Home Alone 2 - Lost in New York

Amazon.com

This somewhat unpleasant 1992 sequel to the blockbuster Home Alone revisits the first film's gimmick by stranding Macaulay Culkin's character in New York City while his family ends up somewhere else. Again, the little guy meets up with colorful people on the margins of society (including a pigeon woman played by Brenda Fricker) and again he gets into a prop-heavy battle with Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. The latter sequence is even worse than the first film in terms of violence inflicted on the two villains (director Chris Columbus, who also made the first film, can't seem to emphasize the slapstick over the graphic effects of the fight). The best running joke finds a concierge (Tim Curry) at the swank hotel where Culkin is staying trying and failing to prove that the boy is on his own. --Tom Keogh

Description

Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is back! But this time he's in New York City with enough cash and credit cards to turn the Big Apple into his own playground! But Kevin won't be alone for long. The notorious Wet Bandits, Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), still smarting from their last encounter with Kevin, are bound for New York too, plotting a huge holiday heist. Kevin's ready to welcome them with a battery of booby traps the bumbling bandits will never forget!

Customer Reviews:

Fun movie for both kids and adults!.......2007-08-03

The Home Alone movie series is probably the most entertaining, comedic series that both kids and adults will enjoy. The jokes, actors, and tricks are sure to provide a couple of hours of good family fun!

So what's this movie about? If you've seen the first Home Alone, the general storyline applies to Home Alone 2 as well. If you haven't, basically the movie has a boy, Kevin, seperated from his family on vacation. Kevin accidentally ends up in New York while the rest of his family is in Florida. Two thieves are plotting to steal money from a toy store. Not only that, but they remember Kevin from a previous robbery-gone-wrong (from the first Home Alone movie) and they're after him. Kevin comes up with a few boobytraps in an attempt to stop the men. Will the boobytraps prevent the thieves from getting to Kevin? Will Kevin be reunited with his family? These questions are answered at the end of the movie.

So what's to like about this movie? First, I must point out that the acting is rather good for a family film. Of course we have Macaulay Culkin (who plays Kevin) and Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern (who play the robbers). All three do an amazing job playing their characters and even the rest of Kevin's family add a touch of extra personality to the film. Second, when it comes to movies that remind me of Christmas, Home Alone is one of them. I remember watching this movie when I was younger and being really excited about Christmas. This movie always comes out at Christmastime and my family loves watching it. Lastly, my absolute favorite part of the movie is the boobytrap scenes. Lots of laughs and even some twists.

An extra bonus is that you don't need to watch the original Home Alone to understand what's going on in the second film.

And what's not to like? Look, this movie is not Oscar-worthy in my opinion. It is only meant to cause some chuckles and provide a couple of hours of entertainment. Don't go into this movie expecting too much.

The bottom line is this: If you're looking for a good family-oriented movie, check out Home Alone 2.

VRonan.......2007-05-22

I don't know which one was funnier the first or the second, but they are both great.

GREAT MOVIE.......2007-04-28

however...i preorded on Home Alone 2 cause it said it was to be realsed April 27th...there was no picture...i ordered...its still just the regular old edition of the movie...

DVD purchase.......2007-03-26

DVD arrived quickly and was in excellent condition. I will use
Amazon again. Very dependable. Thank you.

I looked for this every where........2007-03-25

So Happy I could find this movie! It is a gift for someone who loves it and I couldn't find it anywhere else.

Average customer rating:

Fun and mysterious
Savannah
one of the best movies of all time
southern hospitality
Very good product

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Starring: John Cusack , Kevin Spacey , Jack Thompson , Irma P. Hall , and Jude Law
Director: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: 0790734702
Release Date: 1998-07-01

Amazon.com

Readers of John Berendt's bestselling novel were bound to be at least somewhat disappointed by this big-screen adaptation, but despite mixed reaction from critics and audiences, there's still plenty to admire about director Clint Eastwood's take on the material. Readers will surely miss the rich atmosphere and societal detail that Berendt brought to his "Savannah story," and the movie can only scratch the surface of Georgian history, tradition, and wealthy decadence underlying Berendt's fact-based murder mystery. Still, Eastwood maintains an assured focus on the wonderful eccentrics of Savannah, most notably a gay Savannah antiques dealer (superbly played by Kevin Spacey), who may or may not have killed his friend and alleged lover (Jude Law). John Cusack plays the Town & Country journalist who arrives in Savannah to find much more than he bargained for--including the city's legendary drag queen Lady Chablis (playing "herself")--and John Lee Hancock's smoothly adapted screenplay succeeds in bringing Berendt's characters vividly to life with plenty of flavorful dialogue. In similar fashion to Warner's acclaimed DVD of L.A. Confidential, this classy DVD includes a behind-the-scenes documentary titled The Real People in the Garden and an interactive map tour of Savannah and its most celebrated (or notorious) citizens. The original theatrical trailer is also included. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Academy award-winning director clint eastwood helms this story based on john berendt's best-selling book examining contemporary events and unique characters in picturesque savannah, georgia, following a shocking murder. alternately suspenseful, satirical

Customer Reviews:

Fun and mysterious.......2007-09-06

This movie was out for quite a while before I saw it, and I really enjoyed the crazy cast of characters. I didn't read the book, which is likely even better, but the movie wove a fun and intriguing tale.

Savannah.......2007-06-27

Love this movie, slow but deep. Love visiting Savannah right after watching! Purchased, shipped, received fast!

one of the best movies of all time.......2007-05-13

The book is just as quirky as Savannah or is the Savannah as quirky as the book...an all time favorite that should be on every one's shelf...you never know when you might new it !!

southern hospitality.......2007-03-09

The star of this movie is: John Cusack. Kevin Spacey. The Lady Chablis. Minerva, the juju woman. Savannah. Uga.

Okay, Uga can only be a supporting star; #1.,his part is small - important, but limited, and #2., he's a dog.

But everybody in this quirky, involving, dramatized true story is a star without a doubt, including a few folks you will recognize from other movie roles but not be able to put a name to. This is the sort of movie that attaches itself to followers of "Northern Exposure" and other vehicles for personal expression and individuality. The setting itself is spectacular; Savannah, Georgia, a town I could place on a map but until this didn't know much about, is suddenly at the top of my list of places to see before the end. There is undeniable Southern charm, the cliqueishness of a community dedicated to keeping outsiders in the dark, an indefinable spookiness aided by Spanish moss hanging from the trees and lush green gardens and dark corners everywhere; mystery permeates every frame of this film, augmented by a waggish I'm-Southern-and-you're-not attitude presented by almost everybody without rancor or arrogance. These are people comfortable in their own skins and they don't care if the visitor is particularly at ease or not.

John Kelso (John Cusack), a writer for Town & Country Magazine, gleans the peach assignment of covering the annual and much-desired Christmas party hosted by Savannahian Jim Williams, an entrepreneur restorer of old mansions and art works who resides in the gorgeous former home of songwriter Johnny Mercer. The house itself is a character in the movie; classy, elegant, well-appointed, it is the architectural equivalent of its human conservator, Jim Williams, who oversees every aspect of his place in Savannah society with panache. Genteel is a word that applies to all but one of the principals here, and that principal makes his raucous and vulgar debut fairly early in the Christmas party. During John Kelso's tour of this beautiful home, as he is being shown around by Jim Williams, a loud, ill-dressed young man strides threateningly into the room yelling at Jim, and we are introduced to Billy Hanson (Jude Law), who is miffed that he wasn't included in the party. It's obvious from the start that there is more to this meeting than is immediately apparent, and you can watch the wheels turning in John Kelso's mind as he attempts to work it out. After the vulgar young man stomps out, an unruffled Jim Williams explains with perfect Southern charm, "Uh, that was Billy Hanson, works part time in the shop - and can, at times, be a very colourful character."

Later on, John Kelso is awakened in his carriage-house quarters by a deal of noise and confusion, and wanders out into a surreal scandal which becomes his full induction into Savannah and all its many colours: wall-to-wall police at the Mercer home, all of Savannah milling about outside in the dark, and a dead Billy Hanson in the front room, an obviously traumatised Jim Williams giving an emotional account of Billy's demise in another room to the police detective. John Kelso is allowed to wander through the crime scene unchallenged for a few minutes until he himself realizes what he is doing and vacates.

The movie swings into overdrive now in its parade of colourful characters. John Kelso, abandoning his Christmas party coverage in favour of instead writing a book about what he sees to be a sensational story, embarks upon an examination of everyone involved. The movie is clearly stolen by the Lady Chablis, a local showgirl and friend of many of the principals, who knows a little too much about everybody and who is, moreover, played to perfection by the actual Lady Chablis (I can't imagine anyone else in this role). Others in this group of individuals includes the actual defense attorney in the subsequent trial (in the movie he plays the judge); an old juju woman who communes with the dead; a juror in the trial who wanders through Savannah with a flock of horseflies attached to his person via threads superglued to the flies; an entertaining duo who run a club (the woman singer is played extremely well by Clint Eastwood's daughter Alison); and various other small parts that make up a cohesive whole of a truly unique and charming community.

The fact that this true story was portrayed by many of the people who were actually involved is a great stroke of luck; they bring a light to the story that would fall a little flat otherwise. (The Lady Chablis is her own story, and it is impossible to look away when she is onscreen.) Kevin Spacey is unsurpassed in his portrayal (he even bears a remarkable resemblance to the real Jim Williams) and his wonderful Southern diction is worth listening to no matter what he is saying. John Cusack's wide-eyed-New-York-writer is well-played also. The only role i thought a bit stilted was Jude Law's Billy Hanson, which was jarring (perhaps on purpose) and seemed strained.

The extras section, which includes a tour of the noted locations in Savannah, is as interesting as the movie itself, and as said previously, makes me eager to visit this beautiful city.

Very good product.......2007-02-14

The DVD is of very good quality. The jacket is in very good shape, also.

There were no scratches on the DVD and no smeared scenes, either.

I am pleased with the product.

Average customer rating:

Classic Powell/Loy Comedy
better ending next time
Spencer Tracy vs. William Powell
A pure joy to watch
Yes!! This is my favorite screwball comedy

Libeled Lady
Starring: Jean Harlow , William Powell , Myrna Loy , Spencer Tracy , and Walter Connolly
Director: Jack Conway
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0006Z2KY8
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Amazon.com essential video

Newspaper comedy doesn't seem like an MGM genre--ink-stained wretches don't go with Adrian gowns and white deco furniture--but Jack Conway, the designated bull in the Metro china shop (Boom Town, Too Hot to Handle) does what he can to bring some dash and flair to a wildly complicated script. Spencer Tracy is the tough city editor who goes to some spectacular extremes when socialite Myrna Loy files a $5 million libel suit against his paper for calling her a notorious home-wrecker; he hires celebrated ladies' man William Powell to seduce Loy and asks his long-suffering fiancée, Jean Harlow, to marry Powell temporarily so she can play the wronged wife when Loy and Powell are discovered together. The couples crisscross, with frenetic and not entirely unpredictable results, but much of the pleasure here lies in seeing these iconic stars being so thoroughly themselves. The dialogue strains for champagne wit, but the movie's most memorable moment is pure, rotgut slapstick--Powell's bout with an unruly fly-fishing rod. --Dave Kehr

Customer Reviews:

Classic Powell/Loy Comedy.......2007-08-12

William Powell and Myrna Loy made many movies together during the 1930's and 1940's- both Thin Man movies and comedies. They probably never had better support than this movie with Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow in key roles. Audiences never tired of seeing Powell and Loy's characters fall in love but this movie presents a complicated plot around the love story. Very well done with many laughs and of course, great chemistry. 70 plus years later, still a classic!

better ending next time.......2007-07-22

I'm a lover of William Powell and Myrna Loy movies. As usual, they are great onscreen together but the ending wasn't a very satisfying one.

Spencer Tracy vs. William Powell.......2007-05-14

This is a so-so screwball comedy with an all-star lineup... The dialog has some snappy moments, although it's not on a par with "Bringing Up Baby," "Dinner At Eight," et. al... The fun comes in watching male leads Spencer Tracy and William Powell spar with each other (as actors, not their characters...) Their styles are SO different! Tracy typically sledghammers his way though each scene, while Powell hangs back and plays it cool... Both the female leads are fabulous: the ever-luscious Jean Harlow gets a great dramatic monologue at the end, while Myrna Loy rules each scene she's in, with tart dialog and razor-sharp, intelligent delivery. A fine chance to watch some of the finest stars of the 1930s practice their craft. (DJ Joe Sixpack)

A pure joy to watch.......2007-01-16

I am not a movie expert or spend my time analyzing -- but I have to tgell you that I love the classics and this movie has to be one of the better entertainement efforts through the generations. It's hard to beat the performances of Myrna Loy. This should be in the collection of any movie collector.

Yes!! This is my favorite screwball comedy.......2006-06-18

This is one of the best (if not THE best) pure screwball comedies of the 1930's. Next to the original Thin Man movie, Libeled Lady is my favorite Powell/Loy effort. This time, the magic chemistry of that oft-paired duo is enhanced by the box office-drawing talents of fellow mega-stars Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow. The first shot of the movie celebrates this happy collaboration as the four top-drawer actors merrily, confidently stride arm-in-arm toward the camera.

The plot is convoluted. The Star has erroneously printed a story about heiress Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy), portraying her as a marriage wrecker. Connie immediately files a 5 million dollar libel suit. Star newspaper editor Warren Haggerty (Spencer Tracy) counteracts by hiring on suave fellow newspaperman Bill Chandler (William Powell) to romance Connie and place her in a compromising position, thus negating the lawsuit. Haggerty convinces his harried, long-suffering fiancee Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow) to instead marry the bachelor Chandler as part of the scheme. Things get really tricky when Gladys falls for Chandler and Chandler falls for Connie, who eventually falls for Chandler. And Haggerty? He pretty much spends the movie just seething. Yet everything ends fairly well, even if there's still lingering confusion as to who is exactly married to whom.

Libeled Lady boasts mix-ups and complications galore and couples matching, cross-matching and mismatching. Sophisticated wit blends with full blown physical comedy. Delicious acting is laid in by four stars who, throughout their film careers, never ever lost their prime. Powell proves again his mastery of the confused double-take and, along with the wry, understated Myrna Loy, dominates the refined repartees. And representing the more lowbrow couple, Tracy supplies the blue collar bluster and Harlow the affronted looks. Walter Connolly as Connie's angling-loving father is simply wonderful. The intricate storyline is easy to follow, thanks to the clear helmsmanship of Jack Conway. With this cinematic venture, Hollywood certainly offered up to the viewing audience its most glamorous and most urbane of stars. I think it's brilliant stuff.

Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Pack (Three Smart Girls / Something In the Wind / First Love / It Started with Eve / Can't Help Singing / Lady on a Train)

Average customer rating:

Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Pack
Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Pack (Three Smart Girls / Something In the Wind / First Love / It Started with Eve / Can't Help Singing
Deanna Durbin - Can't Help Singing
who could ask for anything more
Deanna Durbin's Great Musicals

Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Pack (Three Smart Girls / Something In the Wind / First Love / It Started with Eve / Can't Help Singing / Lady on a Train)
Starring: Deanna Durbin
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00023P4OC
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Customer Reviews:

Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Pack.......2007-02-14

This was an excellent buy. It Has various titles, comedies , mysteries and who could not like the voice .

well done Deanna

Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Pack (Three Smart Girls / Something In the Wind / First Love / It Started with Eve / Can't Help Singing.......2007-01-12

It's a trade off because the pack combines 3 of her most notable and popular films with three of her films that were not!

Deanna Durbin - Can't Help Singing.......2006-11-10

What a shame that younger generations don't know who Deanna Durbin is! She was a fine actress and legitimate high soprano (especially beautiful appearance until she started gaining some weight) who should be better known as one of the very best of all time. I hope Canada has done something important in her momeory. Any serious students of singing and the classics (both light and heavy) should have these DVDs which preserve her legacy.

who could ask for anything more.......2006-07-06

The bubbly and energetic Deanna does it again.She sings dances and entertains you from an era long gone.Each movie is enjoyable and fun watching.Her voice is captivating and outstanding.I just lov e watching her on the screen.The quality was terrific.If you are a Durbin fan dont miss this collection.

Deanna Durbin's Great Musicals.......2006-06-30

On 2 DVDs are 6 of Deanna Durbin's great musicals. Deanna Durbin was the highest paid Hollywood actress of her day and had a beautiful voice and good acting skills to make her roles genuine and fun to watch. What a deal to get 6 films for under $25!!! Hopefully the success of this DVD package will inspire Universal Studios to do another 6 of Deanna Durbin's films in a sequel: Sweetheart Pack II.

Average customer rating:

Has achieved cult status following...Quentin Tarantino would have been proud of it...
the clash of "old" and "new" Hollywood
Lady in a Cage
Fear And Loathing In L.A.
Olivia.......Olivia........Nothing Bad You Can Say About Her Acting

Lady in a Cage
Starring: Olivia de Havilland , James Caan , Jennifer Billingsley , Jeff Corey , and Ann Sothern
Director: Walter Grauman
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B0007KIFRS
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Amazon.com

In Lady in a Cage, Olivia de Havilland plays an aging, wealthy widow who is recuperating from a recent hip operation and is forced to use an elevator to get from one story of her home to the other. While she's headed for the upper story of the house, a power failure occurs that leaves her stranded in the elevator car 12 feet off the ground. The elevator's alarm bell arouses the curiosity of a passing wino, who comes in and helps himself to the widow's wine cellar. The transient and a friend begin looting the house until they are one-upped by a trio of feral, neobeatnik thugs (led by a very young James Caan). All the invaders merely ignore the widow's pleas for help as they toss her house in an orgy of violence. The thugs torture and kill the wino and hold his friend hostage along with the widow, until the tables are turned on them once again. For 1964, this is a surprisingly harsh and overwrought movie, easily 10 or 15 years ahead of its time; its nasty view of human nature and graphic violence led to its being banned in Britain entirely. James Caan, in his second movie role, is chillingly convincing as the pack leader whose violent streak comes as casually as, say, tying his shoelaces. Fans of Paul Schrader, Scorsese, or Tarantino films should especially take notice: Lady in a Cage is a nerve-racking viewing experience, one that still packs a noxious punch, with an ending that's a real jaw-dropper. --Jerry Renshaw

Description

Destroying her well-oriented world, the elevator, nine feet from the floor, becomes a torture chamber--a cage. Unable to escape, her situation becomes desperate when the emergency alarm attracts a drunken derelict (James Caan) and his boozy prostitute friend, both bent on robbery

Customer Reviews:

Has achieved cult status following...Quentin Tarantino would have been proud of it..........2007-06-04

LADY IN A CAGE is a thriller that exploits the very subject matter it is trying to expose in such a grim manner. A wealthy lady (OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND) is recovering from a hip operation that forces her to use a self-operated "lift" in her home where she is surrounded by luxury items and a self-absorbed but orderly existence. She is exactly the sort of person unprepared for the invasion of a group of thugs who make her life a living hell when they intrude upon her household in the crudest possible way.

When the film first opened, it was received poorly by the film critics of the day who lambasted it for its graphic depiction of senseless violence and viewed it as no more than a cheap horror flick. However, the years have been kinder to it than anyone could have expected. Perhaps de Havilland was right when she judged that the film was "way ahead of its time" in dealing with this sort of subject matter because today it is much more highly regarded for what it is trying to say beneath the graphic brutality.

JAMES CAAN is the ruthless leader of the pack, obviously a delinquent of the first order who enjoys humiliating and playing mind games with the victimized woman in the cage. It is he who exposes her as a not very sympathetic woman who has smothered her son with affection to the point where he has left a suicide note addressed to her as "Darling". Caan's frank dialog is particularly rough here and his shoving around of the defenseless woman is not a pleasant sight to witness.

JEFF COREY overacts mercilessly as a vagrant with a thirst for any liquor he can get his hands on and ANN SOTHERN does an effective supporting role as a blowsy prostitute not above taking advantage of what looks to be a good situation. The less said about RAFAEL CAMPOS and JENNIFER BILLINGSLEY the better. Their overripe work is almost embarrassing at times.

It's obvious that Luther Davis was exposing the flaws in society that certainly came to the surface during the '60s, shortly before the Manson murders became widely known. The baby boomers of the drug generation certainly get their share of blame here.

Summing up: Not for the faint of heart, but a searing expose of certain societal ills in a not too subtle way. Olivia at least is highly convincing in what must have been an exhausting role to play and a most unusual one.

the clash of "old" and "new" Hollywood.......2007-04-29

An intense and unnerving movie experience, LADY IN A CAGE is not for the faint-hearted. The story revolves around Mrs Cornelia Hilyard (Olivia de Havilland), a woman trying to peacefully recover from a hip-replacement within the confines of her home. On a very hot day, she becomes stuck in her elevator, and is terrorised by a group of criminals and hoods who break in.

Ann Sothern turns in a fabulous performance as Sade, a hard-bitten prostitute; whilst James Caan--in only his second film--seems to be channeling Brando as he plays the menacing gang leader Randall Simpson O'Connell. Jennifer Billingsley plays the vile gang moll, Elaine.

Olivia de Havilland is heartbreaking as the terrorised Mrs Hilyard. This was the second 'scream queen' role which she played in 1964 (the other is "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte"). In the wrong hands this material could have become melodramatic, but de Havilland always was a very truthful and instinctual actress, and the same is true for her performance here.

Whenever I watch LADY IN A CAGE, I'm always struck by the notion that it's the clash of "Old Hollywood" and "New Hollywood". By that, I mean that you have two of the great Hollywood women--Olivia de Havilland and Ann Sothern--clashing literally and physically with much younger actors for whom their movies and work would have meant absolutely nothing. This film was made on the cusp of changes within Hollywood, too. Shortly the MPAA ratings system would be set into place, allowing movies to go further than they had ever been allowed to in the past.

So much of this film is completely unsettling, particularly as this pre-dates the Manson killings (and this film features scenes which would eerily echo in reality).

Certainly no feel-good movie, but worthy of any classic film collection. The DVD sadly does not feature any extras.

Lady in a Cage.......2007-02-28

Lady in a Cage is a refreshing entry
into the B&W horror genre of the 60's.
I've always been a fan of Olivia de Havilland
so as I was reading the description and reviews
I wasn't sure if I really wanted to see this film.
Even while knowing that she's a great actress
it was hard for me to imagine her in such a bizarre role.
I was happy to see that she gave an excellent performance.

Unlike other movies of the genre, "Lady in a Cage" comes
off classy and refined, in spite of the violent subject matter.
There are no unconvincing actors to be found and the
suspense level puts this movie right on par with Hitchcock.
In fact, I was most suprised at how suspenseful this was
because the general plot description sounded so basic. Great
acting and creative cinematography puts the movie at the
helm of the genre.

The movie begins with a deceptively wholesome opening reminiscent
of a 1950's family sitcom and it actually never loses that feeling;
however, characters enter, plunder, and exit the home, thus providing
the action and suspense. At times, De havilland's overly
dramatic acting delivery seems a little contrived, but it's
the same style that won her two Oscars. Upon closer
examination one can see how her Puritan
character creates a glaring contrast to the
brutal juveniles, the repentant alcholic thief, and
the opportunistic female hustler. It's this contrast
that sets the scene for a heightened suspense factor.

This movie is great for purchase or rental. It's guaranteed
to provoke an endless range of emotions in the viewer.

Fear And Loathing In L.A........2007-01-24

This is one hell of a mean-spirited, people-loathing movie. This is the kind of movie John Waters wishes he could make. Negative, negative, negative... vicious... every character is a monster.

"Lady In A Cage" is clearly the vision of its producer/writer, Luther Davis. He has an agenda the size of Los Angeles, and he piles it on high, for nerve-wracking, disturbing effect.

I haven't seen a movie in a long time that disturbed me like this did. And it's symptomatic of a number of downright-sick and mean films from the early '60s. It's much like 1963's "The Sadist" in its unremitting anger, violence and hopelessness.

The performances are caricatures, and all are dialed up past 11. The leering, mugging and telegraphing of the actors are all in accord. Olivia DeHavilland's performance, ironically, is the most low-key in the entire film.

One weird thing about the film: what happens to Ann Sothern's character? She's locked in a room by James Caan, and that's the last we see or hear of her. Presumably, she survives... or did I blink and miss something?

This Luther Davis cat must have had one chip on his shoulder. "Lady In A Cage" is fascinating, absurd, sickening and highly anti-social filmmaking.

Olivia.......Olivia........Nothing Bad You Can Say About Her Acting.......2007-01-04

During the era of promoting these great actresses in not so big budget films was a learning experience for the viewer. Here you can get an idea of how good an actor can do without the big expense of special effects and multiple set designs. James Caan also does a great job in one of his first movies as a street thug. But Olivia can do it all. Would have loved to seen her in a one woman play on Broadway. The days of Baby Jane and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte are evident in this production made around the same time.

Average customer rating:

The Duke has never been more charming...
A Lady Takes a Chance
Good Romantic Comedy; Terrible DVD
John Wayne and Jear Arthur sizzle onscreen
Classic Boy-Meets Girl With a Twist.

A Lady Takes a Chance
Starring: Jean Arthur , John Wayne , Charles Winninger , Phil Silvers , and Mary Field
Director: Henry Hathaway , and William A. Seiter
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007JZXL
Release Date: 2003-01-21

Amazon.com

A Lady Takes a Chance is probably the best American romantic comedy of the '40s that hardly anyone knew about--at least, in the last three or four decades of the 20th century. That's chiefly because, as a semi-independent production mounted for Jean Arthur by her husband, Frank Ross, the movie couldn't claim a place in any studio archive (It's a Wonderful Life was long neglected for similar reasons). So this lovely gem is ripe for rediscovery, not only for Arthur at her most enchantingly distracted, as a New York gal on a bus tour of the modern Wild West, but also for John Wayne's sly sexiness as the rodeo rider who literally falls into her lap. James Agee, no less, approvingly noted that "Wayne suggests how sensational he might be in a sufficiently evil story about a Reno gigolo." Lady isn't evil, but it's surely a delight. --Richard T. Jameson

Product Description

Finding men had never been a problem for city girl Molly Trousdale (Jean Arthur)-finding the right man is another matter. And women have never been a problem for cowboy bachelor Duke Hutkins (John Wayne)-until they want to marry him. If it's true that opposites attract, they're obviously made for each other.

When Molly sets out from New York on a cross-country bus tour, she just wants to see America. But her plans take an unexpected turn out West, when she collides (literally!) with Duke while he's competing at the rodeo. He assumes she's just another pretty gal who'll fall into his arms, but she's a lady who won't be roped easily by a brawling, rough-and-ready cowboy.

Jean Arthur shows the spunk that made her one of the biggest stars of Hollywood's Golden Era, and John Wayne is at his most charming when he falls for her against his better judgment. So get ready for the dust to fly when these two screen legends star in a truly classic romantic comedy, A Lady Takes A Chance!

System Requirements:
Run Time: 86 mins

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

The Duke has never been more charming..........2007-03-09

This is an early effort of John Wayne's, but he holds his own in this light comedy. The supporting cast are, as always, worth watching as they all progress through the romantic antics of this movie. If you've never seen it-do so!

A Lady Takes a Chance.......2007-02-14

I've watched this movie at least a dozen times. Fine romance! My gosh he was a sexy young man! GREAT chemistry between him and Jean Arthur. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Good Romantic Comedy; Terrible DVD.......2005-11-19

This is far from Jean Arthur's classic comedies of the late 1930s and the early 40s, but she's as charming as ever. John Wayne is also surprisingly good as the romantic leading man, but the film is a showcase for Jean Arthur's talents from beginning to end (it was produced by her husband).

The DVD, however, is terrible. Its watchable, but you feel like you're watching the film on 1980s VHS, late night TV or one of those cheap public domain DVDs. The image is very soft, there are visible scratches and the sound is very bad. Still, I doubt that Criterion will ever pick a film like this one, so if you like 1940s romantic comedies, and Jean Arthur in particular, you should "take a chance" on this one.

John Wayne and Jear Arthur sizzle onscreen.......2004-05-03

An unusual wartime comedy-romance, starring the ever-delectable Jean Arthur as a big-city girl who takes a bus tour out West to see some of the world, and gets a real eyeful when she hooks up with John Wayne, a lanky, laconic cowboy who's rambling around on the rodeo circuit. The script is fairly minimal, and many scenes even seem improvised, but what's remarkable is the underlying sexual frankness of the film -- the two meet by accident, and are inexorably drawn together by sheer sexual chemistry. When they finally give in and go out on a real date, they have nothing to say to each other -- the attraction is purely physical. Certain scenes, such as when he invites her up to his hotel room, offers her a drink, and bed to bunk in, are surprisingly raw, at least for the time. Arthur and Wayne also seem to have chemistry together -- in fact, this is the only film in which I've seen him play opposite a gal when the sizzle seemed real... It's a funny film with an offbeat sense of humor, one that's worth seeing particularly if your a fan of Jean Arthur's work... She's about as cute as ever in this one!

Classic Boy-Meets Girl With a Twist........2004-02-04

A LADY TAKES A CHANCE stars Jean Arthur as Molly Truesdale, a young and hip Eastern American woman tired of all her suitors. To escape from them for a spell, she takes a bus-tour west to see America. While out west she literally bumps into Duke Hudkins (John Wayne) at a rodeo. They end up spending the rest of the day together and most of the evening and Molly ends up missing her bus. Duke takes her to the city where she can catch it for the ride home.

Customer Reviews:

The only thing missing is Asta.......2004-07-03

THE LADY IN SCARLET stars Reginald Denny as playboy slash private eye Oliver Keith and Patricia Farr as girl Friday slash Saturday night fallback Ella Carey. The dvd jacket blurb coyly calls this a "thriller reminiscent of THE THIN MAN." They're being much too modest. For all the filching the makers of this movie did they might have well called it The Purloined Leitmotif. It's probably a coincidence that Barbara Stanwyck's THE WOMAN IN RED was released shortly before THE LADY IN SCARLET. It would be terrible if audiences got the two confused. Well, as the old saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery -- but just try telling that to a copyright lawyer.
Still, you have to hand it to them. The film makers were able to write what would have been a decent first draft for a real Thin Man movie, find credible stand-ins for William Powell and Myrna Loy, and deliver it to theaters in less than a year.
Old man Albert Sayres and young and beautiful trophy wife Julia are a bit on the outs. Antiques dealer Sayres is jealous of any man who looks at his bride, and goes as far as hiring a private eye to tail her and catch her in a comprising situation. Sayres is murdered before Denny's Keith has had a chance to down his third cocktail. Being an old friend of Julia Sayres, he is soon in the middle of the investigation. What follows is an effective little plot involving a disputed will, a clutch of believable suspects and some delightfully unexpected light comedic moments.
To its advantage, THE LADY IN SCARLET also appropriated THE THIN MAN'S relaxed, wise-cracking ambiance. Oliver's and Ella's repartee may lack the charm and sparkle of Nick and Nora's banterings, but that's probably the fault of an inferior script and a rushed production schedule. It's a pleasure to see one of these old Poverty Row products and not feel like the actors are auditioning for the part of cigar store indians.
If you're a fan of the Thin Man series and are in the mood of a variation on the theme, THE LADY IN SCARLET is your ticket.

Average customer rating:

Something Very Weird
So Campy You Can Pitch A Tent
Grayson Hall at her best...
THE BEST OF SOMETHING WEIRD....
A cut above even Something Weird's standards!

Satan in High-Heels
Starring: Meg Myles , Grayson Hall , Del Tenney , Sabrina , and Earl Hammond
Director: Jerald Intrator
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005UQ87
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Description

Stacey Kane is a second-rate stripper in a third-rate carnival who wants more out of life. So when she finds her junkie ex-husband lurking in her dressing room with a wad of bills, Stacey promptly steals every cent, hops on a plane for New York, and auditions for a singing job at a nightclub run by a terse, wide-eyed lesbian named Pepe who is soon trying to turn the tramp into a lady. A tough, taut, and well-made exploitation gem, "Satan in High Heels" once again proves there's nothing quite as seductive as a truly wicked woman.

Customer Reviews:

Something Very Weird.......2007-09-10

Definitely one of Something Weird's better offerings. This one hits the perfect medium between being campy and just being a good movie. For the camp fans there are memorable song and dance routines (including a hysterical dominatrix number by the femme fatale lead character), a desperate junkie, a grouchy gay piano player, an over-the-top lesbian club owner . . . And for straight drama, the love triangle formed by the husky-voiced, manipulating sex bomb Stacey and the father and son who both want her, is quite compelling. Throw in Stacey's ex-husband, a desperate junkie who wants her back but can never have her, as well as some wildly entertaining characters who perform at the same club as Stacey, and you've got a plate full of entertainment.

So Campy You Can Pitch A Tent.......2007-01-01

"Slut goddess Stacey Kane is a second-rate stripper in a third-rate carnival who wants more out of life." Well, that sentence, from the DVD case itself (and it doesn't get more authoritative than that), sums up what's about to happen in the ultra-campy, Sixties-chic SATAN IN HIGH HEELS. Our fair heroine (Meg Myles) steals some dough from her ex, hops a flight to the Big Apple, and finds herself in a dysfunctional night club--where she's about to become the headline act. Meanwhile, she blinks, and smokes, and pouts, and plays night club owner Arnold against his bratty son, Lawrence.

Then she smokes some more. Everyone smokes, a lot. It's so. . .Sixties.

I was really hoping Ms. Myles would live up to the "Satan" in the title, but alas, she only reminded me, with that dishwater blonde hair-sprayed mop, of my fourth grade English teacher. Meanwhile, I noticed actress Grayson Hall right away (she plays the chain-smoking night club manager) as the chick who would move on to find cultish fame starring in the "Dark Shadows" TV series and films. She was much better falling in love with vamps than running a club in a campy movie. The ending is predictable (and bad), and SATAN IN HIGH HEELS is less than weird enough to qualify for its "Something Weird Video" label.

Now let's talk extra features. They include two shorts: "Satan and The Virgin" and "Latex She-Devils" (which reminded me of some parties I attended many moons ago). But the added hour-long feature, "The Wild and The Naked," saved this DVD from becoming a coaster. A nubile young Frenchwoman, running hither and yon in the buff, being chased by all kinds of creatures--including a hermit and a gorilla--then augmented by three naked "wild women" dancing to really, really bad rock 'n roll. It doesn't get any more weird than that, and in this case, weird is good: very, very good.
--D. Mikels, Author, THE RECKONING

Grayson Hall at her best..........2005-09-16

This Movie is a real treat for any fans of Grayson Hall. She is a raspy voiced, lesbian night club owner named Pepi in this flick. Grayson's acting is suprisingly really superb, and not overacted. She is in more scenes than I expected. This is a cheesy kitschy treat for those is search of vintage Grayson. The other actors did a fine job too. It is low budget, but worth a view. The vintage s&m / erotica film shorts on this disc were an interesting surprise too.

THE BEST OF SOMETHING WEIRD...........2002-10-13

This is the best of Something Weird's rather disreputable DVD offerings of 60's sleaze. A surprisingly well made and acted low budget trash gem starring respectable actress (and former cheesecake model) Meg Myles as voluptuous carnival dancer Stacy Kane. Stacy's had it with low rent living so she rips off her junkie husband and goes to New York to seek fame and fortune. Well, fortune anyway. She lands a job at Pepe's cabaret as a singer (yes, she CAN sing) run by "Pepe" ("Dark Shadows"' Grayson Hall!) a wily lesbian with the eye for Stacy. But Stacy can't keep her hands off men and/or their money. She gets a sugar daddy but soon finds herself dallying with his skinny young son causing the inevitable snowball to start rolling downhill. Myles performs a torchy ballad in the audition for Pepe's and later a leather clad dominatrix number that will knock your socks off called "Deadlier than the Male" . This routine alone is worth buying the DVD for. But wait! There's more...a British blonde bombshell named Sabrina appears as a former "protege" of Pepe's to do a couple of numbers at the club. She must have been a pin-up model in England or something because she's an absolute eyeful. Her song numbers and costumes must be seen to be believed...period. Anyway, this is a true cult film on any level and thankfully has survived to be enjoyed today. The ladies' performances are catty and arch and the storyline and script just trashy enough to be great fun. The DVD picture and sound are great. Enjoy this one. It's a real collector's item.

A cut above even Something Weird's standards!.......2002-03-20

Often with Something Weird's releases, the extras easily overpower and overshadow the featured film. There is nothing wrong with this, of course; I think it adds to the fun. But Satan in High Heels offers a great feature alnog with some dandy extras.

The feature is a dandy little film noir, made in 1962. In terms of sheer content it is strictly PG-rated stuff, but that doesn't mean it's not an exploitation delight. A woman, Stacy, rips off her creepy ex-junky husband and escapes her life as a carny burlesque dancer. She moves to New York and gets a job as a singer in a high-class but oddly seedy club run by Pepe, a dominatrix-style woman with a stare that can shatter windows. Stacy wastes no time in seducing both the club's owner and his shiftless son. Much witty banter follows, as does the club's "star" Sabrina (playing herself in a performance of such high camp it may be harmful to small animals), and the piano player (played by Del Tenney, director of "I Eat Your Skin", also on SW dvd). It all ends with a blow-out, leather-clad performance of "Deadlier Than the Male", a song you'll take to your grave, and maybe... MURDER!!! The film is quite good, the direction and the genuinely funny writing well above average for an exploitation picture of the era. The low budget does shine through (an awful lot of the film takes place in the club), but it's very well made and almost effortlessly entertaining for lovers of witty sleaze and evil (though not beyond sympathetic) women.

The extras are the usual greatness. First, we have the jaw-dropping "The Wild and the Naked", which is very similar to "The Girl and the Geek", also on SW dvd. A woman walks around a lot, gets naked for photos, dances, and is chased around in the buff a LOT by an assortment of characters. The film appears to be a string of almost totally random silent footage spliced together with a hysterically bad narration tacked on to make sense of it all. The narration fails, of course, but the film is a riot. A classic adults-only film, only an hour long, from the early 60's (so no frontal nudity you dirty dirty persons).

Other extras include two shorts. One is a film of a carny act involving a woman and a full-sized marionette doing a routine. It's oddly unsettling. The other ("Latex She-Devils") is astounding: an honest-to-god early 70's S&M reel!!! Watch as a cat burglar is abused by two latex-clad cuties! Wow. There are also trailers, and the usual gallery of art. Overall, it's a great package for Something Weird fans!!!

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THE HILLS OF L.A.

YOU Share The Viewpoint of the Crankiest Marlowe in Cinema!

Not a definitive Chandler classic, but a good enough noir

A Lesson in the Pitfalls of Subjective Camera. An Unfortunately Dull Detective Story.

"You'll see it just as I saw it. You'll meet the people; you'll find the clues"

Lady in the Lake - Authentic Region 1 DVD from Warner Brothers starring Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan

Manufacturer: Warner Brothers
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Features:

Film Noir

ASIN: B000H0JD88

Customer Reviews:

THE HILLS OF L.A........2007-06-20

Phillip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's classic noir hard-boiled private detective forever literarily associated with Los Angeles and its means streets gets a little off-track when he goes to the mountains in search of the inevitable missing 'wife'. Sure there is plenty of sparse but functional dialogue, physical action and a couple of plot twists, particularly around the identity of the various `dames' (for the politically incorrect) of the piece that caught me off guard but the plot line lost energy as it gathered steam to get up those mountain passes. Give me those background oil derricks churning out the wealth while looking for Rusty Regan in Big Sleep or the run down stucco flats in pursue of Moose's Velma in Farewell, My Lovely any day. Still, as always with Chandler, you get high literature in a plebian package.

The film version of this classic Chandler work frankly does not work. The up close and personal technique of having the audience working talong side and through the gumshoe to solve the heinous crime takes the heart out of the action. Moreover, after Bogie (or even Robert Mitchem, for that matter) Roert Montgomery does not work as Marlowe. He is way too debonair. Nick Charles as played by William Powell of the Thin Man series, maybe, but Phillip. No way.

YOU Share The Viewpoint of the Crankiest Marlowe in Cinema!.......2006-09-30

Drawing on his life of crimefighting to write a short story, Raymond Chandler's tough but noble P.I. Philip Marlowe (Robert Montgomery, pulling double duty as actor and director) submits his work to Kingsby Publications, home of such pulp fiction mags as LURID DETECTIVE and MURDER MASTERPIECES. Before he can say "byline," editor Adrienne Fromsett (Audrey Totter) has Marlowe up to his neck in murder, missing dames, and crooked cops -- and you can see things Marlowe's way, literally! Before all those slasher movies came along during the last couple of decades, LADY IN THE LAKE used the subjective camera treatment -- hell, the camera was practically a character in the flick! Throughout most of LADY..., we see everything exactly as Marlowe sees it; the only times we see Marlowe/Montgomery's face is when he looks in a mirror, as well as in a brief prologue, an entrè-acte segment, and an epilogue. In the trailer (featured on the spiffy new DVD version of LADY..., along with an enjoyable and informative commentary track by film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini), MGM's publicity department did its best to push the film as the first interactive movie experience: "MGM presents a Revolutionary motion picture; the most amazing since Talkies began! YOU and ROBERT MONTGOMERY solve a murder mystery together! YOU accept an invitation to a blonde's apartment! YOU get socked in the jaw by a murder suspect!" YOU occasionally start snickering in spite of yourself when the subjective camera gimmick teeters dangerously close to parodying itself, like when Totter moves in for a smooch with Our Hero The Camera. Some of Totter's facial expressions in the first half of the film as she spars verbally with Montgomery are pretty funny, too, though I'm not sure all of them were meant to be (she uses the arched eyebrow technique done so much more effectively later by CQ's Angela Lindvall, Eunice Gayson of DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, Leonard Nimoy, The Rock, et al... :-). Having said that, the subjective camera technique works more often than not; in particular, I thought the fight scenes and a harrowing sequence where an injured Marlowe crawls out of his wrecked car worked beautifully. It helps that Steve Fisher provided a good solid screenplay for Raymond Chandler's novel, though Chandler purists were annoyed that the novel's pivotal Little Fawn Lake sequence was relegated to a speech in the recap scene in the middle (apparently they tried to film that scene on location, but the subjective camera treatment proved harder to do in the great outdoors, so they gave up). The performances are quite good overall, including Lloyd Nolan as a dirty cop and an intense dramatic turn by young Jayne Meadows. Montgomery's sardonic snap mostly works well for cynical Marlowe, though he sometimes forgets to tone it down during tender dialogue, making him sound simply cranky. Totter eventually tones down her mugging and becomes genuinely affecting as her Adrienne lets down her guard and begins falling for Marlowe. You may love or hate this LADY..., but if you enjoy mysteries and you're intrigued by offbeat movie-making techniques, give her a try!

Not a definitive Chandler classic, but a good enough noir.......2006-09-07

Lady in the Lake is a lot more fun than a gimmick movie should be. Perhaps that's because the script is good enough not to need the gimmick, which is just as well because Robert Montgomery and Audrey Totter are far too arch for their roles to really convince. The gimmick, of course, is that aside from the bookends and sporadic interruptions to fill in details, the film is shot almost entirely from Phillip Marlowe's point of view: we see what he sees, and the lens gets punched when he gets punched. Doubling as director, Montgomery has fun with the technique, allowing the camera's `attention' to get sidetracked by a passing secretary or getting knocked out by a suspect, although he is completely stumped as to how to show a phone call, leading to the film's worst shot (a dull shot of a door with a receiver in the foreground). You tend to forget you're watching the gimmick, and in some scenes, such as Marlowe crawling away from a car wreck to a phone booth, it works incredibly well. There are some problems with the plotting, though: there's a huge clue to the central mystery in the cast list (two, in fact), and it's a shame that the entire lake section of the story is simply relayed in straight-to-camera dialogue (by far the most awkward part of Montgomery's performance). Jayne Meadows' performance also veers the film to the purely comic, but Lloyd Nolan is a convincingly unpleasant flatfoot and there's one great one-sided phone conversation in the police chief's office.

A Lesson in the Pitfalls of Subjective Camera. An Unfortunately Dull Detective Story........2006-08-05

"Lady in the Lake" is something of an experiment in subjective camera by actor/director Robert Montgomery. Somehow I doubt that's what MGM had in mind for a crime film based on Raymond Chandler's novel of the same name, Chandler being one of the most popular crime writers in America at the time. We rarely see the leading man's face. We never know much about him. The camera work is constrained by always seeing from one viewpoint. All because the camera has taken a subjective point of view, that of private detective Philip Marlowe. While this technique did present its own set of interesting challenges, not the least of which were extremely long takes and actors always playing to the camera, the subjective camera ends up being an impediment in engaging the audience visually or emotionally. It effectively takes Philip Marlowe out of the picture, leaving him a disembodied voice whose character we never know or care much about. Raymond Chandler's material should have made good film noir, but "Lady in the Lake" lacks captivating lead roles and anything interesting to look at.

Private detective Philip Marlowe (Robert Montgomery) has turned from the mean streets to the typewriter. He has submitted a detective story to Kingsby Publications, publishers of "lurid detective stories" among other pulp fiction. At the publisher's offices, a sharp, smarmy editor named Adrienne Fromsett (Audrey Totter) offers him $200 for his story...or $500 for the story and his services in locating the wife of Adrienne's boss and lover Derace Kingsby (Leon Ames). Marlowe takes the case, but doesn't think much of Adrienne: "I have an allergy against getting mixed up with tricky females who want to knock off the boss's wife and marry him for herself." At the Kingsby's lake house in the mountains, the caretaker's wife is found drowned. Mrs. Kingsby's lover Chris Lavery (Richard Simmons) isn't doing any better. And a police Lt. DeGarmot (Lloyd Nolan) has taken a particular dislike to Marlowe's snooping around. -All of which leads everyone to wonder if Mrs. Kingsby is to blame for the trouble or some victim of it.

We catch the occasional glimpse of Philip Marlowe in a mirror, and he addresses the camera directly, awkwardly, several times -to introduce the case and keep us informed of his progress. But Robert Montgomery is too excited and earnest in those scenes. And when he tries a more deadpan delivery in his voice-over narration, Montgomery just sounds grouchy and affected. The wonderful hard-boiled dialogue in "Lady in the Lake" is wasted on poor delivery. Since we can't usually see Marlowe, focus is shifted to Adrienne. Having to constantly act to the camera, with Montgomery saying his lines while squatting on a platform under the camera, didn't display Audrey Totter's talent to its best advantage. Adrienne is very unnatural. Two underperforming leads sap a lot of interest out of this film, but there are some strong supporting performances. Lloyd Nolan, who may have been known best in the 1940s for playing good, wise law enforcement officers, plays a corrupt cop here. He reputedly had trouble acting to the camera, but he's terrific. The other notable performance is by Jayne Meadows as fast-talking, disturbed Mildred Haveland.

"Lady in the Lake"'s best scene by far is its last (before the epilogue scene), because it brings together the film's strong elements: Nolan, Meadows, and a slew of hard-boiled lines, delivered perfectly by Nolan: "How does it feel dying in the dirty middle of somebody else's love affair?" I sure wish I'd had some inkling of how it felt before the last scene. "Dark Passage", released later the same year (1947), is another film famous for its use of subjective camera. It also managed to show off its leads -Bogie and Bacall- rather poorly while presenting an impressive supporting cast. "Lady in the Lake" is a slightly better film than "Dark Passage", because its source material is better. But it should have been good. Instead, it's tedious.

The DVD (Warner Brothers 2006): This print is speckly in places, but not to the extent that it is distracting. Sound is good. Bonus features are a theatrical trailer and an audio commentary by film noir scholars Alain Silver and James Ursini. I think they are too enamored of the subjective camera technique, which does nothing good for this particular film, but Silver and Ursini do a nice job of exploring the implications and challenges of subjective camera. They also discuss Raymond Chandler, this interpretation of the Marlowe character, the long takes, Adrienne's expanded role, the actors, MGM's high key glamour look in the film. The commentary focuses more on technique than other Silver/Ursini commentaries that I've heard, with a lot of scene-by-scene analysis, probably because technique is this film's claim to fame.

"You'll see it just as I saw it. You'll meet the people; you'll find the clues".......2006-07-27

Lady in the Lake is one of those classic films that ultimately end up being a real chore to sit through. Made in 1947, it's an odd and bizarre film that uses the gimmick of subjectivity to fuel the story, allowing us to solve the riddle of a murder along with the main protagonist, Philip Marlowe (Robert Montgomery).

It's all about the quest for realism as Robert Montgomery permits the camera to do most of his "acting." Consequently, we see what he sees - when he gets punched, we get punched; when Audrey Totter kisses him, we get kissed. And we only ever see Montgomery in brief glimpses through mirrors. The film is a personal affair and an interesting experiment, which is fine for a while, but rapidly, becomes rather tedious.

Marlowe has been given the assignment of finding the missing Mrs. Chrystal Kingsby. Chrystal is the wife of horror magazine publisher Derace Kingsby (Leon Ames). No one knows quite what happened to her, but Marlowe is certain that dirty work is afoot. Suspicion immediately falls on Derace's icy assistant Adrienne Fromsett (Audrey Totter) who is determined to marry Derace so she can get his millions.

Adrienne tells Marlowe that if he really wants to find out what happened to Chrystal he should visit, Chris Lavery (Dick Simmons). Apparently, a telegram sent to Adrienne tells that Chrystal had run off to Mexico to marry Chris. Things get complicated when bent cop Lt. DeGarmotis (Lloyd Nolan) is added to the mix and Chris is found murdered.

Marlowe - and by association us - get into plenty of trouble with the police and assorted strangers the deeper his investigation goes. Clues sprout and evaporate, or end up as blind leads, until the spectator is nicely but firmly confused. This bewilderment doesn't extend so much to the identity of the lady found in the lake as it does to how Marlowe will go about solving the mystery.

Obviously a labor of love for Montgomery, the film looks cheaply made and the acting is mostly amateurish. And this radical experiment of making us the detective ends up slowing much of the action down, rather than including us in all the excitement.

Of course, it's fun to see a hand reaching toward a door knob, or lighting a cigarette or lifting a glass, or a door moving toward you as though it might come right out of the screen, but the novelty begins to wear thin and the film as a whole begins to drag. I've never heard of another film done like this, so perhaps somewhat understandably, the gimmick never really took off.

I guess you could wrap up Lady in the Lake by saying that it's all about a novel idea gone wrong, with the limitations of the method also impose a straitjacket on the treatment. The story is restricted from being "opened out" as much as it should be and any attempts at suspense and pressure are seriously compromised.

This, combined with the oddness of every character directly addressing the camera, eventually makes it all extraordinarily arch and contrived. The necessity for long, seamless takes is also at odds with the noir thriller genre, which calls for rapid editing in order to emphasize the anticipation and tension. Mike Leonard July 06.

Average customer rating:

Fun movie for both kids and adults!
VRonan
GREAT MOVIE
DVD purchase
I looked for this every where.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Starring: Gerry Bamman , Donna Black , Eddie Bracken , Daiana Campeanu , and Ron Canada
Director: Chris Columbus
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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Binding: DVD

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