The Grissom Gang

Description

From director Robert Aldrich (The Dirty Dozen) and screenwriter Leon Griffiths (The Hellfire Club) comes "one of Aldrich's finest and most complex films" (Time Out)a searing saga of murder and mayhem in the '30s. Starring Kim Darby and Scott Wilson, this "grim fairy tale" (Los Angeles Times) is "lurid, gritty [and] violent" (Leonard Maltin)! Barbara (Darby)is a wealthy socialite whose biggest dilemma in life concerns whose party she'll attend next. But when she's kidnapped by a dangerously depraved family of outlaws, Barbara's choices suddenly become far more terrifying. Desperate to escape and determined to survive, she finds herself hopelessly ensnared in a deadly struggle between those who want her dead and those who want something far more horrifying.

Customer Reviews:

The Grissom Gang.......2007-04-07

Excellent action packed film. A must have for action film or history buffs.

INTENSE DRAMA INTENDED AS BLACK COMEDY?.......2002-01-03

The psychotic kiler. The young heiress. The kidnapping that becomes a love story.

This violent, over-the-top Robert ("DIRTY DOZEN") Aldrich directed thriller is a remake of the 1948 British film "NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH" which was in turn adapted from the once banned-as-pornographic novel of the same name.

It's the 1920s. Kim Darby is the beautiful young heiress Barbara Blandish who is kidnaped by the brutal Grissom gang. Their plan is simple and savage: keep the ransom and kill the hostage. Unfortunately (for the gang) dimwit Slim Grissom (Scott Wilson) falls in love with Barbara. And the even more unfortunate Barbara is forced into a relationship -- as the poster says -- of "violence and desire."

Finally, when the police close in and the gang comes apart, the question becomes: Who will survive the final frenzy of love and bullets?

Tony Musante, Ralph Waite, Robert Lansing and Connie Stevens co-star in this still shocking, extremely vicious gangster thriller. The tense screenplay is by Leon Griffiths and the edgy, very 70s score is by Gerald Fried.

Those who knew director Aldrich, who was also responsible for "KISS ME DEADLY" and "THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE," say this film was intended as a black comedy and was a reflection of his bizarre, almost sadistic, sense of humor. He said, "if it makes you laugh or cringe or both is more about who you are..." ...

GANG BANG ( BANG ).......2001-12-07

Another superb DVD has just been released by Anchor Bay : Robert Aldrich's THE GRISSOM GANG, adapted from James Hadley Chase's "No Orchids for Miss Blandish". Excellent movie but only the choice between the standard and the widescreen version and a scene access as bonus features. Extra meager. Sound and images more than OK for me.

Robert Aldrich is more known as a successful director of action movies like THE DIRTY DOZEN than as a sensitive observer of psychological dramas but with THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE, released in 1968 and THE GRISSOM GANG, Big Bob showed that a golden heart was beating under his elephant skin.

Don't get me wrong ! THE GRISSOM GANG is also a gangster movies loaded with machine guns duels and vicious killings but what's more interesting is the description of the relationship between Slim, the psychotic killer, and Barbara Blandish, the spoiled heiress. This unusual couple has to face a collection of secondary characters one will not forget so easily. For instance, Ma Grissom, played by Irene Dailey, a criminal genius and an overprotective mother, or Eddie - Tony Musante - Hagan, the archetype of the gangster of the 30's, so seductive but ready to kill anything that moves, even women, if necessary.

In the good guys section of the movie, there is someone who, in spite of his millions, could have been part of the Grissom gang : Wesley Addy, Barbara's father and often present in Aldrich's films, his attitude is one of the most disturbing seen in a movie.

All in all, an excellent addition to your library.

A DVD zone Bonnie and Clyde.

Grisly gangster saga with blazing machine guns...........2001-01-03

Adapted from the 1939 novel "No Orchids for Miss Blandish", Robert Aldrich's 1971 gangster flick is violent and punishing in it's nature. Set in the poor and barren Mid-Western region of the US during the Depression, the film immerses the viewer in a world of poverty, greed & lust.

Kim Darby plays snotty society girl Barbara Blandish, the product of her boorish and society climbing parents who is kidnapped by a group of petty thugs....however they in turn are ambushed by a more professional crew of hoodlums. Irene Dailey plays Ma Grissom, the cold blooded leader of the small time gang....Scot Wilson is the simple-minded and lovestruck thug, Slim Grissom....Connie Stevens portrays the air headed blonde gangster moll, Anna....and Tony Musante is the oily and vicious, Eddie Hagan.

Product Description

Great Britain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), WIDESCREEN, SYNOPSIS: The Grissom Gang is a remake of the notorious 1949 British melodrama No Orchids For Miss Blandish. Kim Darby plays a 1920s-era debutante who is kidnapped and held for ransom. Her captors are the Grissoms, a family comprised of sadists and morons, and headed by Ma Barker clone Irene Dailey. One of the Grissoms, played by Scott Wilson, takes a liking to his prisoner, which results in a bloody breakdown of the family unit. Both Grissom Gang and the original No Orchids for Miss Blandish were inspired by the best-seller by James Hadley Chase, though neither film retains Chase's original ending.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Scene Access, Production Notes, Photo Gallery, Interactive Menu, Biographies,

Average customer rating:

The Grissom Gang
INTENSE DRAMA INTENDED AS BLACK COMEDY?
GANG BANG ( BANG )
Grisly gangster saga with blazing machine guns....

The Grissom Gang [Region 2]
Starring: Kim Darby , Scott Wilson , Tony Musante , Robert Lansing , and Connie Stevens
Director: Robert Aldrich
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000059RL6

Customer Reviews:

The Grissom Gang.......2007-04-07

Excellent action packed film. A must have for action film or history buffs.

INTENSE DRAMA INTENDED AS BLACK COMEDY?.......2002-01-03

The psychotic kiler. The young heiress. The kidnapping that becomes a love story.

Finally, when the police close in and the gang comes apart, the question becomes: Who will survive the final frenzy of love and bullets?

GANG BANG ( BANG ).......2001-12-07

All in all, an excellent addition to your library.

A DVD zone Bonnie and Clyde.

Grisly gangster saga with blazing machine guns...........2001-01-03

Customer Reviews:

The Grissom Gang.......2007-04-07

Excellent action packed film. A must have for action film or history buffs.

INTENSE DRAMA INTENDED AS BLACK COMEDY?.......2002-01-03

The psychotic kiler. The young heiress. The kidnapping that becomes a love story.

Finally, when the police close in and the gang comes apart, the question becomes: Who will survive the final frenzy of love and bullets?

GANG BANG ( BANG ).......2001-12-07

All in all, an excellent addition to your library.

A DVD zone Bonnie and Clyde.

Grisly gangster saga with blazing machine guns...........2001-01-03

DVD:

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