Collecting Movie Reviews

Pat Benatar had a really good run back in the early 80's&these videos capture some of the coolest moments of that time period.She truly had a cool edge&this is a good reflection on that time period.Good Stuff here&very detailed reflections.

Lots of videos here. But, I could have sworn there was a video for "Hit Me with your Best Shot". I loved finally getting to see "Sex as a Weapon", "Shadows of the Night", and "Little Too Little" again.

Be sure to listen to the audio commentary whle watching the videos. It's really nice to hear them laugh at their own "goofy momments".

Having heard "Love is a battlefield" on one of those best of the 80's compilations , I went off and bought the lady's Greatest Hits album. As she was never really that big over in the UK and Ireland , this was my first time hearing all the songs on the album and to be perfectly honest I was blown away! What a voice!!

Anyway that was a few years ago and the cd was played from time to time until the last few weeks when it became a constant in my cd player. I logged on to Amazon to look at getting other cds by Pat as the shops over here didn't have much of a selection and came across this DVD. I knew immediately I had to buy it and it turns out I made the right choice as it is without doubt one of the best music DVDs on the market today - 29 videos , 5.1 sound , audio and video commentary , extra bonus live tracks and an Easter egg!! The only problem now is that I don't know how to access the Easter egg but that's another day's work.

For anyone out there thinking of buying this DVD , I can only say "Do it!" You won't be disappointed!

Yes it's a great starter's set..! But I wonder why so many of his great movies are not in boxed sets yet?!! This box set has 2 of his eighties and 2 of early ninties but there are so much good movies of his that need to be in a set as well.

If you love Al Pacino, you'll love buying his movies. And this box set happens to be a good start but don't think that it's enough there's so much left such as Heat and Devil's Advocate which are the MASTER PIECES of his acting career!

So it is good but not enough... something else, the DVD's included in this set are poor in extra's. It seems we can't have it all :-)

If u want a hella lot of good movies then buy this set. Thats why i got because al is the man. So many good roles, not all as good as antonio montona, but by far my favorite actor. Even though he edged out DeNiro for the top spot, they both are good but the only way to show how good al is, is to get this collection......Just do it..............Forget about it

You can look up the individual reviews. Of course some individual titles will go out of stock. Others may not be your favorite. However you will have friends and relatives that will want to compare Al's various characters. A single case makes the movies easier to keep track of and look better on your video storage wall. Being DVDs this is a one-time investment. With the advent of multiple DVD changers you will be able to keep Al ready at a moments notice. I tried buying individual as I had the money and found shipping was getting very expensive that way. So bite the bullet and buy the collection. There is also the Al Pacino Collection (1975)

He may be bathing in millions on account of his big Oscar wins for "Amadeus" & "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"--but director Milos Forman perfected his basic style with films like this, one of the most cherishable little comedies ever made. Indeed, its hour-and-fifteen-minute length makes one crave reliving this warm and extremely human story again and again.

Made while Forman was still living under Communist rule in Czecholslovakia, "Fireman's Ball" was meant as a satire of government bureaucracy, though the story can be enjoyed purely at face value. The firemen are pathetic pillars of the community who engage in endless and logic-bending arguments over ridiculous little points, desperately nabbing any reluctant teenage girls for the beauty pageant; while the people outside are enjoying and upsetting the ball (even stealing all of the edible raffle prizes) to their hearts' content. Everybody's concerned only with himself or herself......until an outside siren leads everybody to a fire destroying an old man's house. Finally, everyone seems united in a common cause. The tragedy of the story--as well as the Czech people--is driven home.

Absolutely wonderful transfer--those of us who've caught it in infrequent TV broadcasts (notably on the USA network) have had to endure white subtitles obscured in decrepit-quality prints, or lost in the screen detail. Here they are completely readable. The interviews with Forman & his erstwhile photographer Miroslav Ondricek are enlightening. My one complaint is that this Criterion Collection edition doesn't give us Forman's original English-language introduction, appended to original American & British prints of the film (he looked quite stylish in a beard).

Amazing, too, that this film uses no professionals among its actors--simply friends and even schoolboy pals of Forman's.

How to get busted in a totalitarian regime: make a film like Firemen's Ball. Just watched that last night. Amazed. Brilliant transfer. May not be as poignant as Loves of a Blonde or his later works, but a rousing critique of the regime with some really funny scenes. But, again, that transfer amazed me. Hard to believe it's a 35 year old czech film. Highly recommended. Enjoyed Forman's comments on the film and the debacle that ensued. He was almost locked up for 10 years and was luckily helped out by none other than Francois Truffaut! Beautiful.

The Firemen's Ball is one of a handful of Czech films that defined the "New Wave" era, and had a profound influence on filmmakers and critics around the world. Other important films of this period include Forman's "Loves of a Blonde," Jiri Menzel's "Closely Watched Trains," and "Larks on a String" (a Menzel film that hasn't been released on DVD, to my knowledge). But Firemen's Ball is a personal favorite, probably due to the fact that I lived in the Czech Republic for five years, and attended similar village balls. The characters in this wicked satire are portrayed with humor, affection and above all a level of realism that remains unsurpassed. In the end, Forman does what he does best -- he leaves you torn between laughter and tears. This film is a must-see, especially for those who are interested in understanding how filmmaking evolved in the 60s.

James Bond-like portrayal of the intelligence business may have broken new ground in its time, but the Sandbaggers series paints Bond into a corner as pure fantastic escapism. Rather, the reality of the business is continual risk-taking, running through mazes whose wrong paths can be deadly, lack of support or understanding from those who most benefit from actions taken, a steady stream of surprises any of which might be the last, and yes, complete disavowal of one's mission should it fail. The dialogue was written by intelligent people for like types, and while episode quality varies from B-- to A, each one has its poignant message(s) as well as drama. Overall, one of the better picks for action/drama, though you will never see Bond in the same light again.

Now it's kind of sad to think that people went through these sorts of things out of fear of the Soviet Union's empire, but this series shows all the grit and mennace that was percieved on this side of the Iron Curtain.

Several of the stories are still very topical, if you just switch around the names and countries. Even today, the episode about the civil rights leaders shows up some of the paranoia still surrounding the assassinations. The comment on the Warren Commision's report is worth quite a bit of quiet reflection.

Like the Sandbaggers themselves, BBCs budget was somewhat restricted, which results in quality writing over FX, but also the occasional glitch in sound, but don't let that stop you from investing in one of the best spy series ever made.

And Season 3 is finally on it's way!

"At All Costs" alone is worth the price of this set. If you love TV which features crisp dialog, cunning expository writing, and flambouantly theatrical acting, this is for you.

Having seen all 3 of the Rutheridge adaptations of Sayer, I must say I was disappointed with this one, my favorite by far of the 3 novels, just as I was impressed by how well they did Have His Carcase, one of Sayer's less impressive novels, imo. This adaption cuts alot of what made the novel so interesting. Wimsey's nephew does not appear. The subplot of the students, including the one with the crush on Harriet and the one who is suicidal, does not appear except for an early 2 minute interview by Vane of a few of the women students, who then disappear, a singularly pointless scene, as though they decided not to have the student bit after all and then left one scene in by accident. There is no chess set, and none of the undercurrents between Vane and the Hilliard woman that that event brought out in the book. Hilliard is just hostile, because she is an unpleasant woman. Uninteresting. There is no dog collar, for which I was thankful, I'm afraid men who put dog collars on women just brings too many irrelevancies to mind these days.

There is so much of the interaction of the dons that is lacking, there is no development at all of any suspicions and clues pointing at any of the dons, as there was in the book, there is in fact no development of the mystery at all. Vandalous things happen on several nights, then Peter springs the solution on us all, clever fellow.

But most disappointing to me of all is that this version just did not give us the marvelous presence of Oxford itself as Sayers empphasized it so strongly in the book. It was key to what happened between Wimsay and Vane and what it symbolized of the primacy and the costs and rewards of the intellectual life was a rich underlying theme for every character, including of course the culprit. But this production cheated us - vane thinks a few poetry lines re Oxford at the very beginning as she is driving there, then wimsey says something about how awfully serious Oxford makes everyone at the very end, and the whole theme is just absent otherwise.

I like the Vane characterization across all 3 of the videos. Rutheridge as Peter lacks all the effervescence and whimsey and defensive buffoonery of the Sayers character - a fact that is a big defect imo in Strong Poison but much less so in this video, as in fact Sayer's Wimsey drops his clownishness more and more in the successive novels.

This BBC presentation is based on the third novel in the Wimsey/Vane series. Harriet, motivated by her memories of Oxford as an escape from worldly concerns (such as her involvement in two murders and persistent proposals from Lord Peter), attends a student reunion or gaudy night. In the course of this she allows herself to be drawn into the mystery of a poison pen writer who has crossed too far into the realms of bad taste and threats. Gradually she realizes that the matter is getting out of hand, and turns again to Wimsey for help and guidance.

There is no question but that the saboteur intends harm to Shrewsbury College itself, as well as the dons and students who are part of it. Ugly notes escalate to burnt effigies, and finally to attacks on properties and persons. Everyone, from Senior Common Room to the least student is under suspicion.

Harriet must labor under the triple complications of the crimes themselves, a mixed reception from the dons of Shrewsbury, and the ever-increasing complexity of her relationship with Lord Peter. This latter is the reason for Sayers decision to gradually shift the focus of these three novels from Lord Peter (in 'Strong Poison') to Harriet Vane. In the book, lesser characters appear more often than Wimsey does as the narrative focuses in on a woman who is struggling to find herself and who fears being overwhelmed by what Peter has to offer.

'Gaudy Night' has the best acting of the three BBC presentations, and the most interesting setting, the only women's college at Oxford. It is easy to fall into the plot and enjoy the intellectual byplay among the characters. Unfortunately, this production shares the same fault as its companion efforts, only this time it is much worse. Whereas before the director (Christopher Hodson) limited his deviations from the novels to providing romantic segues from video to video, this time he had made significant deviations from the novel in order to overemphasize the relationship between Harriet and Wimsey.

I hate to get up on a soapbox, but Dorothy Sayers had very good reasons for writing these books as she did. Harriet Vane is an intelligent, determined woman, who is facing one of the dilemmas of her times, how to be an independent woman and in love at the same time. In her society, precious few roles were available that permitted both behaviors. Thus, the primary subtext of 'Gaudy Night is the nature of these roles. But Hodson underplays this, and even goes so far as to create scenes in order to expand Wimsey's role, and thus weaken Harriet Vane's. Having read the book several times, I found this both distracting and irritating.

Had I not read 'Gaudy Night' I would have found the screenplay very satisfying. With nearly seventy years between the book's writing and the present day, the number of Sayers readers has dwindled with time. Hopefully, the availability of the BBC productions will reverse that trend and more people will discover the works of one of the English languages most remarkable mystery writes.

Edward Petherbridge is brilliant!!

I recently acquired these DVD's (Strong Poison/Have His Carcass/Gaudy Night) and they are now my most treasured set. The performances by Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter are flawless!

This series is a MUST HAVE for all mystery buffs (especially Dorothy Sayer's fans!) For those who were disappointed in the Ian Carmichael series produced 10 years earlier, take heart--you have now found the answer to your prayers!

My only criticism is that there were no more titles produced in this series. I can't understand why they did not continue to make more of these wonderful productions. And furthermore, I can't understand why the BBC took so long to release this series onto Video/DVD. If I had known of the existance of this series sooner, I would have launched a campaign to demand that they make more episodes. Oh well...I guess we will just have to make do with the three gems that were made. (In fact you should probably buy two sets of these, as you may wear out your original DVD's from watching them over and over and over and ...ahem...oh yes back to the review...)

The first two films, Strong Poison and Have His Carcass, are faithful to the books and each is truly a pleasure to watch. The third, Gaudy Night (or "Gaudy Lite" as I have seen it referred to) skimps a bit in comparison to the novel. However, the extraordinary acting on the part of Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter more than makes up for this, ensuring that this version of Gaudy Night is a highly entertaining one. This series should have segued into "Busman's Honeymoon." However BBC dropped the ball on obtaining the rites and left us all hanging.

Perhaps it isn't too late for a continuation of this series after all. It has ONLY been 16 years since the last episode. Surely if Ian Carmichael could have the audacity to play Lord Peter Wimsey at his age, Edward Petherbridge could pull it off for at least another 20 years or so (and do it brilliantly I might add!)

Needless to say, I have become an instant fan of Mr. Petherbridge and can only hope I may find more of his work on film. (This is a daunting task since this distinguished stage performer seems to shy away from the camera. Something about acting for the love of the thing and not the money. Oh these serious actors!! By the way, isn't he WAY OVERDUE for some sort of Knighthood or something ...hmm??!!)

WARNING: Ordinary television will seem even more unsatisfactory after viewing these DVD's.

As I said before, you'd better get at least two copies of each of these DVD's (or to be on the safe side, you'd better make it three!!)

(NOTE: It seems that the UK version of the DVD's contain an interview with Edward Petherbridge as a bonus feature. Unfortunately for me, the American version does not. You lucky Brits!!)

Enjoy!

Yep you get six that is six Zillas for the price of two. These are genuine Zillas not that graphics stuff. Broaden your horizons with windscreen. Warning you might learn to bellow and stomp, but you won't learn Japanese. Anyway this is still fun. DVDs do not ware out in theory. So this may be your last major Zilla purchase. You can add odd ones later. When does Rodan get a collection?

This is a must-have for any serious Godzilla movie lover. I hope they hurry and release Godzilla 2000 [English region 1] on DVD, as well as all the other Godzilla movies that they have yet to release on DVD in the USA. King Kong vs. Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Destroyah [aka Destroyer] are among the best - but those don't come in this set. Still, these movies in this set are a must-have for any serious collector or even hobbiest. Godzilla rules! [Not the 1998 one though! ]

Not very much to say, but this collection is in my opinion an absolute must for all fans of the 'original' Godzilla. The DVD set is a very good compilation of Godzilla movies spanning nearly two decades including several 'all time classics'. Starting from the very first one from 1956 going to 1969 this collection gives a very nice overview of the work of Honda. Quality of the DVDs is very good in respect to the old movies. I was a little bit disappointed by 'The art of illusion'. Nothing about the making of Godzilla but nevertheless interesting.

Milos Forman doesn't get the respect he deserves amongst the ranks of the great foreign directors. This is probably because he has made mostly English language films, but I would still put him up there. Having seen this film though, it makes sense. One has to look no further than Loves of a Blonde to see this man easily had the potential to make great movies...in any language.

Loves of a Blonde focuses on a few days in the life of teenager named Andula. She lives in a town with a female-to-male ratio of sixteen to one. At a singles mixer, while several bumbling military men try to hit on Andula and her two girlfriends, she meets a piano player named Rilda. Things pick up quickly with Rilda and she eventually hitches to Prague to hook up with him. The situation turns out to be a little different than she expected as she finds him still living with his conservative parents.

This film is charming. Forman is on top of his game blending comedy and social comment almost seamlessly. The narrative structure is unique too. At the center of the picture is Andula, she is the antagonist for most of the film's action, but the film allows the supporting players to be the main focus of the scenes they are in. Andula watches, she listens, she reacts, and while the story is ultimately about her coming of age, it is her interaction with the people around her that make this story interesting.

From One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to Amadeus to The People vs. Larry Flynt, Milos Forman always delivers. This film is no exception, and it has stood the test of time. So if you like those films check out Loves of a Blonde.

Milos Forman made a name for himself with Czech new wave films that challenged the old order with slyly defiant themes of freedom in all its personal and political manifestations. Two of his landmark early films have been restored in image and sound and digitally transferred in clean, crisp-looking prints with improved English subtitles.

Forman earned his first Academy Award © nomination with "LOVES OF A BLOND". In 1966, when it premiered in America at the New York Film Festival, it was an immediate sensation. Even Bosley Crowther, the notoriously tight-laced chief critic for the pompous New York Times could hardly contain himself when he experienced this efficacious, subtle social satire disguised as an exploration of adolescent romantic desire. The story is set in the rural Czech town of Zruc. With a ratio of sixteen women to every man, the chances of factory worker Andula finding love are indeed slim. That is until her giggling girl friends talk her into going to a mixer where she meets Rilda, a devil-may-care piano player from Prague. As the three acts unfold, there's a feeling of real time as issues of intimacy, confinement, dreams, delusions, reality and freedom are explored in the context of their relationship And there's nothing preachy or heavy-handed like some other films of the era that are infected with a deadly hidden political agenda that numbs any entertainment value. This one is pure. Universal in its humanity, the romance of Andula and Milda mirrors all our hopes and fears. Extras include a new video interview with Forman, a deleted scenes and new English subtitles.

In many ways, this film is linked to another that is worth noting.

"THE FIREMAN'S BALL" takes place in tiny Czech village of the 60s. Every year the firmen put on a ball and this is a look at the whacky goings. Real townspeople mostly play themselves in this dark comic satire of life under Soviet style communism. Funny, scary and meaningful. The tone is not unlike "American Beauty" in that the naked truth is sharply revealed.

High praise to Criterion for continuing the tradition of gathering the greatest films from the finest filmmakers around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements.

The premise of the story is funny-- a village full of women factory workers who live crammed together in dorms needs men so the factory owner charmingly pleads with the military to send an attachment of men to the town to give his girls something to do with their evenings but when the men show up they are all middle aged, the young girls are disappointed. What is even funnier is Formans attitude and style which borrows some tricks in cutting and impromptu time shifts from the French New Wave directors but adds to this famous style a lucid charm that is irresistable. The cutting techniques innovated by the French New Wave directors emphasized the looseness and spontaneity of life but Formans sense of humor is such that he cannot help parodying the techniques he is emulating. For instance in the dance hall sequence the camera slowly pans the feet of the band members which makes for an absurdly enjoyable incidental. French New Wave in technique but the humor is charmingly Czech in tone. The storyline makes some poignant observations about the new social mores of the 1960's--a married soldier trying to meet girls drops his wedding ring and proceeds to watch it roll across the dance floor where it falls to rest beneath a table of single girls. The title character dreams of a young man to take her away from her grim life as factory worker living in a dorm full of girls but since the men she meets do not take her away she decides to take matters into her own hands and follows one to his hometown. But arriving there she is greeted only with more grim reality. She returns home to her factory job and dorm and finds solace in make-believe as she tells her girlfriends a version of the events which conforms to her dreams. Very touching, wise, and satisfying film from a filmmaker who exhibits a fondness for all his characters. No one escapes Formans lighthearted satire nor his empathy which embraces all forms of life, young and old. Remarkably light and poignant at the same time. Czech and Polish films of this period strike an irresistable chord and are some of the most irresistable films ever made. Also recommended: Closely Watched Trains.

This is an excellent british series on Inspector Maigret - excellent episodes and actors. I also enjoyed the french production - with Bruno Cramer playing the role of Maigret.
Both series are excellent and will delight Maigret (Simenon's) fans.
My point: this series deserves a MUCH BETTER presentation on DVD. Quality is fair, far below my expectations (seems we are not watching a DVD...), and subtitles are missing; at least closed caption avaliability. This makes a big difference for people from abroad, like me - and english subtitles, IMHO, is the minimum I would be expecting from an excellent DVD set like this one.

On the screen Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret mysteries have had a checkered history ,even in France, with productions of varying quality. This British adaption with an excellent Michael Gambon in the lead role is one of the finest adaptions in any language. The actors portraying Maigret's fellow officers are just as I imagined them from the books. The producers wisely avoided having the mainly British cast go overboard doing French accents. The officers avoided it and the British actors who do tread lightly as to avoid falling into carrictature .Those non British actors with accents are allowed to speak in their normal voice. It works surprisingly well. Although the books were written over a period of 30 or so years the producers have settled on a Paris of the mid 1950's to set them in. Some Paris locales are used but the majority of the shooting was done in Budapest, Hungary. Much of 19th Century Budapest was modeled on Paris and many parts of it today still have the flavor of small neighborhood Paris of the 1940's and 1950's. Simenon's stories are really character studies clothed is a mystery story and the script writers capture that quite well in their adaptions. My only complaint...I wish they had done more of them.

The Agatha Christie novels are justifiably among the greatest mystery novels of our time. But it is equally clear that P.D. James, and her detective, Gambon, are at least the equal of Christie and Poirot, if not their superior. Well crafted, with superb character development and superbly written, the P.D. James novels are terrific, and this series of films, based upon the novels, capture the ambience and pace of the novels perfectly.

This review is about the DVD presentation only. The movies are ALL CLASSICS and worth the price of admission. But I must caution the investor of the this Box Set.

THE GOOD NEWS: These are the greatest Rodgers & Hammerstien II musicals now in a Box set. They have all been digitally remastered both picture & sound. The colors, picture quality excellent and the sound crystal clear. THE BAD NEWS: All this work but "State Fair" is lost in the WideScreen aspect ratio presentation.

Qualifying Statement: I am a Home Theatre, HDTV - 55" x 16:9 WidesScreen, Progressive Scan DVD, Dolby Prologic Sound System owner. I have over 400 DVD movies ,mostly remastered, WideScreen (preserved in the original theatrical aspect ratio), Anamorphic or enhanced for 16:9 TV's.

NOTE: Full Screen - 4:3 (1:33 to 1 ratio) made for TV or film before 1953. WideScreen - 4:3 letterbox (horizontal top & bottom black bars adjusted for any aspect ratio 165/185/225 to 1 etc. It is still letterbox) are movies made after 1953. (to compete with the popularity of Television) ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN IS THE ONLY TRUE HDTV 16:9 PRESENTATION. This format automatically adjusts to the Television being used. To get the High Definition picture the DVD MUST BE ANAMORPHIC & ENHANCED FOR 16:9 TELEVISIONS!!!!!!

Now in SUMMARY: STATE FAIR Full Screen Technicolor is the best presentation and the movie. Oklahoma, Carousal, The King & I and South Pacific are WideScreen (4:3 Letterbox - small picture horizontal & vertical black bars) great color, music but small picture very disappointing. Finally the Sound of Music was adjusted to an Anamorphic WideScreen but was not enhanced for the HDTV 16:9 format. The results is a very grainy picture.

Bottomline - Now that the Home Theatre environment is becoming more common it is time to sort the GOOD from the BAD DVD's. This is only from a dedicated videophile of old classic movies who enjoys the total viewing & listening Home Theatre experience. The movies themselves are the main ingredient but unfortunately Film Studios don't always give us what we think we are getting. (Quality vs Quantity) Another words they are already re-releasing DVD movies with these mentioned enhancements & special features for WideScreen TV's etc SO WE NEED TO BUY RIGHT THE FIRST TIME & not repeat buying on the same movie as we upgrade our Televisions & Home Theatres. REMEMBER - ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN & ENHANCED FOR 16:9 TELEVISIONS adjusts automatically to any size aspect ratio television!!!!! ENJOY.

Growing up in the 50s and 60s Rogers and Hammerstein musicals were the highlight of a trip to the theatre or the movies. Now they still provide great music and, even if the style of the drama seems a little outdated, a wonderful glimpse of the simpler genre that we had then. It seems that recent musicals such as Moulin Rouge and Chigago have taken many of the best features of the old R & H musicals and given them a new high-tech flair. It will be interesting to see if these modern productions are still as loved in forty or fifty years.
This boxed set gives a good balance of the R & H musicals and shows the creativity and flexibility that this duo added to theatre in their day.
Students of modern music and drama could do well to have these assigned as compulsory viewing.

The wonders of Rogers and Hammerstein are displayed beautifully in this DVD set. Sound quality and picture quality are excellent; I've even got my two young sons interested in musicals. I had seen all of the movies before except for Carousel, so I was very pleased with "Oklahoma!", "Sound of Music", "South Pacific" and "The King and I"; but my family and I didn't enjoy "Carousel" as much as we had hoped. While I read that it was Rogers' favorite, I found it dull and tedious. The songs were much too long, and the story moves on quite slowly. At a backwards glance, I may have saved money by purchasing the movies I liked separately.

Rene Clair's 1930 SOUS LES TOITS DE PARIS, a mostly-mimed musical, is about about two pals -- Albert and Louis -- who make a wager in the rain "under a Paris roof" (hence the title) to see who will go with pretty Pola. But alas she goes off with Fred! A series of complications way too complex to detail here ensue as the four characters mix and match until one is left alone singing in the rain on a Paris street.

This film, made silent and then dubbed with French dialog and music, is done with grace and charm in spite its melodramatic plot. Albert's calm detachment seems to insulate him from all danger and sorrow, while Fred seems to get away with numerous nefarious deeds. I liked this film and its dreamlike images and poetic story.

Albert is a street singer, selling songs on a Parisian street, when he notices Pola, shyly singing along with the crowd. Later, at a bar/dance hall with his friend Louis, Albert again sees Pola sitting by herslef. He and Louis roll the dice to see who gets to talk to her, but even though Albert wins, he stops short when he sees Pola with her gangster boyfriend, Fred. Through a series of events, both planned and unplanned, Albert tries to woo Pola, but winds up in jail and then gets involved in a street fight with Fred's gang.

This is a charming film from René Clair. It was filmed just as movies with sound were beginning to appear so it has a unique style in that there is very little dialogue. Most of the action is acted like a silent movie with music to enhance the action. But, in a unique twist for its time, the characters do speak and sing, but only when necessary. It's a mix between the two genres: silent and talkies. A great little film.

The DVD is a clean, crisp transfer with some camera shaking, problably from the original direction. It also includes the original opening to the film, which Clair editied out in 1950, and his first silent film "Paris qui dort (Paris Asleep)" which makes for a very ineteresting early sci-fi film.

A heartbreaking, beautiful portrait of urban life in the City of Love. This was director Rene Clair's first sound film, built around the concept of following a street musician through his daily life. Clair uses the occasion to play with the concept of sound recording: many dramatic scenes are played out silently, while an entire apartment building softly hums the catchy tune sung by chanteur Albert Prejean; in the film's climactic scene, a record on the stereo begins to skip as rival suitors quarrel over the Roumanian belle, Pola Illery. The sound design is as playful as it is inventive, and Clair's command of image and editing is superb. Fans of French "musette" music owe it to themselves to check out this film, which skillfully depicts the nightlife inside one of a Parisian bal mussette dancehall, populared as it was by seedy ruffians and disheartened lovers. A wonderful film; highly recommended.