Home Movie Reviews

Not a knock on the film or on Hopper (who is great), but one wonders how the film would have turned out with Donald Sutherland in the role of Huey Walker...

This movie is a lot of fun. There are the typical barroom brawls (as well as a fight on the street), and also a shootout just for good measure. This is John Wayne through and through, but there is a strong comic element as well. North to Alaska is definitely worth the time, both for fans of John Wayne and for anyone who enjoys a good, lighthearted western comedy.

Christopher Lee, Christopher Plummer, Ian Richardson, and of course, Basil Rathbone all put their own spin on Holmes. For the most part, these interpretations are satisfactory and entertaining, but no one other then Brett had seriously attempted to portray the character as written by Doyle.

Here we have two of the very, very best of the Granada series (1984). Both "The Greek Interpreter" and "The Norwood Builder" have much to recommend them, including a fine performace by Charles Gray as Mycroft in the former, and an insufferable, never more smug Lestrade shown in the latter.

Incredible cinematography permeates "Interpreter," with excellent use of shadows aboard a blazing red, fire-lit train, in the Scotland Yard offices, and in the closed mansion that serves as a prison for a hapless Greek citizen.

"Builder" has other singular elements, such as the aforementioned smug Lestrade (Colin Jeavons putting his stamp on the character, just as David Burke and Edward Hardwicke did Watson, and Brett did Holmes). We also have a frustrated and depressed Holmes, desperate to solve a case where Lestrade seems to hold all the cards.

However, one element I would like to illuminate which bears out my sentiment of "true-to-Doyle" is how Brett "works the room."

In "The Resident Patient," (available in Volume 5 of this collection), Brett truly displays what it must have been like to actually see this amazing detective in his element, as he "works the room" in Blessington's home, decucing the facts that occured when that character met his death.

Never more brilliantly portrayed than in "The Resident Patient," we nonetheless have an excellent example of Brett using Holmes' methods here in "The Norwood Builder," while investigating the remnants of the fire, the upper floors of the house, and the surrounding grounds.

We see the intensity and frenetic energy of the famous consulting detective, crouching, scurrying, examining in minute detail the invisible evidence, hunting up the clues unobserved by others.

We also have samples of Holmes (and Mycroft) deducing the lives of people they observe both on the train and in Mycroft's club.

For those unfamilliar with the Granada series, this may not be the best place to start, because the cases are more obscure than the more famous "The Speckled Band" or "The Crooked Man." However, for those familiar with Brett & Co., this disc is indispensible.

Given that this is, at best, a rather specialist market, it is a huge investment by the makers of good faith. To take the time and money to produce these with the bonus material is fantastic.

Brett always wished to achieve his personal goal of recording every one of the Holmes stories before he finished his acting career. Sadly he was unable to achieve his ambition but he got most of them. In his first season in the role, he certainly portrayed Sherlock with a seriousness that no other has brought to the part. His fastidious attention to detail and his legendary readings of the original stories and taking voluminous notes gave him a deep insight which he was to inject into the future seasons of the Great Detective.

These two stories are both superb, with excellent perfomances by all concerned. One of the little things that I liked so much about these series is the care which went into details such as keeping the apartment as little changed as possible throught the life of the shows, not changing it like M's office, for every show.

Hopefully, the DVD series will continue until all of the stories are available. This is British drama at it's best and Jeremy Brett is the cream of the crop.

The Greek Interpreter is notable for 2 things: the first appearance of Sherlock's older brother, the brilliant but sedentary Mycroft (wonderfully played by Charles Gray) and the fact that in this tale Sherlock is too late deducing and is further delayed in getting the authority to save one of the principles of the story (even Sherlock wasn't perfect).

The Norwood Builder has Sherlock unraveling a crime utilizing all his methods, including disguise, in an effort to save a wrongly accused man (something he does often, as in the Blue Carbuncle).

This series was notable for the care in its production and casting, re-telling the tales of the Sherlock canon with respect and reverence.

I remember Secondary School curriculae that portrays the Nationalist Chiang as the 'good-guy', and Chairman Mao as the 'bad-guy' of chinese 20th century history. However, this documentary remains ambivalent on both of these matters, presenting the facts without bias by the producers. They expertly weave a history with evenhandedness making it impartial and objective to the sometimes very subjective matter that is The Cultural Revolution. The entire six hour documentary spans approximately 70 years, from 1911 (Sun Yat Sen) through to the rule and capitalistic tendencies of Deng Xiao Peng.

While the objectivity of the documentary is laudable, the treatment of the subject matter is nothing short of exceptional. The intention of the documentary is to serve as an overview within a six hour time-frame. It is NOT intended as an in-depth political study of the times! Subsequently, the documentary does not getted bogged-down in too much detail, but simultaneously manages to adequately portray the events that defined 20th century China.

On the whole this documentary is highly watchable, offering historical footage and interviews with those who participated in the Cultural Revolution in one form or another. Any curriculum study of 20th century China would be greatly enhanced by including this documentary. The documentary also serves as a great introduction to China for anyone interested in the country and how it has arrived at being the country it is today.

This series consists of six one-hour episodes, and takes you through the beginning of the 20th century up until the present. The story that it tells is so incredibly bizarre and tragic and thought-provoking that at times it was difficult to believe it was all true. The 2nd DVD in particular, which focuses on the reign of Mao, really made me realize how different the Chinese culture is from my own (USA) and what a traumatic history they've had in the past 100 years.

One of the things I really appreciated about this series was how non-judgmental it was. At no point did I feel that the editor or producers had a political agenda. The point was not to demonize the Communists and also not to glorify them. Instead, it simply let you watch the events unfold and let you listen to the people who lived it as they attempt to explain to you (and to themselves) how all of these unbelievable things happened and how it felt to be in the middle of it all.

You could really understand why, after living through Chiang Kai-shek's corrupt Nationalist rule, the people were so eager to follow Mao and to embrace his idealistic vision of a Communist State built of equality and justice. And, too, you could see how the whole thing slowly went off-kilter. As Mao became more and more removed from the day-to-day reality of the peasants, his ideas became increasingly demented. In a sense, he reminded me of Marlon Brando's character in "Apocalypse Now," except that Mao was real and was in the position of leadership of almost one billion people.

By the time the documentary got to the Cultural Revolution (the fourth of the six episodes), it's like you're watching some insane Monty Python-esque satire about revolutions within revolutions. Everyone was overthrowing everyone else, and all in the name of Mao.

Watching this series will do far more than teach you some fascinating history; it will also make you re-examine all your most basic assumptions about how humans think and function. There's one woman interviewed who talks about an old man who was beaten to death shortly before her arrival, because a crowd of youths decided he was a Capitalist. She says at the end of the story that she still can't say for sure if she would have helped in beating him to death or not, had she arrived in time to do so. And this isn't some crazy woman saying this. It's someone perfectly sane and normal who simply got swept up in the times she was living in.

I cannot recommend this series highly enough.

This is a concise, objective, and, dare I say, entertaining look at what might be the most important nation in the 21st century.

In the opening scenes the audience is treated to absolutely breath-taking images of the hills of South Africa, it is there that you are introduced to the story's protangonist Rev. Kumalo, the pastor of a small country church in South Africa. The role of Kumalo is played brilliantly by James Earl Jones.

In the opening scenes Rev. Kumalo travels to Johannesburg to come to the aid of his sister and to search for his son. While in Johannesburg, the lives of Rev. Kumalo and James Jarvis, a weathly farmer and neighbor of Kumalo played by Richard Harris, are brought together by an event (I will leave it at that) that will profoundly affect the lives of both men. Pay particular attention to the scene where Jones and Harris first meet, it is a wonderful example what is possible when two accomplished actors are put together and given the chance to ply their trades.

"Cry, The Beloved Country," does require some patience from the viewer, director Darrell Roodt builds the story slowly and deliberately, and even this level of dillegence doesn't completely pay off, but when the movie comes to it's climax I can guarantee you will appreciate the time Roodt took to set up the story in the beginning of the movie.

This is really the story of an honest man in dishonest wolrd and the effect individuals can make in the lives of others. This movie should have recieved much more attention when it was in the theaters and Jones should have recieved an Oscar nomination for his preformance.

The final scene of the movie ends much as it starts, in the hills of South Africa. Director Darrel Roodt uses this local as bookends for this wonderous story. This movie is not available on DVD, but look for it on video tape it is well worth the effort.

A small group of radical students became revolutionaries. Clearly they were over their heads with their dreams of freedom. A bungled bank robbery caused one of the students to be tortured and imprisoned. Something drastic had to be done. Several hard-boiled older radicals came to assist them and the plan for the kidnap was hatched. How it played out is the brought to the screen by Bruno Baretto, as all the participants from the student dreamer played by Pedro Cardoso, to the strong minded woman who saw herself as a revolutionary, played by Fernanda Torres, are shown to be both dangerous and naïve. Alan Arkin is cast as the ambassador and some of the scenes between him and his captors are masterpieces of subtlety and realism. We see many sides of the problem, including the side of the young policeman who has nightmares because his job forces him to torture prisoners.

Instead of making judgment, the film lets the audience experience the realities of the situation, which exacerbates the harshness of the government. The emotional tenseness never ceases and the audience is drawn into the drama. As an epilogue it jumps to a later time, when the original radicals, now older and wiser are freed in a prisoner exchange. As the camera pans their faces, we see how they have changed.

The film sets us down in a time and place that is gone now. Times have changed and so have the methods of idealists. There is something to learn, however, from this lesson in history. It is well crafted, brilliantly directed and the actors are superb. No wonder it was nominated for an academy award. Highly recommended.

I have seen many historical films, and this is one of the best. There are no cardboard heroes or villains in this film; there are lots of moral shades of gray. Are these students terrorists or freedom fighters? Is the ambassador an innocent victim, or an ally of oppressive forces?

Leopoldo Serran's intelligent script is based on Fernando Gabeira's book "O Que E Isso, Companhiero?" The dialogue offers thought-provoking insights into the minds of the individuals involved in these events. The cast gives universally superb performances; particularly impressive is veteran U.S. actor Alan Arkin as Ambassador Charles Elbrick. The film as a whole is well complemented by a memorable musical soundtrack. Barreto's direction is both suspenseful and sensitive. Whether you are interested in Latin American history or just enjoy a well-made drama, I highly recommend this film.