-02-20

Delighted to have what has until now been my favorite film. I have worn out the video making all my friends watch it!
Now I have the DVD and am out looking for new friends....

"We Have Decided To Be Happy, And There Is No Stopping Us".......2006-11-24

"We have decided to be happy, and there is no stopping us." So says Bishop Daisy.

When Alan Bates tells an impossibly young Genevieve Bujold, (divine sylph in yellow ballerina finery), that they have only three minutes to live, her response is, "That's great! Such a long time."

King Of Hearts has a whimsical way of tossing cherished assumptions into a cocked hat that succeeds brilliantly. This treasure has only gotten better with time; it delights the eye, the ear, the mind, the funny bone, and the heart.

One could easily enjoy KOH with the sound off, no small French village has ever looked more picturesque, or been populated by more visually appealing citizens. Fellini admirers will find the surrealistic parades familiar; they dance on the surface of reality like bubbles in the sun. Director Philippe de Broca created these film paintings without irony; their fragile magic is simply superimposed on top of the dumb, grim, WWI setting.

Factoring in the superb Georges Delerue score gives you a long succession of movie moments that are poignant at least, and sometimes truly haunting in their beauty. Alan Bates carries the film with a seemingly effortless performance; he makes the familiar look ludicrous and the bizarre seem totally reasonable. On many levels this is a very silly movie that never could work without such a reasoned, level performance.

KOH has really been damaged by over-analysis. It is an enchanting, light-hearted comedy that casts a very particular spell. It is not a daring, bare-knuckled indictment of war, (although it would be hard to miss its anti-war position). It is also not a manifesto proclaiming the wisdom inherent in mental illness. This said, KOH does invite viewers to ask - Who is more crazy, people who shoot each other or people who dress up and play pretend?

In the real world, mental illness isn't adorable. There aren't costumes and parades. There is only pain. In the real world, war is not always moronic and pointless; there is also nobility and valor. But that's the real world; KOH is a movie, an exquisite movie.

'King of Hearts' is King in My Heart.......2006-08-22

I have been going to the movies for a long, long time...starting in the late 1930's. 'King of Hearts' is very near the top of my list of favorites and I was delighted to be able to obtain my very own copy. The premise asks the question, 'Who is Really Crazy? The gentle souls confined to an insane asylum or the warmongers on the battlefield?' Though the actions of the actors is comedic and amusing, this can hardly be defined as a comedy. It causes one to think a great deal about a very serious subject.

Average customer rating:

Purple Heart.
Different WWII film that speaks to the war today
Purple Heart
"WE WILL BLACKEN YOUR SKIES AND BURN YOUR CITIES TO THE GROUND AND WIPE YOUR DIRTY LITTLE EMPIRE OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH"
A must see

Purple Heart
Starring: Dana Andrews , Richard Conte , Farley Granger , Kevin O'Shea (III) , and Don 'Red' Barry
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000MGBLJ6
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Amazon.com

One of Hollywood's most striking films of World War II has very little war in it, yet it whips up a fearsome power. A U.S. bomber that took part in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo crash-lands in Japanese-occupied China afterward. Captured, the officers and crew are hauled before a Japanese court and tried for war crimes. The trial is illegal and stacked against the Americans from the outset. But that doesn't stop it from developing into a fierce duel of nerves and icy politesse, especially between the U.S. commander (Dana Andrews) and the Japanese general (Richard Loo), who is the chief architect of the strategy to break the Americans and learn how the raid was carried out.

The story for The Purple Heart was written by none other than 20th Century-Fox studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck, resurrecting one of his pseudonyms--Melville Crossman--from the days when he used to crank out gangster pictures and Rin Tin Tin movies for Warner Bros. Did it have any corollary in fact? Home front audiences in 1944 were ready to believe the worst, and what The Purple Heart asked them to believe was both terrible and inspiring. The film was directed, pungently, by Lewis Milestone, a two-time Oscar winner and Hollywood's most honored chronicler of the horrors of war (e.g., All Quiet on the Western Front); cinematographer Arthur Miller, Fox's master of black and white, worked wonders with the claustrophobic interiors. The solid cast also includes Richard Conte, Sam Levene, and Farley Granger. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

World War II American fighter pilots are shot down over China and tortured. Dana Andrews, Richard Conte and Farley Granger struggle against tyranny.

Customer Reviews:

Purple Heart........2007-09-11

I was a little disapointed with this film unfortunately, as I was always a fan of Dana Andrews in my younger days.
However this is one that I had never seen. I know there are many of his films, and I shall keep on trying to send for the ones that I do like.
Sincerely Blanche Knowles.

Different WWII film that speaks to the war today.......2007-06-27

In my quest to see all of the great old films of WWII made in the 1940's, I bought this one and I'm glad I did!
It's very different from the "typical" battle-action films; this one is set mainly in Japan where American Army Air Corps pilots are put on trial for "war crimes."
In the course of their imprisonment, they are tortured to confess to crimes they didn't commit.
They have no real lawyers.
The Geneva Convention is never mentioned.
They go bravely and proudly to their deaths by execution.
All of it highlights not only the humane treatment we give enemy combatants now at Guantanamo Bay but also the fanatical aim of world domination of today's Islamofacist enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan is exactly like that of the Shinto/Bushido Japanese that we vanquished in WWII.
This movie is really a must see that acurately portrays the enemy in wartime as truly evil with none of the moral equivalence that we get from Hollywood and the Media these days.

Purple Heart.......2007-06-08

Fantastic movie, have enjoyed it for many years on my copy on a VCR tape that I made off of TV, and now I have a great DVD version of it. The best part of the movie is that it is in the Full Screen format and not as how most come. I wish that your organization could get more movies in the Full Screen format, and not as most company's use the Wide Screen or that stupid letter boxed. Keep up the good work!!

"WE WILL BLACKEN YOUR SKIES AND BURN YOUR CITIES TO THE GROUND AND WIPE YOUR DIRTY LITTLE EMPIRE OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH".......2007-04-04

This is an inspiring movie to ALL Americans at this stage of the war vs Japan...in reality, three [3] of the captured USAAF crew were beheaded, others tortured unmercifuly...3 survived at war's end...with the release of, "The Purple Heart" at Christmas time [1944] well after the Gen Doolittle raid in April 1942, it hit home and in our hearts to the heroics of our courageous United States Army Air Force and Naval Forces in harm's way...this movie depicts Japan for all of her quick grabs in the Pacific War; yet, Japan was wide open and vunerable to air attack...it helped lift our morale to perservere, sacrifice and no more surrenders, ultimately paving the way for Japan's unconditional surrender forevermore in Aug/1945...it was NOT a propaganda movie; conversely, a cornerstone film for total victory over Japan who was our most formidable and cunning enemy we ever faced on the sea and on the land...Dana Andrews stirring lecture to that Japanese judge rang true as the "USAAF will blackened your skies, day and nite we'll come to burn your cities to the ground and wipe your dirty little Empire off the face of the earth"...that was a TRUISM and justly so...sadly, today's liberal Americans can't relate or comprehend to just what a UNITED effort it took to bring the Japanese Militarists to extinction in Aug/1945...the Japanese got what they readily deserved with A-Bomb interest...this movie was a harbinger of what was to come to the home-islands of Japan...WW2 was a great American lesson to America's enemies...I loved this wartime 1944 film about wartime April/1942....SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

A must see.......2007-02-21

This is one of the all-time classic propaganda pieces of the war. Here we have the "typical" American unit made up of boys from Texas, Brooklyn, and Iowa, led by a steely officer (Dana Andrews)in a tribute to democracy. For my money, however, the scenery-chewing performance of Richard Loo as the Tojo-look-alike Japanese officer (complete with an appliance in his mouth to make his teeth look bigger...just like all of the print propaganda characatures of Japanese soldiers) steals the show. Loo's line "How many people will the white man sacrifice?" has become a cult classic with my colleagues and I and will likely remain so for some years. You've truly got to see this to believe it.

TCM Archives - The Lon Chaney Collection (The Ace of Hearts / Laugh, Clown, Laugh / The Unknown)

Average customer rating:

Not much to add to previous reviews...
Great value set for the enthusiast
When Will We See The Second Chaney Collection?
When was Lon NOT great?
Truly Great Acting

TCM Archives - The Lon Chaney Collection (The Ace of Hearts / Laugh, Clown, Laugh / The Unknown)
Starring: Lon Chaney , Leatrice Joy , John Bowers , Hardee Kirkland , and Raymond Hatton
Director: Wallace Worsley , Herbert Brenon , and Tod Browning
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000B1O9L
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Description

Long before teams of technicians used computers to bring monsters and superheroes to the screen, one man equipped with little more than a makeup kit and a remarkable acting talent dazzled moviegoers with his ability to transform himself into all manner of men, monsters and outcasts. That man was Lon Chaney. This 2-Disc Chaney celebration includes three of his major works. The Ace of Hearts, - a tale of murderous intrigue, Laugh, Clown, Laugh - Chaney as a love-smitten circus clown, and The Unknown - where Chaney is a armless knife thrower. These are in their most complete surviving versions. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh, Turner Classic Movies' compelling documentary Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces explores Chaney's diverse career and very private personal life. They are a few of this genius's thousand faces - faces that continue to amaze and entertain

Customer Reviews:

Not much to add to previous reviews..........2007-08-23

...only that, believe it or not, Lon Chaney in Germany is a complete unknown to today's audiences.
Whenever I mention the name to people around me (even true movie buffs) I am confronted with complete ignorance...Lon, who???
It is a shame that this great actor never found the recognition in this country, where during the silent era real motion picture history was written. Just imagine, how a collaboration between true artists such as Chaney and for instance Fritz Lang could have looked like!
But I guess this is just wishful thinking...
Let's instead enjoy this package we have here. Despite offering a mixed bag (with The Ace of Hearts for me providing a rather lame start), this box set contains two really exciting displays of Chaney's unbelievable talent. Laugh, Clown, Laugh is a deeply romantic story with Chaney acting as the too old and hence unwanted lover of a young artist. A movie that despite its rather simple plot but at the same time due to Chaney's amazing acting qualities offers a truly touching story, that if brought to the screen today would still find its audience.
The Unknown, the last and without any doubt the best movie of the three, offers a story that even under today's standards (and I am talking bizarre and blood stained movies such as Saw and alike) should thrill genre fans. For it proves that despite its bizarre if not sadistic contents the ACTING makes for a great movie experience. Chaney alone carries the twisted plot about a sideshow artist become cripple for his love of his life, just to find out that loves goes in a very different way...so, if you are into the cinema of the bizarre, and the cinema of great acting performances, you better sink your teeth into this one!

Great value set for the enthusiast.......2007-06-12

TCM have produced a great set of rare Lon Chaney silent films which will appeal to the Chaney fan and anyone interested in the history of the American film. The set consists of 3 films which were "lost" for many years, so it is great they are now available to view.

Michael Blake is the author of 3 books on Chaney and provides detailed commentaries on each film. Blake has clearly devoted his life to Chaney's legacy and his commentaries go way beyond what is seen on the screen. Accordingly, they are very interesting but possibly jaundiced about the films' appeal 80 years later.

The earliest film, from 1921, is "Ace of Hearts" a static and melodramatic story of a vigilante group who draw cards to select who will commit murder. The print is fairly poor and the film suffers from a snail pace and overacting.

The second film is "The Unknown", released in 1927. The film, we are told, is possibly the best of the partnership of the director Tod Browning with Chaney. The story is bizarre, the powerful story of a circus performer who cuts off his arms to win the girl. Joan Crawford, in a very early role, plays the object of Chaney's love. The film follows the common theme of unrequited love which appeared in many of Chaney's films. As well as observing Chaney's art, the film has excellent photography and Crawford is very different to the pretentious star she became, suggesting more talent than she subsequently showed. She also displays a rawness which is probably much closer to who she was before she became THE Joan Crawford.

The final film is "Laugh Clown Laugh", apparantly Chaney's own favourite of all his films. Once again, the film's theme is unrequited love with Chaney as a clown who makes the public laugh while he is heartbroken inside. This time, the object of his affection is the virginal and teenage Loretta Young and she displays the purity of emotion which was in all of her best performances pre 1935 long before the artificial later Loretta.

There is also a reconstruction of an early version of the vampyr legend, 'London after Midnight". This is a highly desired lost film but on the evidence of a few interviewees who saw the original film, the script and the stills, it looks like it might have been extremely melodramatic. While the reconstruction has been done lovingly, the result is static and rather boring, which is to be expected, I suppose.

Both "Laugh Clown Laugh" and "The Unknown" are missing scenes but what remains preserves Chaney at the height of his powers. They demonstrate that, in fact, his reputation as a horror star is misleading. He was a character actor who changed his appearance to suit the role in the same way as Charles Laughton and Paul Muni did much later. His talent for pathos is outstanding.

Possibly the best features of the DVD set are the marvellous documentary about Chaney and the short films about the competitions which TCM ran to locate new scores for the films. The DVD set is excellent value.

When Will We See The Second Chaney Collection?.......2007-02-11

I bought this set right away in October 2003. It has been over three years since this set was released. It includes great performances by Lon Chaney Sr. WHEN are we going to get a second collection? I personally would love to see "The Unholy Three," both the 1925 silent version and the 1930 talkie version released as part of a second collection, and also "West of Zanzibar," and maybe "The Road To Mandalay." This great performer deserves another release of his best and I for one will show up for my DVD collection the day it is released!

When was Lon NOT great?.......2006-09-25

Contained in this wonderful collection are the films 'The Ace of Hearts' (1921), 'The Unknown' (1927), and 'Laugh, Clown, Laugh' (1928), together with an awesome documentary about Lon's life and career (with ample film clips), a 40-minute stills and intertitle recreation of 'London After Midnight' (1927), audio commentaries by Michael Blake, Lon Chaney's definitive biographer, photo galleries, introductions to the films by TCM host Robert Osbourne, and a featurette on the composers who have won TCM's now-annual Young Film Composers contest. Two of those silents that were selected to have new scores written for them by the winners were 'The Ace of Hearts' and 'Laugh, Clown, Laugh.'

'The Ace of Hearts' was the first of Lon's films I ever saw, and even though it's not really the height of greatness, it did make me into a big fan. The origins and purpose of this secret society which Lon belongs to are never really explained (we just have a vague idea of their purpose), and the plot was also a bit of a mystery. However, as curious and under-par though this film might be, Lon totally steals the show. He just *looked* like an actor, and lived up to all of the great things I'd heard about what a wonderful actor he was. I was really impressed by his body language and facial expressions, and how he just inspired such sympathy in the audience, wanting him to be the one to get the girl (the beautiful Leatrice Joy) and to have a happy ending.

'The Unknown' is bizarre, to say the least. It was directed by Tod Browning, his favorite director, who did a lot of macabre disturbing unconventional pictures like this. It also seems as though there's some footage missing from this one, at only about 50 minutes long, added to the fact that it was only available in murky 9.5 mm black market copies until 1968, when it was discovered, along with some other films, in France, in cans labeled "l'inconnu" (i.e., "unknown"). What remains is really good, however. Alonzo is a supposedly armless knife thrower in love with his beautiful assistant Nanon (Joan Crawford), who is afraid and distrustful of men with arms. We're never really told just why she's so afraid of a man who could put his arms around her, but one suspects that she was raped or abused in the past. However, as we come to find out, Alonzo does have his arms, only he's hiding them so that Nanon will love and trust him. He's also hiding them because he has double thumbs, and the police are looking for him for some crimes he's committed, knowing only that it was a man with the same condition. Things take a turn for the worst when Nanon sees him from the back strangling her father (though luckily she doesn't see his face), and the life-altering decision Alonzo makes is not only incredibly disturbing, unthinkable, and creepy, but also leaves the door open for the handsome strong man in their travelling circus, Malabar (Norman Kerry), to move in on Nanon, who has always pushed away his romantic overtures. When Alonzo comes back to the circus after taking care of his bizarre business, things get even creepier. Once again Lon makes you feel sympathy for this strange character, someone you'd ordinarily feel repulsed and horrified by.

'Laugh, Clown, Laugh' is a truly touching and heartbreaking film, and came out in the last really great year for silents, by which time the artform had truly reached its peak and been beautifully perfected. It is rather disturbing how Lon's character, Tito the clown, develops romantic feelings for Simonetta (Loretta Young) when she becomes a young woman, even though he and his partner Simon have been raising her as practically their own daughter since they found her abandoned when she was just a toddler, but you get the feeling that deep down he realises how wrong and foolish these feelings are, not only because she's like a daughter to him, but also because he's an older man, and doesn't have anything to promise her the way her much younger and more handsome suitor Count Luigi (Nils Asther) does. A famous story about the filming of this movie is that the director, Herbert Brenon, was often quite rude and mean to Loretta Young, who was just a teenager at the time and barely starting her career. However, he was always civil to her whenever Lon was around, and after he picked up on this, he was with her constantly, even when they were shooting scenes he didn't appear in, guiding, directing, and mentoring her, and protecting her from the abusive director.

The stills recreation of 'London After Midnight' is alright, but doesn't really deliver a big punch due to the lack of actual film footage that might speed the story along better or make it seem more compelling and interesting. If only there had been even some surviving footage to pad out the stills with, as in the recreations of 'The Young Rajah' and the four-hour version of 'Greed.' This film has long been among the holy grail of missing silents, ever since the last known surviving print was destroyed by a vault fire at MGM in 1967. However, people who saw it in its original run and even as "recently" as the Fifties or Sixties have usually been quoted as saying that it wasn't all that great, and that the people so desperate to find it would probably feel the same way if they had had a chance to see it. Perhaps this is a classic case of something being elevated to high status due to the reputations of Chaney and Browning and the fact that it's lost and no longer able to be judged on its true merits. As sad as it is that an overwhelming amount of silents were lost, both within their own lifetimes and in the ensuing decades, not all lost films were great works of art that modern-day people would be really impressed by and enamoured of. Just like with modern-day movies, most silents too were just fun lightweight date movies or something for a rainy day, not epic timeless classic masterpieces or movies that are so good you want to watch them over and over again.

Overall, this is a great collection. Lon was great in every film he was in, even lacklustre efforts. His mere presence could elevate something that would have appeared only ordinary or even bad had some other actor been in it. His growing up with Deaf-mute parents played a big part in how he was so skilled at pantomimic acting, in making the viewer feel sympathy and empathy with characters whom they ordinarily would have walked on by or spat on in disgust or fear, and the stories about how he had keen empathy in real life for people who were different are also legendary. This small sampling of films is compelling proof of just why he was one of the 20th century's greatest male film actors.

Truly Great Acting.......2005-03-25

Let me just go on record of saying that the closest equivalent to Lon Chaney that we have working today is Robert DeNiro. Think about it - Chaney went to extraordinary lengths to achieve authenticity (60 pound hump on his back to play Quasimodo, wires to pull his face back in the Phantom's death's-head grin, DeNiro gains weight for Raging Bull, etc), Chaney had a tough, strong, solid physical presence that lends his every appearance a weight and reality that most other actors lack, he often played the darker side of human nature but did so with sensivity, realism, and pathos, and Chaney was a hard working professional, a non-nonsense person who was dedicated to his craft. I've associated Chaneyt and DeNiro in my head for a long time now and have never read or heard that comparrison, so I figured I would hereby make a public positing of that comparrison. By the way, these films are great, essential silent movies that any true film buff MUST see.

Ronald Reagan - The Signature Collection (Knute Rockne All American / Kings Row / The Hasty Heart / Storm Warning / The Winning Team)

Average customer rating:

Warner Signature Collections -- well worth the $$$
Fine Ronald Reagan Performances
AWESOME COLLECTION!
Great Movies
Ronald Reagan - The Signature Collection

Ronald Reagan - The Signature Collection (Knute Rockne All American / Kings Row / The Hasty Heart / Storm Warning / The Winning Team)
Starring: Pat O'Brien , Gale Page , Ronald Reagan , Donald Crisp , and Albert Bassermann
Director: Lloyd Bacon , Sam Wood , and Vincent Sherman
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FTCLSK
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Amazon.com

The movie star who would be president is remembered with his own DVD five-pack, all culled from Warner Bros. titles made between 1940 and 1952. It's a good sampling of Reagan's relatively brief movie-star prime: a second lead in good movies and leading man in lesser properties. Athletic, cornfed, and energetic, Reagan's persona in these movies foreshadows the qualities that voters would later see in the politician. Will this collection convince anybody he was a great actor? Unlikely. But he knew how to embody an idea.

The earliest film here is Knute Rockne, All-American, the 1940 biopic of Notre Dame's legendary football coach. Pat O'Brien has the title role in this boilerplate Hollywoodization, and although Reagan's part is small it is pivotal--and it would follow him for the rest of his life. He plays ill-fated Notre Dame player George Gipp, whose deathbed plea to Rockne--"Win just one for the Gipper"--became a national catchphrase. It's an efficient, cornball picture, and a fond childhood memory for anybody who encountered it at an early age.

Kings Row (1942) is consensus pick for Reagan's finest screen hour. A big, juicy, and really quite weird melodrama, the film cruises through the creepier side of small-town life, with Reagan in a very appealing groove. He plays the more rascally of the two male leads (Robert Cummings is the sensitive hero), a breezy charmer whose talent with the ladies gets him in trouble. The most lurid twist in the movie leads to Reagan's line, "Where's the rest of me?", which became the title of his autobiography. An extremely entertaining movie, with director Sam Wood inestimably aided by James Wong Howe's lush cinematography and Erich Wolfgang Korngold's classic music score.

Reagan's career cooled after the Second World War, and he plays a second lead in 1949's The Hasty Heart, an adaptation of a hit play. Set in a military hospital in Burma just after the war, the story hinges on a group of patients concealing a fatal prognosis from an ailing Scotsman (Richard Todd). The creaking of the play is all too apparent, although Todd's performance is expert. Patricia Neal, still new to movies, plays the nurse in charge. Reagan gets to display his photographic memory by reeling off the books of the Old Testament by rote. This one has the sole commentary track in the package, which has the (possibly unique) feature of having the director, Vincent Sherman, begin weeping as he's talking about the film.

Storm Warning (1951) is an effective but odd hybrid: part film noir, part socially conscious picture. Ginger Rogers witnesses a Ku Klux Klan killing as she's stopping off in a small town to visit younger sis Doris Day; Day's hubby Steve Cochran is one of the killers. In one of his best roles, a laid-back Reagan plays the uncompromising local district attorney. The film has some superb noir shots in it, but the expose of the KKK is truly tame: although the word "lynching" is used, there's no racial angle to the movie at all. It's more like the Klan is a crime syndicate that needs to be cleaned up. In The Winning Team Reagan plays famed baseball pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander, whose struggles with illness and alcoholism form the spine of the tepid plot. Doris Day, now top-billed, co-stars as Alexander's supportive wife. The movie pays proper tribute to a legendary baseball moment: Alexander's heroic performance in the 1926 World Series. It's another win for the Gipper. --Robert Horton

Description

Before he became the 40th president of the United States of America or even governor of California, Ronald Reagan was a veteran Hollywood actor who, though he played mostly in Warner Bros.' films. He was extremely likable as an actor -- handsome, charismatic and accessible-- the very ingredients required to be a successful leading man in Hollywood in the 30's and 40's. Now available on DVD are five of Reagan films in Ronald Reagan: The Signature Collection.

Customer Reviews:

Warner Signature Collections -- well worth the $$$.......2007-01-22

Warner does another stand-up job with the Ronald Reagan Signature Collection. Some of these films are well known and a couple of them are not, making it a great collection worthy of a spot in any serious DVD collection.

And -- no Bedtime for Bonzo in sight! (Mainly because it's a Universal title, but this set does a great job in highlighting the former Commander in Chief's Hollywood career).

Fine Ronald Reagan Performances.......2006-12-06

I really enjoyed watching these Ronald Reagan films. I hope more of his films will be released on DVD, especially "International Squadron," "Million Dollar Baby," "The Bad Man," and his Brass Bancroft thrillers.

AWESOME COLLECTION!.......2006-12-04

I own this set and I am very satisfied with it. I had never seen any of
these wonderful movies and I am very glad that I was able to get this set.
I am a Ronald Reagan fan (as an actor and politician) and I am pleased to be able to recommend this collection. I consider it a collector's item.

Great Movies.......2006-11-10

I am an old movie buff, will not watch anything rated above a PG rating,
I love collecting the oldies, have favorite leading stars, Doris Day, Cary Grant, Debbie Reynolds, James Garner, Gary Cooper (the collection now offered does not have of my favorite movies.) Clarke Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball to name a few. Thanks Amazon for being so prompt on your deliveries, and the prices are great.
I would love to purchase "Magnificient Obsession" w/Jane Wyman and "Bundle of Joy" staring Debbie Reynolds please notify me if these become available. I had been waiting for "The Winning Team to be released so when the package was offered I jumped on it. Thanks again for being so prompt and great prices. Television has gotten to where it is not fit to watch, so I collect old movies for the decency and enjoy watching them. this may not be the kind of review you were looking for but, I just wanted to thank you.
Barbara Simanovich

Ronald Reagan - The Signature Collection.......2006-11-06

An excellent choice of Ronald Reagan Films. Especially "Storm Warning" which had never even been released on Video. A very enjoyable collection.

Golf Channel - Arnold Palmer; Golf's Heart and Soul

Average customer rating:

Arnold Palmer; Golf's Heart and Soul

Golf Channel - Arnold Palmer; Golf's Heart and Soul

Manufacturer: Golf Channel
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000KC8N70
Release Date: 2006-11-02

Description

The Golf Channel takes you on a most uncommon journey into the private life of Arnold Palmer. Look inside the private life of Arnold Palmer. Hear his stories first hand and share in some of golf's greatest moments! From humble beginnings in the Pennsylvania foothills to close friendships with Presidents and Kings, The Golf Channel takes you on a most uncommon journey into the private life of one of America's most public & enduring heroes, Arnold Palmer.

Customer Reviews:

Arnold Palmer; Golf's Heart and Soul.......2007-02-20

This was one of the Golf Channel's first documentaries. They did a terrific job on it. Arnold Palmer is one of golf's greatest stories and his life and legend is brought to life in this 2-hour presentation. If you enjoy golf and the people that made it great, this is a must for you. Just to hear some of the things Mr. Palmer has to say makes it worth while.

Average customer rating:

A Feel-Good Blues Concert!
Da Blues
Killer DVD
Great show
THE BEST BLUES DVD AVAILABLE11111111111111111111

My Hearts in Texas
Starring: Smokin Joe Kubek , and Bnois King
Manufacturer: Blind Pig
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Texas Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music

Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000F6ZPKY
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Amazon.com

Anyone with enough cheek to call himself "Smokin' Joe" better have the goods to back it up; and if your last name is King, you shore 'nuf better be able to play the blues. The good news is that Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King acquit themselves nicely in this concert, recorded on New Year's Eve, 2005 in a Ft. Worth club. Both Texas bluesmen are fine guitarists. Kubek's sound is fast and fiery, with a hard, stinging tone somewhat akin to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, while King's playing is a jazzier, more melodic and idiosyncratic (and thus a little more interesting to listen to); while Kubek takes the lion's share of the soloing, the contrast in styles works best when they trade licks on two extended jams, "Crazy World" and "Where I Want to Be." King handles all the singing, recalling Albert King, while the rhythm section (Paul Jenkins on bass and drummer Ralph Powers) is solid and workmanlike. So what's not to like? Nothing, really--but there's nothing much to love, either. The eleven original tunes, all of them good but none of them exceptional, are drawn from standard genres (rockin' shuffle, slow ballad, minor key lament), but let's face it: in the absence of outstanding showmanship on anyone's part, we're really here for the guitar playing, and an hour or so of that should prove to be plenty. Extras include interviews with Kubek and King and an all-acoustic bonus track. --Sam Graham

Description

This blazing New Year's Eve performance at the legendary J&J Blues Bar in Forth Worth, Texas is this veteran duo's first DVD. Holiday cheer and roadhouse ambiance make for a uniquely satisfying taste of Joe and Bnois trademark Texas blues. The companion CD (BPCD 5102) has a slightly different program than the DVD.

Tracks:
1. Burnin' To The Ground
2. I Saw It Coming
3. Crazy World
4. My Heart's In Texas
5. Tell Me Why
6. Better be Getting It On.
7. Where I Want To Be
8. She's Too Busy
9. I Need More
10. Make It Right
11. Healthy Mama

Customer Reviews:

A Feel-Good Blues Concert!.......2007-09-06

If you need a little boost, something to get you going and feel a little better, put on this DVD and it should do the trick. Most of the numbers are pretty uptempo and between Joe's licks and the guitar work of both he and Bnois King, you'll be pleased with this concert.

I have to say I don't know if I have seen a concert filmed in what looks like such a small little bar! I don't know how they fit cameramen in to film it; it's pretty packed in this small Texas room, but everyone is having a good time. People find space to dance, too, and get into it. This is good-time hard-driving Texas blues. King's voice is different from any other blues singer I've heard, too, and it gives Kubek's band a different flavor.

Da Blues.......2006-12-11

This is a FANTASTIC DVD. No complaints at all. EVERY cut is great. A must for blues lovers. 5 STARS FOR SURE

Killer DVD.......2006-09-19

I saw these guys a couple of weeks ago at the Durham Blues Fest. They kicked arse and stole the show. Awesome......

Great show.......2006-08-05

I have seen this band twice live and this DVD is a nice way to relive those memories. The music is great and the film makes it fill like your right there. I would have liked to seen more shots of the crowd and the bar but overall I loved it!!

THE BEST BLUES DVD AVAILABLE11111111111111111111.......2006-05-16

I'VE REVIEWED ALOT OF BLUES DVD'S IN RECENT TIMES , BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE AS GOOD AS THIS!!!! SMOKIN JOE AND THE BOYS ARE A 10 STAR IN MY HUMBLE OPINION. THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE IS THAT IT WASN'T 2 HOURS LONG OR MORE. PLEASE DO ANOTHER DVD, SMOKIN JOE................

Average customer rating:

Very sweet natured family film.

Huck & The King of Hearts
Starring: Chauncey Leopardi , Graham Greene (II) , Dee Wallace (II) , Joe Piscopo , and Gretchen Becker
Director: Michael Keusch
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Kids & Family | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0002DRDKA
Release Date: 2004-08-17

Customer Reviews:

Very sweet natured family film........1999-01-06

A loosely updated version of the classic Huckleberry Finn. A young boy flees abusive stepfather and goes in search of the adventurous grandfather that he's never met. Along the way he meets "Injun" Joe, a small time con. They team up and head for Vegas, while trying to stay ahead of the gangster who wants to kill Joe.

Hopalong Cassidy - Hopalong Rides Again / Heart of Arizona

Average customer rating:

"showdown between good guys and bad guys ~ Hoppy!"
A Fan

Hopalong Cassidy - Hopalong Rides Again / Heart of Arizona
Starring: William Boyd , George 'Gabby' Hayes , Russell Hayden , William Duncan , and Lois Wilde
Director: Lesley Selander
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000714AN
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Product Description

"Hopalong Rides Again":
Hoppy is to lead 1,000 head of cattle through dangerous rustler country. To ingratiate himself with Hoppy and his friends, "Professor" Hepburn pretends he's an esteemed "bone hunter." Determined to stop Bar-20's plans for the upcoming cattle drive, the Professor dynamites a cliff, crushing the chuck wagon carrying Hoppy.

"Heart of Arizona":
Two-faced cowpoke Twister steals a herd of cattle and pins the blame on Hoppy's unfortunate friend, Lucky. But Hoppy and Windy aren't buying Twister's tale and set out to clear their buddy's name. Guns are blazin' on Belle Starr's ranch in the Heart of Arizona for a final showdown between the good guys and the bad guys!

System Requirements:

Starring George 'Gabby' Hayes, John Elliott, Natalie Moorhead, Nora Lane, Russell Hayden, William Boyd

Directed by Lesley Selander

Running time: 131 minutes

Customer Reviews:

"showdown between good guys and bad guys ~ Hoppy!".......2004-08-16

Paramount and Clarence E. Mulford's fictional western character Hopalong Cassidy comes to life through William Boyd as Hoppy, George "Gabby" Hayes as Windy Halliday and Russell Hayden as Lucky Jenkins with two films from the late '30s ~ both horse operas directed by Lesley Selander.

First on the program is "HOPALONG RIDES AGAIN" (1937), based on Mulford's 1923 novel "Black Buttes" with outstanding photography from Russell Harlan's camera serves up beautiful landscape ~ Hoppy instincts are usually right on and in this case the villains are in for it once again.

Second feature is "HEART OF ARIZONA" (1938), based on the author Clarence E. Mulford's 1929 novel "The Deputy Sheriff" with an ultra screenplay by Norman Houston and once again Russell Harlan's cinematography captures the theme and mood from a woman's point of view ~ Natalie Moorhead as Belle Starr gives a touching performance, almost a scene stealer.

Hoppy's interaction with Windy (Hayes) is always a shot in the arm with his down-to-earth humor and sentimentality, theses scenes are pure Americana! Boyd, with his silver hair, black clothes and white horse (Topper) rode into our lives and we've never been the same since...your children and grandchildren will enjoy this clean wholesome entertainment...Hoppy always wore two silver white handle six shooters, never drank or smoked, when the good guys always won and the moral to the story was fair-play ~ outstanding role model...gotta love it!

Total Time: 133 mins (2 films) DVD ~ Image 1834 ~ (12/10/2002)

A Fan.......2003-01-05

I have some of the other Hoppy dvd's and I enjoy them. If this is any like the others I'm sure you will enjoy them As Well........

Average customer rating:

King of Hearts
Starring: King of Hearts
Manufacturer: YORK HOME VIDEO
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000AP04DI
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Product Description

It is a story of two people who have given up love but find each other despite themselves through a twisted turn of hilarious events. Engaged couple, Jada and Caleb try to hook up platonic friends Exavia and Drew. Exavia and Drew confide each other about failed loves and nightmarish dates. All the while, Jada and Caleb (who each have no idea what the other is doing) set the friends up on blind dates with each other...on the same night, but at different places.

Charlie Rose with Brian Lehrer & Noam Chomsky; David Ross & Shirin Neshat; Jeffrey Toobin & Bryan Stevenson, Dennis Riordan, Beth

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Brian Lehrer & Noam Chomsky; David Ross & Shirin Neshat; Jeffrey Toobin & Bryan Stevenson, Dennis Riordan, Beth

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000KC8LYA
Release Date: 2006-11-02

Description

First, guest host Brian Lehrer talks with Noam Chomsky, an MIT linguist and political analyst. He`s been teaching at MIT for 50 years now, questioning the legitimacy of American power, as well as our understanding of where language and human behavior come from. Dr. Chomsky has had a run of international bestsellers since 9/11, and he has a new book called Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy Example number one of the failed state in the book - the United States. Next, guest host David Ross interviews artist Shirin Neshat. Born in Qazvin, Iran in 1957, she moved to the U.S. to study art at the age of 17. After 12 years, she returned to Iran for the first time and found a country transformed by the Islamic revolution. Soon after, she began to channel her feelings of displacement and exile into her art. With photography and video, she has created a remarkable body of work that explores both the role of women in Islamic society and the cultural conflicts of the East and West.||Finally, a panel discusses the death penalty, and why numbers of deaths due to capital punishment are declining in spite of a 68% approval rating. Guest host Jeffrey Toobin is joined by Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, Dennis Riordan, a criminal defense attorney at Riordan & Horgan in San Francisco, and Beth Wilkinson, who was one the prosecutors in the Timothy McVeigh trial and is now executive vice president of the Fannie Mae Corporation.

DVD:

DVD

DVD