Psycho (Collector's Edition)

Amazon.com

At last--a great American movie available on video for the first time in its original aspect ratio. For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night. Psycho gets the masterpiece treatment it deserves on DVD, with extras including newsreel footage surrounding the making and release of the movie; an archive of production stills; the special trailer in which Hitchcock (acting as one of the original Universal Studio tour guides) himself leads viewers around the Bates place; credit designer Saul Bass's original "shower scene" story boards; posters and advertising materials for the movie's William Castle-like publicity campaign (No One Will Be Seated After the Feature Begins!); and a 90-minute documentary on the making of the film! What more could any movie fan possibly want? --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

NORMAN VS LEATHERFACE!.......2007-08-21

My caption comes from the fact that both "Psycho" and "The Texas Chainsaw Masacre" were loosely based on the same killer Ed Gein. These are completely different films of course, but I find it interesting none the less. I have seen "Pyscho" so many times that it's not something I watch often now. The movie is still brilliant and what made me want to see it recently was the fact that I finally built my home theater. I wasn't born when "Pshcho" was released in theaters and after 20 years of dreaming of having a home theater(long before they seemed possible)my vision has come true! The screen I have been viewing the movies I've reviewed is 150 inches which is a little over 10 feet long by little over 7 feet high. It was almost like watching it for the first time! I saw little things I never noticed thoughout the film and the score never sounded so good. If you have never seen this movie, you have missed one of the most copied films ever! The version I'm reviewing is in the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece collection box set. Four reasons to buy this movie...It's Hitchcock, Perkins gives the performance of his career, it's one of the best horror/thrillers ever made and the DVD transfer is excellent!

NOT Anamorphic Widescreen.......2007-07-19

Need I say more? This 5-star movie on the Universal DVD is shown in "widescreen" format, but framed within a 4:3 viewing ratio. Which means you get black bars on the top and bottom, AND left and right. Which doesn't look like what you expect to see with any other movie on your widescreen TV. Do you get it? So, my conclusion is that Universal Home Video has really screwed up on the Hitchcock films they control. From the botched "restoration" on Rear Window (it's too fuzzy), to the goofy foley effects re-recorded for Vertigo, and now this insult to movie buffs (similar to BBC video's that keep their widescreen content firmly fixed in the 4:3 frame).

Paramount, on the other hand, got it right with their latest issue of "To Catch A Thief" with a clean sharp print, preserving the original VistaVision aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (as anamorphic widescreen).

I don't know why so many of the classic Hitchcock films are getting such bad treatment, with films such as "Notorious" and "Spellbound" remaining currently unavailable (check out the used prices to see how valuable these films really are). What I have seen from Criterion are only partially restored, and not digitized and cleaned up as current restoration efforts can accomplish.

I'm passing on any more Hitchcock DVD's from Universal, unless I have some confidence that the re-issues are done with some real attention to the quality of the release, as Paramount has done with their later releases.

A True Classic.......2007-07-07

It's well worth it NOT to learn anything at all about the plot of this movie before you watch it. Part of the fantastic thrill of watching the tale unwind is learning the ins and outs of what is going on. You probably already know the keynote situation - a knife in a shower scene - but luckily that comes early on, so you don't spend half the movie wondering what it is all about.

Many aspects make this movie spectacular and worthy of the #18 AFI top movie rating. The black and white filming makes every shadow and corner suspect. It's not a movie about gore and blood - in fact many scenes deliberately scare you without showing you what actually is going on. Your imagination supplies the activity. It's more a movie about nerves - about wondering what is going to happen, worrying about consequences.

You can tell how amazing a movie is when, many decades later, a new director works to make a scene-by-scene reproduction of the movie with modern actors, just to help bring the story to a new generation. Viggo Mortensen fans are familiar with this one.

Highly recommended.

an unusual masterpiece.......2007-07-06

By far Hitchcock's most twisted film, psycho twists plot, twists characters, and twists gender as no film ever had done.. Hitchcock was probably the best director at making technical breakthroughs and also in making those breakthroughs enjoyable for the audiece without any threads showing.. This is especially evident in psycho.. but also in other films like Vertigo with its famous vertigo camera effect that would later be copyed by several directors..
Psycho was a great success for Hitchcock and perhaps his last absolute masterpiece (though i would argue that the birds and Marnie were truly great masterpieces - and two of my favorites..) Anthony Perkins was truly made to play Norman bates.. although his career suffered afterwards as he would always be remembered as norman bates and he couldn't get the casting he deserved..
interestingly Hitchcock was extremely popular with the french new wave directors.. and psycho was kind of their bible in film - how to break the rules in effective ways..

Psycho.......2007-06-28

Made at the peak of his career in 1960, "Psycho" was suspense master Hitchcock's last and most famous black-and-white picture--and a film that inaugurated the sub-genre of slasher movie. By the standards of today's gore-fests, it's a fairly restrained murder mystery, but disturbing nonetheless, achieving its chills more by what is withheld than shown. Hitchcock knows just how to heighten our dread of who or what might be at the top of the stairs, or beyond that shower curtain. The terrifying "Psycho" stands above most any psychological thriller made since.

Average customer rating:

WOW
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
John Ford and John Wayne's eighth and penultimate Western together, an elegy for the passing of the Old West!
the man who shot liberty valance
Best Western Ever!!

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Starring: John Wayne , James Stewart , Vera Miles , Lee Marvin , and Edmond O'Brien
Director: John Ford
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Outlaws | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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

All Titles | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

1960s | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

Westerns | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

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

ASIN: B00005ASGG
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Amazon.com essential video

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." That's more than the code of a newspaperman in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; it's practically the operating credo of director John Ford, the most honored of American filmmakers. In this late film from a long career, Ford looks at the civilizing of an Old West town, Shinbone, through the sad memories of settlers looking back. In the town's wide-open youth, two-fisted Westerner John Wayne and tenderfoot newcomer James Stewart clash over a woman (Vera Miles) but ultimately unite against the notorious outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Ford's nostalgia for the past is tempered by his stark approach, unusual for the visual poet of Stagecoach and The Searchers. The two heavyweights, Wayne and Stewart, are good together, with Wayne the embodiment of rugged individualism and Stewart the idealistic prophet of the civilization that will eventually tame the Wild West. This may be the saddest Western ever made, closer to an elegy than an action movie, and as cleanly beautiful as its central symbol, the cactus rose. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

WOW.......2007-08-09

The Duke, Lee Marvin, Jimmy Stewart. Man they don't make 'em like that anymore. Too bad, it definitely stands the test of time.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.......2007-08-07

I am a fan of John Wayne and enjoy his movies. This is one of his best

John Ford and John Wayne's eighth and penultimate Western together, an elegy for the passing of the Old West!.......2007-07-07

The critics panned THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE when it was first released in April 1962, Not least because it went over much of the same ground explored in FORT APACHE (1948). But the general public thought otherwise and the test of time has proved the latter right. Shot in black and white, with two obviously over-aged stars and mostly studio-bound the only concession to its day was the wide-screen aspect! Gene Pitney also had a huge hit with a song of the same name released at the same time but omitted from the soundtrack because John Ford was said to have hated it!

This dark-tale is of the Old West versus the advancing 20th Century. A train draws into the small western town of Shinbone the only passengers to get off, are Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) they are accosted by local reporter for `The Star' young Charlie Hasbrouck (Joseph Hoover) followed by his editor Maxwell Scott (Carleton Young). Stoddard reveals that they are in town for the funeral of an old friend Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). In the funeral parlour they find Doniphon's coffin guarded by his faithful black servant Pompey (Woody Strode). Scott persuades the Senator to give his account. Meanwhile ex-town-marshal Link Appleyard (Andy Devine) takes Hallie on a buckboard ride out to Toms burnt out old house, here they find masses of cactus roses in bloom, Link steps down and picks one for her.

Now back in Shinbone the story is then revealed in flashback - A gang led by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) ambushed Stoddard's stagecoach. He tries to defend a fellow female passenger but suffers a savage beating in the process and is left for dead. Tom Doniphon brings him to his girl friend Hallie Ericson at PETER'S PLACE (a venue for home cooking) at Shinbone after finding him on the trail! On discovering who attacked him Doniphon told Stoddard "Liberty Valance's the toughest man south of the Picketwire [River] - next to me". Stoddard is a lawyer by profession and is determined to bring Valance to justice he elicits the reluctant help of Marshal Link Appleyard and Shinbone Star founder and editor Dutton Peabody (Edmund O'Brien) in the meantime he helps out washing dishes and serving tables at PETER'S PLACE, he also runs a class teaching people to read and write, whilst telling them that `the pen is mightier than the sword'. One night Valance and two of his henchmen Floyd (Strother Martin) and Reese (Lee Van Cleef) burst into PETER'S PLACE hijack a table and generally causing trouble, Floyd gleefully points out to Valance, that he has spotted Stoddard waiting on tables. Valance trips Stoddard causing him to drop Doniphon's steak dinner on the floor. Doniphon and Valance square up for a gunfight after Doniphon ordered Valance to pick up the steak, but Stoddard picks up the steak to ease the situation, all concerned know sooner or later Valance will be back.

As the tension continues to mount Stoddard is helping out Editor Peabody who allows Ranse to hang his Attorney at Law sign outside the Star Newspaper Office, he is also going off and practicing with a six gun twice a couple of times a week. Tom Doniphon tells Hallie that he going north of the Picketwire [River] for some time horse-trading on his return he reports trouble brewing with the big ranchers who have recruited Liberty Valance and his henchmen to mess up the coming Territorial Convention for Statehood, Stoddard and Peabody are finally selected as the two delegates required whilst Valance was completely rejected. In an editorial Peabody blackens Valances name. Later Valance, Floyd and Reese beat Mr Peabody to within an inch of his life, Ranse sends the marshal to find Valance for a final showdown. Although Liberty wounds Ranse with his first shot - Ranse somehow manages to get off a shot, Valance falls to the ground and is pronounced "dead" in the street by Doc Willoughby. Stoddard is plagued by guilt and is only relieved when Doniphon fills in the missing details. Following the shooting of Valance, the wounded Stoddard is elevated to super hero known to all as "The man who shot Liberty Valance" he also wins Hallie's hand in marriage and goes back East to pursue a life in politics. Whilst having lost Hallie, a disappointed Tom Doniphon steps aside and retreats to into reclusive obscurity.

Stoddard having completed his story to the press was surprised when the editor tears up the script Ranse asked Scott "You're not going to us the story Mr Scott". "This is the West, Sir". Scott said. "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend". Finally Hallie left a cactus rose on Toms coffin as a symbol of their lost love. So with Donophin buried and their business concluded in Shinbone the Stoddards catch the train back to Washington they are welcomed onboard once again by the conductor Jason Tully (Willis Bouchey) Ranse thanks Jason for all his help and Jason replies "Nothing's too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance".

A fine cast with some great performances all round although the likes of Lee Marvin, Edmound O'Brien, Ken Murray and John Carradine "Ham it up a little". Whilst the two leads were in reality too old for their parts with the love interest Vera Miles being some twenty-odd years their junior, she however gives a beautiful restrained performance as the woman torn between two men! Ford too was on top form with the domestic scenes in Peter's Place cooking and serving up the dinner plate sized steaks to a full house followed up by the enevitable washing up - BRILLIANT!

It was near the end now for the most successful Director / Star relationship in making Western Movies. Ahead lay. "The Civil War" chapter of HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962) and finally a non-Western DONOVAN'S REEF (1963). But Big John Wayne was far from finished, increditably over the next dozen or so years, another twenty-one films lay ahead, fourteen of them Westerns including his Oscar winning TRUE GRIT!

This Widescreen Collection DVD includes Sub Titles, Theatrical Trailer and Scene Selection. This film really deserves the full treatment of a Special Two Disc Edition with extras including Gene Pitney's title song. Nevertheless a must for all Western fans, others should enjoy it too!

the man who shot liberty valance.......2007-06-27

The first time I saw "The Man who shot Liberty Valance" was on TCM.I was amazed at the casting of this fine old western and decided to buy it for my library of old movies. I was not disappointed. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, along with Lee Marvin made this far better western than most movies were in it's day! It is fun to see all of these actors in their prime, doing what they do best! Thumbs up!!

Best Western Ever!!.......2007-04-23

John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart come together to lead one of the most dynamic casts of characters ever put into a western movie.

Who really shot Liberty Valance?

In a story that speaks to true inner strength and humility, the question is answered after the strangest turn of circumstances sees Jimmy Stewart (Ransom Stoddard) rise from humble (almost cowardly) beginnings to become a very well-respected man of the community. It's only later in life that he learns he's made his name on the actions of John Wayne's character...

I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it, but one thing you learn in this movie is that things are not what they first seem. And that makes the movie WAY ahead of its time!

I am stoked to see it available on DVD.

Average customer rating:

This film does not entertain, nor is it meant to
"For A Stud That's A Real Handicap."
I'm not a cowboy, I'm one helluva stud!
Gritty
A masterpiece

Midnight Cowboy
Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Jon Voight , Sylvia Miles , John McGiver , and Brenda Vaccaro
Director: John Schlesinger
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Gay & Lesbian | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

ASIN: 0792833287
Release Date: 2000-01-01

Amazon.com

The first, and only, X-rated film to win a best picture Academy Award, John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy seems a lot less daring today (and has been reclassified as an R), but remains a fascinating time capsule of late-1960s sexual decadence in mainstream American cinema. In a career-making performance, Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, a naive Texas dishwasher who goes to the big city (New York) to make his fortune as a sexual hustler. Although enthusiastic about selling himself to rich ladies for stud services, he quickly finds it hard to make a living and eventually crashes in a seedy dump with a crippled petty thief named Ratzo Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman, doing one of his more effective "stupid acting tricks," with a limp and a high-pitch rasp of a voice). Schlesinger's quick-cut, semi-psychedelic style has dated severely, as has his ruthlessly cynical approach to almost everybody but the lead characters. But at its heart the movie is a sad tale of friendship between a couple of losers lost in the big city, and with an ending no studio would approve today. It's a bit like an urban Of Mice and Men, but where both guys are Lenny. --Jim Emerson

Description

Daring. Provocative. Shocking. Compelling. Nearly thirty years after its original release, "Midnight Cowboy is still heartbreakingand timeless" (The New York Observer). This Academy AwardÂ(r) winner* for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay also boasts OscarÂ(r)-nominated** performances by Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, neither of whom have "ever been better on screen than they are here" (Chicago Tribune)! When Joe Buck (Voight), a good-looking,naively charming Texas "cowboy" makes his way to the Big Apple to seek his fortune, the only wealthhe finds is in the friendship of Ratso Rizzo (Hoffman), a scrounging, sleazy, small-time con man with big dreams. Living on the tattered fringe of society, these two outcasts develop an unlikely bond one that transcends their broken dreams and get-rich-quick schemes and makes Midnight Cowboy "that rarest of things: [a film] every bit as moving now as it was when it was [first] released" (Premiere). *1969 **1969: Actor

Customer Reviews:

This film does not entertain, nor is it meant to.......2007-09-05

I won't bother with a description of the plot. What I find most interesting is the vast divergence between those who love and those who hate this film. And I think it comes down the general presumption by most viewers that commercial film is a medium for entertainment only. This film does not entertain. It will instead leave you feeling hopeless over the dehumanization of urban life. It will also bond you to characters who are ultimately lost in life and either the walking dead or the soon to be buried.

Every secondary character exists to show that both Rizzo and Buck are not simply just naive and pathetic losers for being bad street hustlers, but are in fact upstaged in their depravity and callousness by the supposed 'marks' they attempt to con or prostitute for. This is not so much a parable of the anti-hero's redemption in spite of his own failings, as much as it is a statement about an urban socialite landscape that uses and disposes of our anti-heros for puerile and sadomasochistic pleasure, like slaves whipped for the pleasure of patrons in a Roman bath.

Rizzo's and Buck's relationship is the only honest expression of human bonding throughout the film. And they are at the lowest rung of the social ladder. That - I think - is critical for why so many dislike this film. Because it turns on its head the classist notion of education and social refinement as the driving force of all humanistic gains. Instead, we see the least desirable and least refined as the most human characters in a grimy landscape of ugly buildings, littered streets, and wealthy socialites without any sense of community.

Juxtaposed between this anti-social statement on modern urban life is total hopelessness for Buck as his last and only real friend dies in the final scene. We are left with a double-negative that does not turn positive: the great society which attempts the humane is shown to be even more disagreeable and manipulative as are our anti-heros, while at the same time the one human connection made throughout the film is negated by a thoroughly preventable death. And so Buck is once again alone, left to tackle a life of poverty and hardship without the redemption of a close human connection.

In a sense, what we learn is that there is no humane in humanity among either the socialites or the uneducated and naive fools. There is only disconnected and lonely nihilism for us all. And that statement - at that time - is what made this art, not 'mere entertainment'.

"For A Stud That's A Real Handicap.".......2007-08-31

"Midnight Cowboy" offered to me one of my earliest fond memories in my film education. I saw it in a truncated version on UHF in 1980. Despite the cuts for content it still had the power to move me. To be honest it moved me to tears which is not something one easily admits to. It's a film about an unlikely friendship between Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a naive cowboy who has unrealistic dreams of gaining his fortune as a male prostitute in New York and Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a gimpy tubercular ersatz grifter. The alliance is utterly believable because at first it's born from convenience and the inherent isolation both characters feel and evolves into the love the two feel towards each other. Voight is utterly charming as the aw-shucks Westerner. This part introduced Voight to film audiences in a big way. Hoffman's part is a real eye opener because it was his followup to "The Graduate" and there couldn't be two more diverse roles and Hoffman escapes into these characters completely. New York plays a big role in the picture but I don't think the Chamber of Commerce would approve. The film demonstrates how the ritzy side of the Big Apple co-exists uneasily with the seedier side. This contributes to the isolation the characters feel. This is a first rate picture that was eminently deserving of the Best Picture Oscar it won despite the "X" rating the MPAA slapped on it at the time of it's release.

I'm not a cowboy, I'm one helluva stud!.......2007-08-06

A masterpiece of a movie that I am just now appreciating,really for the first time. I remember my parents seeing this movie way back in 1969, and not really understanding any of it. It is a unique movie in so many ways, and it is easy to see why my parents were so confused.
Midnight Cowboy was also had it's own Mort Drucker movie spoof in an issue of Mad Magazine, so I familarized myself with the general story many years ago as a kid.
Later, I watched it on the late movie and it made very little sense because it was heavily edited.
Without re-describing the narrative thrust of it, this movie is an initiation into big city hustling, street prostitution, drug use, and just surviving on the streets of New York. Made years before the word "homeless" was an active part the American vocabulary, this movie is somewhat prolific in tone, and although it is set in the late sixties, it could be any following decade. If any kid thanks that hustling and panhandling in the streets of New York could be "romantic" or just wants to be in New York and living on the streets just to be there and away from home, needs to see this movie.
What makes this movie a masterpiece is the top quality acting, the use of flashbacks to maximum effect, and just the subtle way of showing us how any regular "Joe Buck" can be turned into a monster by their past, their present cicumstances, and their lack of hope. And yet, there is something wonderful in finding friendship even in the worst places.
Winner of the Academy Award for best picture of 1969, it certainly is a worthy mainstream film that also be considered as one of the best "art" films of all time as well.
I have not watched disc 2 yet, but still give this one 5 stars! The postcards included are the best movie PR postcards, ever!
Harry Nilsson, Rest in Peace!

Gritty.......2007-08-05

This movie is rated # 36 in Newsweek magazine's "Best 100 movies of the last Century". I am collecting them, and I agree with the rating.

A masterpiece.......2007-07-31

A work of cinematic art must do two things: show something new in a new way, and use all the elements of the medium to their fullest possible advantage.

The film is certainly not humorless. The humor is not pie in the face; instead it is wry, somber, intelligent.

Editing, composition, sound, light, acting, screenplay, and dialog are utilized to put forth the plot and express the theme. Fine art does not become dated. Screenplay by Waldo Salt portrays the growing friendship between two, emotionally and economically struggling human beings--both of which happen to be men-- living a harsh existence in the slums, set in late- 1960s New York City.

The plot and character development progress via the use of expertly and sensitively filmed and edited, deftly placed, carefully scripted and brilliantly acted flashbacks as well as crisp, provocative dialog, complemented by stirring and character-revealing music.

Schlesinger is one of the few directors who makes flashbacks work for discerning audiences who grasp the subleties of complex multilayered screenplays that refuse to brush inconvenient and stark realities away from public view.

Joe Buck and Ratzo Rizzo's life journeys connect them not only to each other but to the emotional fabric that had been missing from each of their lives. The message of Midnight Cowboy, though admittedly bleak on the surface, is also filled with a hope that even through trials and anguish and strife, one's humanity can shine through, making almost everything worth struggling for to achieve some form of human connection.

Midnight Cowboy is an incredibly beautiful and complex work of cinematic art. Highly recommended for people over the age of sixteen who have begun their own intensive thinking processes about society, what it means to be human in a near-intolerable, dog-eat-dog society and who do not allow the commerical, tepid media fare that is constantly served up to them get the better of their ability to question the status-quo in film or in life.

20 Million Miles To Earth (50th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

Deluxe treatment of a beloved Harryhausen classic
Another Harryhausen Gem!
Quick fix for the technical problem
great movie
20 Million Miles To Earth (50th Anniversary Edition)

20 Million Miles To Earth (50th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: William Hopper , Joan Taylor , Frank Puglia , John Zaremba , and Thomas Browne Henry
Director: Nathan Juran
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Sci-Fi | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Science Fiction | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000QGEB1W
Release Date: 2007-07-31

Amazon.com

Special-effects legend Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion talents and "Dynamation" (rear-projection) process are the highlights of the '50s-era creature feature 20 Million Miles to Earth. An American spaceship returns to Earth after a mission to Venus and crashes into the sea near Sicily. A sole survivor (William Hopper) is rescued, along with a specimen that quickly grows into a reptilian biped called the Ymir. The being eventually grows to 20 feet high and escapes its confines, whereupon it rampages through Rome before a showdown with the military. Despite lacking much of a personality, the Ymir is a marvelous showcase for Harryhausen's skills. Unfortunately, the rest of the film does not match his level of excellence; direction by Nathan Juran is perfunctory (his later collaborations with Harryhausen, including The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, are more lively), and performances and scripting are flat. Still, Harryhausen fans should enjoy this opportunity to see this phase of his career before he created his most enduring works. --Paul Gaita

Product Description

Special effects genius Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans)brings you one of his earliest groundbreaking films, now available for the first time in vibrant color! When an American spaceship crash-lands off the coast of Sicily, a rescue team discovers that the crew has brought back a gelatinous mass that soon hatches and evolves into a strange bi-ped creature which increases in size rapidly. Soon 20-feet tall, the creature rampages through Rome before being destroyed as it seeks refuge in the Colosseum.

Customer Reviews:

Deluxe treatment of a beloved Harryhausen classic.......2007-09-15

Although not as impressive as his later, more popular films, Ray Harryhausen's work on 20 Million Miles to Earth is still marvelous entertainment. And now, here comes a super-deluxe package of not only the film, but a wealth of supplemental material for fans to enjoy.

But first, let's get this "colorization" business out of the way. I've never understood some people's disdain for black & white movies. And I think 20 Million looked just fine in its original form. Having said that, it's important to realize that Harryhausen himself participated in the process, so it has his full approval. In fact, in the 20-minute documentary on Disc 2, Harryhausen states he would have made ALL his Columbia pictures of the fifties in color if he'd been given the budget. So, even though I'm a purist at heart, it doesn't really bother me that the film has been colorized. As for the result, the color looks no better or worse than other films of the same era that were filmed in color. And the disc gives you the options of viewing the film in its original black & white.

The master himself comes off sharp as a tack in the various interview segments. It's amazing that this man, well into his eighties, has such vivid recollections of films he made over 50 years ago. Director Tim Burton sits down with Harryhausen and shows how much of a fan he (Burton) himself is, asking questions we all would ask if we had the same opportunity. Other filmmakers such as Terry Gilliam and Rick Baker offer their experiences with Ray's films as well. Burton and Gilliam, directors known for their visual styles, point out that the films' still-impressive special effects often overshadowed the limited acting abilities of their stars. Actress Joan Taylor (who starred in 20 Million and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers) also has fond memories of the films, and looks great for a woman in her seventies.

Rounding out the extra features are a gallery of ad artwork, one of Harryhausen's original sketches, a comic book teaser "20 Million Miles More," and featurettes on the film's music and the colorization process. Curiously, the original theatrical trailer (which was included on Columbia's previous single-disc release) is omitted. In its place are trailer for "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal."

I suspect die-hard fans will still be put-off by the colorization idea. However, this 2-disc set has so much more to offer, plus the aforementioned ability to view the film in its original form. It's definitely worth picking up.

Another Harryhausen Gem!.......2007-09-14

With very few exceptions, movies are considered the "property" of either
the director or the leading actor/actoress. Ray Harryhausen is one of
those few exceptions.

His master craftsmanship in the use of stop-motion photopgraphy as a special-effect propells Mr. Harryhausen far above anything produced
at a computer work-station, in as much as that he wasn't striving
for "realism" in his efforts; Mr. Harryhausen was just giving form to the
viewers' imagination while extending their 'suspension of disbelief'. The
Oscar he received for his work on "Jason and the Argonauts" was both well
earned and well deserved.

"20 Million Miles To Earth", as well as Mr. Harryhausen's earlier works,
doesn't have much of a plot, but quite frankly, it doesn't need one. His
special-effects are more than adequate to please the pallate of this genre's collector. To emphasise my point, when Mr.Harryhausen put as
much effort into the plot, as well as the special-effects, he earned his
*first* Oscar, for "Jason and the Argonauts".

"20 Million Miles To Earth" is another gem in the collective works of
Ray Harryhausen and a definite "must-have/get" for this genre's collector.

Quick fix for the technical problem.......2007-09-05

Several customers have complained that the angle toggle icon remains on screen for the duration of the movie. This is not a feature of the disc itself. It's a feature of your DVD player, and it can be disabled. Normally you do this by accessing the Setup menu of your player, then switching the "Angle Icon" function to the "Off" setting. (Consult your DVD player's manual for details.) Incidentally, even with the icon no longer visible, you can still toggle between the B&W and color versions of the film by pressing the Angle button on your remote.

Now, what about the movie itself? I always liked it a lot in its original black and white, and was skeptical about a colorized version. But the colors are really terrific - vivid blues and greens, fairly natural skin tones, and decent texture and detail. Colorization has come a long way. For the most part, you may not even realize that the film is colorized, although there are occasional giveaways if you look hard enough.

I'm surprised to say that I like "20 Million" even better in color than I did in B&W. The turquouise Mediterranean skies and colorful Italian backdrops add variety to the film. The action sequences are more spectacular. (For instance, the scene where the Ymir emerges from the Tiber is far more effective in color, and the battle with the elephant works better too.) The night sequences benefit the least from colorizing, but aren't harmed by it. The fact that Ray Harryhausen gave his imprimatur to this release lends it added credibility.

Overall, I'm very happy with this disc, and I hope other B&W sci-fi/fantasy films from the '50s are given the same high-quality treatment. (If you're still undecided, clips of "20 Million" are available for preview on the Sony website.)

great movie.......2007-08-31

color really came though good . this was a great buy can't wait for the next one to come out-wilbur

20 Million Miles To Earth (50th Anniversary Edition).......2007-08-31

What can I say, a classic is a classic is a classic if you like old Sci Fi. Great restoration!

Average customer rating:

Moby Dick
Moby Dick my review
Haven't bought it yet...but was excited to see in on DVD
A classic movie - all kids should see
Moby Dick

Moby Dick
Starring: Gregory Peck , Richard Basehart , Leo Genn , James Robertson Justice , and Harry Andrews
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Sea Adventure | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

ASIN: B00005AUKA
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Amazon.com essential video

There are so many things right about this 1956 production of Moby Dick, it's a shame it is remembered for the one (debatable) thing wrong with it. As Captain Ahab, the bearded, one-legged, insanely obsessed whaler, Gregory Peck has often been called miscast. The mild, level-headed Peck had many talents, but the volcanic eruptions of Ahab seemed beyond him--even Peck himself felt he was a bad fit for the part after he finished playing it. (Pauline Kael opined that Peck looked like "a stock-company Lincoln.") Yet Peck's quiet brooding works an intriguing variation on the fiery character. John Huston, a director with a taste for location shooting, had his hands full with the difficult open-water filming in Ireland and the Canary Islands ("The catalogue of misadventures was unbelievable," he later wrote). Since Ahab is chasing the rare white whale, three false whales had to be constructed, two of which were lost at sea. For all the miscues, the film is amazingly controlled, and especially beautiful to look at: Huston and cinematographer Oswald Morris developed an unusual color process meant to suggest old whaling engravings. The director wrote the script with the science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, an inspired choice to adapt Herman Melville's epic novel. Richard Basehart plays the narrator, Ishmael, and Orson Welles provides a wonderful single-scene role as Father Mapple, declaiming the mysteries of the sailor's life in a thundering sermon. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Moby Dick.......2007-09-13

I have read Melville's novel several times, it's a favorite of mine. I saw this film 20-30 years ago, and just received it on DVD, hoping I was wrong then: that this movie was a disaster, to the book, to movies.
I was unfortunately hoping in vain. It's the ultimate disaster. The dialogue tells the pictures, the pictures tells the dialogue, the music (horrible and horribly used) tells the dialogue and the pictures, and backwards ... it goes on and on. Unbelievable that for instance Kurosawa about the same time shot Seven Samurai.

Moby Dick my review.......2007-06-18

Moby Dick is a great book, The movie version is good. Gregory Peck may not have been right for Captain Ahab,but was good enough to show the revenge maddend whaler as the villan of the film. The cast does a good job, Ishmael and Quequeg were well played. The special effecects were good its easy topull for Moby Dick over Ahab. Moby Dick is great look at not only whaling but obsession, hate, and the grim stuggle whalers faced at sea.

Haven't bought it yet...but was excited to see in on DVD.......2007-03-22

I saw the original in the theater. I must have the DVD. It was great in the theater. When Capt is snagged in the harpoon lines on the side of the whale, the entire theater gasped. It was cinematic history!

The popcorn was better back then too.

A classic movie - all kids should see.......2007-01-09

I've read the book many times, have owned a VHS copy for years and finally decided to breakdown and but a DVD copy.
Got 2 teenage boys and managed to convince them this was worth watching. We watched it together and although compared to the production quality of today's flicks, they were glued to the plasma display.
And talked about for several days after.

Moby Dick.......2006-11-10

One of Gregory Pecks finest roles other then in To kill a Mockingbird.
He was captain Ahab. Great story line, very true to Melvilles novel.
I read Moby Dick in high school and as a college project, now I see even more clearly what melville was talking about.
"I'll get thee whale", you had better believe it!

A Christmas Carol (Original B&W Version)

Average customer rating:

My Christmas favorite
Sim IS Scrooge!!
A Christmas Carol (50th Anniversary Edition)
A Christmas Carol (1951)
A work of art with a little extra

A Christmas Carol (Original B&W Version)
Starring: Alastair Sim , Kathleen Harrison , Mervyn Johns , Hermione Baddeley , and Michael Hordern
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Manufacturer: VCI Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

7-9 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Adapted from Books | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

ASIN: B00000JT8Z
Release Date: 1999-11-02

Amazon.com

This is the desert-island choice of the many versions of A Christmas Carol, with a magnificent, full-bodied portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge by Alastair Sim that leaves everyone else in the dust. Lean and direct, this film's version of the story wastes no time trying to impress viewers with the magical nature of the spirits' visitations. Director Brian Desmond Hurst keeps the focus on Scrooge's life story, beautifully simplifying and underscoring the theme of lost women with a haunting musical refrain from the folk song "Barbara Allen." Sim's commitment to the role is at times astonishing; his Scrooge's Christmas-morning ecstasy is a marvel of giddy technique. Watch for Patrick Macnee (Steed in The Avengers) as the young Jacob Marley--the actor made his screen debut in this 1951 production. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

My Christmas favorite.......2007-07-16

"A Christmas Carol" don't appear on television anymore so this is a good investment. It will round out your Christmas holiday to sit down with eggnog and cookies and view this timeless classic.

Sim IS Scrooge!!.......2007-06-29

A lot of men have played Ebenezer Scrooge over the years, but NONE with the accuracy, passion and believability of Alastair Sim... This man simple BECAME Scrooge! All performances from then on were merely attempts to capture the magic he captured in this brilliant adaptation of the classic Christmas tale.

(Okay so maybe Michael Caine in the MUPPET VERSION but I digress...)

This story remains a classic... and the original version with Alastair Sim is one to be enjoyed by generations.

My dad enjoyed it as a child. I enjoyed it as a child and now my son enjoys it... A tradition in the truest sense.

A Christmas Carol (50th Anniversary Edition).......2007-06-28

Absolutely the BEST version ever! Alastair Sim IS the best Scrooge ever!

Christmas Eve is not the same without this movie playing at least once in the family room. We have watched this since I was a child and hoped to for many more years to come.

A Christmas Carol (1951).......2007-06-25

Based on Charles Dickens's most widely read and enduring story, this definitive 1951 British version, better known as "Scrooge," outdoes all others for atmosphere and, of course, characterization. The incomparable Alastair Sim, a gifted actor who seamlessly inhabits his role, makes you believe he is Scrooge. Skillfully directed by Brian Desmond-Hurst, "Carol" is tight at roughly eighty-five minutes, yet remains extremely moving, with Sim's droopy eyes projecting all of Scrooge's terror, shame, and regret. By contrast, his outright giddiness at the film's conclusion will leave you feeling just the same way--very much in the holiday spirit.

A work of art with a little extra.......2007-05-28

Clearly the best version I have ever seen.It has been a family tradition for all of the family to sit and enjoy this classic. Before VCR came along I always searched the T.V guide to be sure it was being aired on Christmas eve.

One little tidbit, when Scrooge is joyfully romping around the bedroom on Christmas morning,he is looking in a mirror. If you look closley you will see the director in the mirror as well in both scenes.

American Pie - The Naked Mile (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Crude humor at its finest
Not another Stiffler movie!
Naked Mile was a pretty good marathon
American Pie: The New Lampoon
I actually thought it was sweet

American Pie - The Naked Mile (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Steve Talley , Candace Kroslak , John White (III) , Jessy Schram , and Angel Lewis
Director: Joe Nussbaum
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

ASIN: B000JJSJPU
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Amazon.com

Kudos to the home-video exec who came up with the "Presents..." prefix to keep a movie franchise going, even though it has almost no relation to the entries that came before. This is number five in the series that started with American Pie, an unexpected hit of a teen sex romp that kept the box office and DVD grosses (not to mention gross-outs) coming. The last entry, American Pie Presents: Band Camp, was the first non-theatrical release, which gave the filmmakers more "anything goes" freedom in the "unrated" department than ever. The Naked Mile kicks it up another notch with more gratuitous female nudity, bodily fluid flinging, and sexual overtones than anyone thought could be topped. Pubescent boys and those with minds forever stuck in that dimension, get ready to ogle babes and roar at puerile humor like you never have before. The only American Pie connections are in the form of the Stifler family, filled with a never-ending string of sex-crazed high school and college boys, and Eugene Levy as family friend Mr. Levenstein, who pops in for a (presumably) hefty paycheck and a couple of lines of sexual wisdom about the connection between promiscuity and growing up. Our hero, Erik Stifler, is on a weekend vacation at the local college where his cousin knows all the hot babes. He's in possession of a "free pass" from his virginal girlfriend to lose his own virginity. His visit just happens to coincide with the college's traditional Naked Mile run, an excuse to fill the screen with raw young flesh and stupid drunken frat kids engaging in silly sexual deviance that some people may find funny. And let's face it, if they're going to find the nudity and sordid sex play offensive, they're not going to have this DVD in their hands. All ends as it should: Erik finds true sex--ahem, love--with his girlfriend and everyone else finds it with whoever is handy. Mostly importantly, the cycle is left open with everything ripe for another sure-to-be classic in the American Pie Presents series. --Ted Fry

Description

Ready to run wild with hundreds of naked coeds in one of the craziest college traditions ever? Then you'll love the all-new, hilarious slice of American Pie, served up Stifler-style in American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile. When Erik Stifler realizes that he's the only Stifler family member who might graduate high school a virgin, he decides to live up to his legacy. After some well-meaning advice from Jim's dad (Eugene Levy), Erik's ready to take his chances at the annual and infamous Naked Mile race, where his devoted buds and some uninhibited sorority girls will create the most outrageous weekend ever. Filled with smokin' hot girls and the insane Stifler antics you know and love, this slice of American Pie delivers shocking and heartwarming fun all the way to the finish line.

Customer Reviews:

Crude humor at its finest.......2007-08-28

I'm a fan of the Pie series so I happened upon The Naked Mile. Hi-freakin'-larious! I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoyed the previous films.

Not another Stiffler movie!.......2007-08-05

The movie itself was alright, lots of gratuitis boob shots as promised. However, I'm just slightly annoyed that the movie was again about a member of the Stiffler family. I understand that it was the most versatile direction for the directors to go with, but still, could have done with something a little more in depth than that. Wait, did I just say "in depth" in the same conversation as an American Pie movie? Nevermind, ignore me. Great movie if you want boobs and midgets.

Naked Mile was a pretty good marathon.......2007-05-01

I saw Band Camp a while back, and was extremely disappointed. It was just lame lame lame. When this one came out, I thought I would give it a try just because it couldn't get much worse than Band Camp. I was pleasently surprised that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and is actually pretty good.

Once again we meet a Stiffler. This Stiffler is a somewhat awkward one, not living up to his family reputation of obnoxious and deviant behavior. He is looking to live up to his family name, and when he is given a weekend pass by his girlfriend, he and his equally awkward buddies (in reminiscence of the original Pie triology) go off for a weekend at his cousin Stiffler's college. The hilarity ensues, as they are going to take part in the Naked Mile streaking, binge drinking, and all the other accoutraments of college life.

Why not 5 stars? They played on some pretty obvious things, like the midget football, the underwear party, and the girls with weird fetishes. And didn't you know from the beginning that college Stiffler would bang his rival's girlfriend even though she was a midget? The good Stiffler realizes that he doesn't want to run wild, he just wants to be with his girlfriend at home. And at long last they get together. A little predictable, but still a pretty good time.

American Pie: The New Lampoon.......2007-04-15

Is it just me or is American Pie becoming another National Lampoon type thing where they just create a bunch of weak, strait to DVD movies that are trying to sale based on the American Pie franchize name? About as lame as the Dukes of Hazzard sequal, Dumb & Dumberer, and the numerous Disney movies comin' out with strait to DVD release sequals to movies made like 50 years ago.

I actually thought it was sweet.......2007-03-04

Not in that way sweet, of course. the fact that he rode a horse to her and stayed together and wont let sex come in between them. I actually want a boyfriend like that. Good movie. Eventhough it has strong sexual content in it, people ages from 14-18 would enjoy it and get the part of the story better.

Average customer rating:

Oh, the misery.
You've fallen and you can't get up...but somehow you're still higher than a bunch of third graders on Ritalin...
Hilarious...because its horrible
It's 10 o'clock. Do you know why your children are cackling insanely?
Well, it's funny sometimes anyways...

Reefer Madness (Restored Edition)
Starring: Dorothy Short , Kenneth Craig , Lillian Miles , Dave O'Brien , and Thelma White
Director: Louis J. Gasnier
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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

Cult Movies | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

ASIN: B00018D3XM
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Amazon.com essential video

Although it was made in 1936, Reefer Madness didn't become a cult hit until 1972 when the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) rescued it from the Library of Congress film archive. Thereafter, it was a mainstay on the midnight movie circuit. And it's easy to see why. The ostensible story involves a group of upstanding young high school students who succumb to the allure of the "killer weed." What follows, as if by natural progression, is a catalog of crimes that includes hit-and-run driving, loose morals, rape, murder, suicide, and my personal favorite, permanent insanity! The action is at times so hysterical, in both senses, that you may forget to inhale. Honors go to the wild-eyed, cackling hophead David O'Brien; his performance reaches a raw intensity that is hard to imagine. One measure of this film's pervasive influence is the extent to which its title continues to be invoked in news stories about decriminalization and medical marijuana. Such posterity for unintentional humor must be rare. A great film to see stoned, man. --Jim Gay

Amazon.com

A propaganda film from 1936 that has become a cult hit because of its dated outlook on marijuana use, Reefer Madness is the height of camp entertainment. Framed as a "documentary," the film is narrated by a high school principal imparting his wisdom and experiences with the demon weed. The bulk of the film focuses on almost slapstick scenes of high school kids smoking pot and quickly going insane, playing "evil" jazz music, being committed, and going on a murder spree. Meant to be an important and affecting cautionary tale, this dated black-and-white film's true value is in its many entertaining moments of unintended hilarity. --Robert Lane

Description

Reefer Madness is a campy cult favorite first released in 1938 as a propaganda film meant to scare America's youth off of drug. In this quintessential classic, innocent teens partake of the "demon weed" only to find that one puff plunges them into a hilarious web of murder, sex, lunacy and jazz music.

Customer Reviews:

Oh, the misery........2007-06-26

Reefer Madness (Louis J. Gasnier, 1936)

For some reason, this weekend, there was a treasure trove of old movies I've always wanted to see scattered across our television. I started Sunday night's Depression-era extravaganza with Reefer Madness. Now, I'm fond of saying of bad movies--those with a certain élan, anyway--that they're probably better watched through a haze of smoke that can only be generated by certain controlled substances referenced in the title of this film. This is the exact opposite; while I know it's grown to be a cult favorite among some of my, shall we say, more indulgent friends, I can't imagine a movie being any more of a buzz-kill than Reefer Madness.

It's amazing how much influence Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will had already had a year later; compared to earlier propaganda films, at least, Reefer Madness is a triumph of subtlety and decorum. That said, it would probably have been pulled off a whole lot better (and, ultimately, been a whole lot more dangerous) had the people who put this film together decided to exercise the merest standards in casting for this movie. In a film in which my main outrage should be directed to the absolute idiocy of the "scientific studies" on which the movie's script is supposedly based, I can't find it in myself to get past the quality of these actors. The first scene where we meet Bill Harper (Kenneth Craig) and his girlfriend Mary (Dorothy Short) is so painfully acted that I almost choked. On my water. Uhhhh, yeah, water, that's it.

It only gets worse from there. Honestly, it really is one of those movies so bad you have to see it to believe it. A lot of people seem to think that it's bad enough to tip over the line into that sort of cheesy brilliance one associates with Night of the Lepus, but it didn't catch me that way. Well, at least I can say I've seen it now. *

You've fallen and you can't get up...but somehow you're still higher than a bunch of third graders on Ritalin..........2007-04-17

Reefer Madness remains a cult favorite to this day. Originally produced to scare parents into keeping their children away from the scourge of marijuana, the film faded into obscurity after a brief while. It was rediscovered during the 1960s when, of course, all types of experimentation and drug use spiked up much higher than ever before. People then found the film to be amusing--and they are right. Reefer Madness was produced with good intentions but quite frankly it's a hoot to watch and sometimes you just can't help but laugh.

This generous DVD offers us both the restored black and white version released in 1936 as well as a colorized version. You can also choose to listen to a commentary during the movie or you can simply watch it straight through on your own. Mike Nelson of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" does a great job with his running commentary. Either way, the film's scare tactics prove to be too lame for today's much more street wise people. If you want to scare kids away from drugs, Reefer Madness won't do the trick. The kids will probably be smart enough to just laugh at all the melodramatic scenes replete with over-the-top campy performances.

Reefer Madness tries its best to tell the story of the dangers of marijuana by showing us a few months in the lives of several high school students. In just this brief period of time they go from being the All-American Boys And Girls Club to being the horrific monsters who actually share intimacy before any wedding plans are announced--and they dance as if they're truly enjoying themselves! Of course, there's the obvious byproduct of playing the piano too fast, which in and of itself must be stamped out. The only truly serious scene in the movie--when someone gets bumped off--is probably the only time you'll experience a sense of sadness at the situation. Reefer Madness also points the finger at organized crime for distributing the drug.

Reefer Madness is best seen in its historical context as an outdated form of scare tactics meant to keep kids away from drugs; and it truly was produced with the best of intentions. However, with the passage of time and with new social mores and norms, the film plot becomes campy and hard to completely believe. The truth is most people laugh at it; and frankly it is pretty humorous, too.

The added short film entitled "Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook" by Evan Keliher is hysterical. Take a close look at that cat's eyes as the cat eats the leaves of the marijuana plant--man, is that cat stoned!

I highly recommend this DVD for fans of cult classic movies and people who want to take a look at how drug abuse was tackled in this country during the 1930s. The movie vacillates between true drama and mostly melodrama; so keep this in mind if you're looking for a truly dramatic flick.

Hilarious...because its horrible.......2007-04-03

This "public service announcment" about the evils of marijuana is just laughable. The entire movie is based on false information made up by Robert J. Anslinger, the first head of the Bureau of Narcotics in the 1930's. Interesting, and a must have if your a drug buff, Reefer Madness is a small glimpse of the hysteria that gripped this country in the first half of the 20th century.

It's 10 o'clock. Do you know why your children are cackling insanely?.......2007-03-16

"Reefer Madness" (originally "Tell Your Children") was created to teach parents that it's never too early to scare the holy crap out of your kids. Through this film we learn that the soul-destroying effects of Marihuana (Mike Nelson explains in the commentary that this film was made before the invention of the letter J) far surpass those of cocaine or heroin. We see firsthand that even teens who can quote Shakespeare like nobody's business cannot escape its evils.

Here are some of the symptoms of casual Marihuana use:
- laughing maniacally while running people down in the street
- playing the piano too fast
- having sexual relations with people you don't really like that much
- accidentally shooting people you do like pretty well
- having no recollection of being framed for murder

If your child has experienced any of these symptoms, he or she is a Marihuana addict. The solution is simple: force them to watch "Reefer Madness" because if we don't heed its warning, "Reefer Madness 2" will be coming to a theater near you or you... OR YOU!

Well, it's funny sometimes anyways..........2007-02-17

Although Reefer Madness was made in 1936, after the production code was inforced, it very much looks like pre-code fare. It is about two high school kids mainly who Blanche (Lillian Miles) and her boyfriend Ralph (Dave O'Brien) persuade into coming to Mae's (Thelma White) apartment to have a reefer session. They become addicted to it and incidents including when Jimmy (Warren McCollum) runs over a man in his car ensue. While Reefer Madness sports poor production values and wooden acting, being a "B" picture, the dialog is funny and witty sometimes. Like when Warren McCollum says "I'm red-hot!" And then Jack (Carleton Young) says "Watch how you drive or the next thing you'll be is ice-cold." Then they accidentally run over a walking man. Reefer Madness is full of stuff like this. the print I saw was grainy, un-colorized and poor, so if you want to see it in a nice version, buy this DVD, but you can watch it on the internet for free, as it is a public domain movie. Maybe the movie reformed people back in 1936, but no way would it do that today. I am in 8th grade and I love old movies, and I was thinking that if my classmates saw this they'd laugh like crazy. Because it is poor and outdated, though it has some good momemts, like Thelma Wilte dancing crazily, and Dave O'Brien laughing uncontollably, and a lot of other dramatic moments. There is one scene when Jimmy's little brother says "Jimmy, will you help me fix my model airplane? You can fix ANYTHING!" But the one thing he could fix was...HIMSELF!!! I kept on thinking that after I heard that line. But overall, Reefer Madness was not my cup of tea. I guess I only like pre-codes and musicals. And anyways, not doing drugs is just common sense, which people today seem to be losing. I'm NEVER doing drugs and I wasn't inspired by this film. And Thelma White looks and sounds like Alice Faye, but I couldn't really tell because it was a bad print, being an online public domain one. And Lillina Miles sang "The Continental" in the first Astaire/Rogers starring film, the Gay Divorcee.

The Alec Guinness Collection (Kind Hearts and Coronets / The Lavender Hill Mob / The Ladykillers / The Man in the White Suit / The Captain's Paradise)

Average customer rating:

Anyone who appreciates great comedy will treasure these.
Simply Superb.
bad news for Spanish viewers?
Great films, great value
A remarkable collection.

The Alec Guinness Collection (Kind Hearts and Coronets / The Lavender Hill Mob / The Ladykillers / The Man in the White Suit / The Captain's Paradise)
Starring: Alec Guinness , Joan Greenwood , Cecil Parker , Michael Gough , and Ernest Thesiger
Director: Alexander Mackendrick , and Charles Crichton
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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