Custom Detailing Movie Reviews

NO I DIDNT SAY 'UNFORGIVEN' THE WHINING ANTI-WESTERN, BUT 'THE UNFORGIVEN' THE REAL DEAL WITH BURT LANCASTER AND AUDREY HEPBURN.

HEPBURN DOESNT REALLY SELL US ON HER 'INJUN' ROOTS. SHE SOUNDS TOO MUCH LIKE A CLASSICAL ACTRESS WITH 'TOO CORRECT' SPEECH PATTERNS, BUT OTHER THAN THAT THIS IS A GOOD CONIENTIOUS FILM.

DIRECTED BY CRUSTY JOHN HUSTON DOWN MEXICO WAY 'THE UNFORGIVEN' HAS A GENUINE, EARTHY FEEL TO IT.

THIS STORY OPENS A LOT OF CONTREVERSIAL DOORS AND WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME FOR 1960. IT DELVES INTO BIGOTRY, FAMILY HATRED AND EVEN HINTS AT INCEST. LANCASTER WAS BIGGER THAN LIFE AND THE PIECE HAS AN EXCELLENT, MOODY SOUNDTRACK.

WATCH AUDIE MURPHY CLOSE. EVERYONE HAD THE WAR HERO PEGGED AS A SECOND RATE 'B' ACTOR. BUT UNDER THE BOLD DIRECTION OF HUSTON MURPHY IS ACTUALLY THE STANDOUT IN THIS SHOW. HE SPORTS A MUSTASHE AND TURNS IN A HECK OF A PERFORMANCE AS THE BROODING, INDIAN HATING, LITTLE BROTHER 'CASH.'

THIS FILM HAS BEEN UNDER WATCHED AND UNDER RATED. IT IS A 'CRACKER JACK' OF A WESTERN THAT ACTUALLY BREAKS OUT OF THE MOLD. AND IT IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE OTHER FILM WITH A SIMILLIAR NAME.

I've always wondered why this film is never spoken in the same breath with "Shane" or "The Searchers". "Great" Westerns are usually described as being epic in scale, but "The Unforgiven" has an authentic feel to it. From the dusty look everything has, to the sod hut the family lives in, to the realistic period dress, this movie has a look that is unlike any other I have seen. The DVD has the best print and sound I have seen and heard since the film was released in 1960, with sharper definition and bolder colors than before (obviously better than the VHS tape). Some viewers may find tiny faults here and there, but overall this film needs to be viewed by any lover of Western movies.

This is an excellent movie that explores prejudices, family ties, and our preconceived notions about ourselves. It is set in the Old West, but the issues it explores are still relevant today. Director John Huston has done a masterful job with this film.

Audrey Hepburn is elegant and beautiful in the role of a sister who may have a "questionable" birth. Audie Murphy is her somewhat simple-mindedly prejudiced brother, Burt Lancaster is her older brother, whom she quietly adores. (And we soon see, the feeling is mutual.) Lillian Gish is just fantastic as the matriarch of the family, and Joseph Wiseman is excellent, as always, as an enigmatic stranger. Also, look for John Saxon in a small role as a Native American ranch hand.

A must-see. Incredibly well done, with wonderful performances by Hepburn, Lancaster and Gish, especially.

This film, made a long time ago, is an old chestnut, but still there are some good bits in it. If one likes pomp and ceremony, you will like this.

This long, lavish epic may seem dated by today's standards, but it's a great one to watch on a rainy day. Great story, good actors....Tom Tryon and Carol Lynley are as compelling as they are gorgeous. Take a look at this one! Read the novel, too--a real education!

Before I comment on the film itself, I must say that I believe film historians have given Preminger a bad rap. His films, even the sweeping epics, were quite personal, and would draw the audience into his own personal world. Preminger's reputation, largely, was due to his desire to confront social issues that often made the audience uncomfortable. Who can possibly forget "The Man with the Golden Arm" (drug-addiction), "Anatomy of a Murder" (rape), and his most cotroversial, "The Moon is Blue" (virginity), a 1954 film condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency. These were "in your face" depictions of the stuff that is now regarded as "run of the mill". His handlings of Black culture have been immortalized on film in his two musicals, "Carmen Jones" and "Porgy and Bess". Arriving in the states during World War II, a misplaced German facing prejudice, he was well acquainted with alienation and filmed these Black-centered films with great affection. "Exodus" (1960) concerned the plight of the Jews, and "The Cardinal" dealt with the plight of a good Catholic and the many problems facing him (racism, abortion, celibacy, etc.). Preminger was not afraid to tackle a problem facing society, and his films are generally excellent in conveying his desire to expose situations to the world that are ever-present. Preminger's first Oscar nomination was in 1944 ("Laura"), though he stepped in for Rouben Mamoulian after filming had begun. It's the films he made in the 50's, during the McCarthy blacklist period, that made him passionate to move an apathetic public to serious situations. "The Cardinal" is one of his best, in many ways. Not only does it cover a long period of time, but it is coherent and often compelling. It was nominated for 6 Oscars (Director, Supprting Actor, Editing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costumes). I still think John Huston's performance was overdone, but he was a beloved director and this was his first acting role. If any acting awards shoud've been given, it should've been to Burgess Meredith. This was also Romy Schneider's first English-language role. She was a lovely woman and a confident actress. The editing, sets and photography were indeed fine (the 2.35:1 LBX on the DVD show all the glory), but I still believe that Jerome Moross' score is among the finest, though not nominated. Remember, this was up against "Cleopatra" for those technical awards so, though noble and fine, it could hardly compete against "That" budget. It was not nominated for "Best Picture", nor screenplay...I thought the train of events was handled in a literate fashion, from a very long book. I saw this when it came out in 1963, and was quite absorbed by it's message; Preminger's films did that to me (I was 11 when I saw "Exodus" and was speechless afterward. Go figure.) The DVD is very well done, and I'm happy to have it in my collection. Tom Tryon carried the lead role with one facial expression, and, though very good looking, his career didn't last long. He became a best-selling author and I'm sure he's happier. The rest of the acting was OK, but it was really great to see Dorothy Gish as his mother. A class act. Also, Maggie McNamara hadn't had a decent role since "The Moon is Blue", so it was swell of Otto to give her a shot here; very good, too, as the bitter sister. This is not a great film, but Preminger's sure and courageous hand keep this film moving and never boring (at 3 hours). There was also so much anti-Catholic behavior going on within the church that I'm surprised the church didn't try to squash this whole project.Preminger has never failed to impress me. The man and his vision and talent are not to be taken lightly. Not to mention his desire to "tell it like it is".

I presume if you are thinking of purchasing this you want to see lots of women dancing nude and some sex scenes to boot. Well - I think you can find better movies than this one for that purpose. This one really let me down

Two great stripper films on the same DVD. It's a great bargain. The transfer to DVD is excellent, the girls are luscious and Midnight Tease 2 even has a decent plot.

This was a really enjoyable video. Teas 1 was fun and had a little better plot than 2 but neither was very good. But who really watches this type of movie for the plot anyway. The videos were full of beautiful women that are well worth watching. If you like who-done-its and strippers, this is a good choice for you. However, the who-done-it part was pretty transparent. Not too suspensful. Overall an enjoyable watch. Give it a try.

I know that this film is supposed to be a masterpiece, but I fail to see how anyone can interpret this film that way. I was surprised to see Jeff Bridges is such a boring film. I found that this film wandered too much in the beginning. I watched the first hour and noted that there was hardly any character or plot development! I found that the movie never really amounted to anything. I believe that this movie is not even worth renting! If someone can explain to me how they could interpret this movie as an excellent one, please feel free to e-mail me with an explaination, otherwise, my feelings towards this movie will stay the same. Addy : joekerrthejoker@hotmail.com

Stacey Keach and Susan Tyrrell deliver Oscar caliber performance while Jeff Bridges launches a brilliant career in this 1972 epic, one of the best directorial efforts of the storied career of John Huston. Keach and Bridges play fighters trying to make a go of life in the tough world of professional boxing in Stockton, a delta city in Northern California.

Keach, living in a fleabag hotel, meets young Bridges at the local YMCA, where the former professional boxer has gone to work out. After enticing Bridges to spar a little, Keach is astonished when the younger man with the fast moves reveals he has never boxed, either amateur or professional. Keach suggests that Bridges look up his former manager, played by Nick Colasanto, at the Lido Gym.

Colasanto and his trainer, played by former ranked lightweight and welterweight, Art Aragon, waste no time in turning Bridges amateur. After Bridges' first workout Colasanto tells his wife that a good looking, clean cut "white kid" like Bridges should make a good crowd draw.

Keach falls on hard times, getting fired from his fry cook's job, going out early in the morning to work as a picker at nearby farms. He also forms a romantic relationship with hard luck Tyrrell, a heavy drinker, whose live in love, played by former world welterweight champion Curtis Cokes, has gone to jail on an assault charge. The fight was brought on by resentment of his interracial romance with Tyrrell. Meanwhile Keach moves in with Tyrrell.

When Keach, spurred on by Bridges' ring progress, decides to make a comeback, in his sober state he can no longer abide Tyrrell and moves out. When Cokes finishes serving his time he moves back in with her again.

Bridges has his own romantic involvement with Candy Clark. They make love in his car. She tells him she is pregnant and they get married.

Keach gets in shape and wins the first bought of his comeback against a Mexican fighter, played by noted light heavyweight boxer Sixto Rodriguez. What Keach does not know was that his opponent had passed blood in his hotel room and could not hold up to body blows, having been injured in a previous bout. All the same, he needs the money, and so he fights Keach anyway.

When all is said and done Keach, after Colasanto has taken out deductions for expenses such as room and board for his fighter, receives one hundred dollars. Keach becomes incensed, telling Colasanto once more about the time he let him down and, to save two hundred dollars, let him travel to Panama by himself for his most important fight against a local favorite, then ranked fifth in the world. With Keach ahead his cornermen, in an effort to win the bout for the Panamanian, administered cuts over both eyes with razor blades. This resulted in the referee stopping the bout. After that Keach's wife left him and his life spiraled rapidly downhill.

With resentment for Colasanto revived, a sulking Keach hits the skids once more, returning to heavy drinking. At the film's end he sees Bridges after the latter has sought to avoid him. Bridges tells him about his second child, and that he is still fighting professionally. As they sit in the coffee shop Keach gropes for meaning in life, wondering just where he is gone, fearful of how he will turn out.

Leonard Gardner adapted the screenplay from his own novel. Each had the same hard edge as the world he describes. He should know since it was his world. Gardner grew up in Stockton, boxed as an amateur, and wrote the novel while on the bum in Mexico.

Not the most upbeat film, but absolutely remarkable. A gem from John Huston's later years. The whole cast does a spectacular job here-Stacy Keach, Susan Tyrell, Jeff Bridges and Candy Clark. The feeling this film leaves you with is a rare one and I just love it. An underapprecited masterpiece from a old master.

Moulin Rouge traces the life of artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and his paintings of the famous French nightclub. Jose Ferrer gives a strong, emotionally controlled performance as the crippled artist who is unable to accept love in his life. A large part of the film centres on his relationship with a streetwalker tiringly overplayed by Colette Marchand. Not a great deal of time is actually spent in the Moulin Rouge, which is unfortunate since it may have injected some needed life into the story. The film left me cold. Toulouse-Lautrec had a very difficult personality (at least as portrayed in this film), making him a hard character to relate to, and there wasn't enough spectacle or life in the story to at least hold on to. I wish I could add to the raves about this film, but for me it was a very unsatisfying viewing experience.

If any film can be close to history, this Moulin is one. This Moulin Rouge does require digitalization and restoration in the conversion to DVD, and all of this is possible. It would be wonderful if an accompanying DVD, "Making of Moulin Rouge" (1952) be with the DVD release. Many are not aware that in his role Ferrer demonstrates interesting things, i.e. how Lautrec produced his lithographs with the methods of the day with etched stones; how he splattered paint
springing back the hair on a paint brush, etc.
With all of the offered insights of the day, will the critics take Ferrer to task for walking on his knees, instead of surgically removing his legs ?
Consider the production, "Making of Lust for Life" which furnishes the background for the Kirk Douglas classic, and how and where it was filmed on actual locations in France.
In the "Making of Lust for Life" Kirk Douglas speaks with living people who knew Van Gogh, and what a great experience.
These four films represent a great period in art history, and artists, young and old, should be able to view these products in
the best technology available; rather than relegating them to some dark film vault to be forgotten. These films are vibrant and alive.
The contribution of these production outweighs the efforts of the "spoilers" who would very likely throw out the Mona Lisa as
some smiling insignificant lady of the night. Those who dismiss the value of these art productions reflect the poverty of their cultural background,
and anemia coursing their limited concepts. The misguided should be forgiven for their total lack of experience and deprived aesthetics.
Moulin Rouge (1952) was an Oscar winner for stunning art direction, set decorations, and costumes.
Theme song by Georges Auric, one of the members of French composers who called themselves, "The Six."

When you compare this film with the current remake you must wonder why the remake. It will be a real loss to the community of those who collect great films if this is not made available on DVD. What must one do to encourage the DVD effort?

I had a hard time coming up with a rating for this film ... it did entertain me, but not because of its superior filmmaking. A lot of money obviously went into this overproduced spectacle. If only a less heavy-handed touch had been used as well!

Jennifer Jones is the panting half-breed girl torn between two brothers, the very good Joseph Cotten and the very bad Gregory Peck. Their mother, the saintly Lillian Gish looks on with concern, while their father, the not-so saintly Lionel Barrymore opposes the girl and pretty much everything in general. What ensues is over two hours of lust, bickering, bellowing, and more lust.

Jones swings her hips and shoulders to convey her characters urges, but does little else with what little character she has been given to develop. Peck is fun as the brother lacking pretty much any morals, while Cotten is one note and boring. Gish looks stunned throughout most of the film, but manages a couple of effective moments (and lets ignore her straight-from-the-silents deathbed scene!!). Barrymore blusters and blusters in a role tailor made for his hamminess. Others in the cast, including Charles Bickford, Walter Huston, Herbert Marshall, and Butterfly McQueen deliver what you would expect of them.

The script is full of laughable lines and characters, and there's more than a few moments when you'll be holding your head wondering what they were thinking!?!? The music score is dramatic, although sometimes overpowering, and the colour cinematography is outstanding.

There are the bones of a good film here, but pretty much everything is overheated and overproduced. The movie is entertaining, albeit not always for the reasons is should be. And it certainly isn't boring. It's one of those classic films that should be seen ... if only for a few good laughs.

"I'm trash I tell ya". This movie is pure camp, politically incorrect in every way, and immensely entertaining. As Greg Peck said to Jennifer Jones at the sump, "We've been spoofing ain't we?". I think that says it all! What a shame it is no longer available on VHS or DVD!

David O. Selznick's Duel in the Sun looks strange right from the opening shot. The Technicolor images in this film have a nightmare quality about them. The whole film almost feels like a very disturbing dream. It is a Western but uses the landscape and the overly sexual Jennifer Jones to spark some erotic emotion inside the viewer the enters regions we normally would not enter. There is a very dark quality about the film that tries to explore the lust the drives the human animal. But we a are more than just animals because of our ability to reason. This film attempts to make the viewer forget all reason and give oneself up to these hidden feelings. Even Dimitri Tiomkin's score tends to reflect this strange nature of the film as he often mixes his traditional Western scoring to something more obscure and enigmatic. The finale between Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck (cast against type) is so vivid that the images of it my last with you forever. This is powerful filmmaking, but I don't know that I could take a steady diet of it.

I had a hard time coming up with a rating for this film ... it did entertain me, but not because of its superior filmmaking. A lot of money obviously went into this overproduced spectacle. If only a less heavy-handed touch had been used as well!

Jennifer Jones is the panting half-breed girl torn between two brothers, the very good Joseph Cotten and the very bad Gregory Peck. Their mother, the saintly Lillian Gish looks on with concern, while their father, the not-so saintly Lionel Barrymore opposes the girl and pretty much everything in general. What ensues is over two hours of lust, bickering, bellowing, and more lust.

Jones swings her hips and shoulders to convey her characters urges, but does little else with what little character she has been given to develop. Peck is fun as the brother lacking pretty much any morals, while Cotten is one note and boring. Gish looks stunned throughout most of the film, but manages a couple of effective moments (and lets ignore her straight-from-the-silents deathbed scene!!). Barrymore blusters and blusters in a role tailor made for his hamminess. Others in the cast, including Charles Bickford, Walter Huston, Herbert Marshall, and Butterfly McQueen deliver what you would expect of them.

The script is full of laughable lines and characters, and there's more than a few moments when you'll be holding your head wondering what they were thinking!?!? The music score is dramatic, although sometimes overpowering, and the colour cinematography is outstanding.

There are the bones of a good film here, but pretty much everything is overheated and overproduced. The movie is entertaining, albeit not always for the reasons is should be. And it certainly isn't boring. It's one of those classic films that should be seen ... if only for a few good laughs.

"I'm trash I tell ya". This movie is pure camp, politically incorrect in every way, and immensely entertaining. As Greg Peck said to Jennifer Jones at the sump, "We've been spoofing ain't we?". I think that says it all! What a shame it is no longer available on VHS or DVD!

David O. Selznick's Duel in the Sun looks strange right from the opening shot. The Technicolor images in this film have a nightmare quality about them. The whole film almost feels like a very disturbing dream. It is a Western but uses the landscape and the overly sexual Jennifer Jones to spark some erotic emotion inside the viewer the enters regions we normally would not enter. There is a very dark quality about the film that tries to explore the lust the drives the human animal. But we a are more than just animals because of our ability to reason. This film attempts to make the viewer forget all reason and give oneself up to these hidden feelings. Even Dimitri Tiomkin's score tends to reflect this strange nature of the film as he often mixes his traditional Western scoring to something more obscure and enigmatic. The finale between Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck (cast against type) is so vivid that the images of it my last with you forever. This is powerful filmmaking, but I don't know that I could take a steady diet of it.

This movie was pretty good and I liked the majority of it and thought Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner were both great but I didn't like the ending, I have to agree with the guy who said it just ended, it ended rather abrubtly and just seemed so unfinished. But that is my opinion.

Only after seeing this film can you be expected to believe that this is a charming comedy about two killers (PC: hit persons) who are deeply involved with mob families, fall madly in love, and then....

One is Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson), a contract laborer for the Prizzi family headed by Don Corrado on the East Coast; the other is Irene Walker (Kathleen Turner), based on the West Coast, who accepts an assignment to kill Partanna before meeting and then falling in love with him. The romance flourishes for a time. Previously, Partanna had ended his relationship with Maerose Prizzi (Angelica Huston), the Don's beloved but volatile granddaughter. Later, Huston received an Academy Award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role. She deserved it. Although apparently quite talented in his line of work, Charley often seems somewhat dimwitted, at least when contrasted with Irene who seems highly intelligent as well as physically attractive. Watching Nicholson play a smitten, almost schoolboyish Charlie is indeed a treat. Director John Huston does a brilliant job of juxtaposing romantic comedy with mob-directed violence. Amidst all the laughter, people really do get killed. William Hickey certainly deserved his nomination for an Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role, won in 1985 by Don Ameche for his work in Cocoon. He and other members of the cast were blessed with having an immensely clever script by Richard Condon, based on his novel. Listen carefully to Hickey's reading of his lines while also paying close attention to his masterful use of body language. Don Corrado Prizzi is indeed a lovable but deadly senior citizen. Yes, this film is highly entertaining. Witty, at times zany. However, as directed by John Huston, it also has layers of subtle menace as it examines darker regions of human nature.

A young boy, in his cub scout uniform at Christmas, recieves his first pair of brass knuckles. Then as a young man we see him taking a blood oath and swearing loyalty to "The Family". "The Family" is the Prizzi's, and the boy has grown up to be their number one hit man. He is Charlie Partanna, godson to Don Corrado Prizzi, head of "The Family". Another sequel to the Godfather? NOT!
"Prizzi's Honor"(based on a novel by Richard Condon) is a comedy with it's own brand of humor, a take off of mob family style movies. Director John Huston spins us a web of loyalties, and deciets,and schemes so out there you just have to laugh.
When Charlie meets and falls for Irene, a woman outside the family,he discovers that she also is a "contractor". As a matter of fact she has done a job for the family, but has also ripped them off. Charlie doesn,t know whether to "ice her or marry her"
So he marries her.They do jobs together. All seems well. But it is not...MaeRose the grandaughter of The Don, who has loved Charlie all her life, has been dishonored in the eyes of the family due to a break up with Charlie five years earlier. She is determined to get back in with the family, and with Charlie, and she has her own way of icing the competition, no guns or knives needed. Her scheme sets into motion a chain of events that leaves the whole family not knowing who to trust,and loyalties,especially Charlie's are put to the test.
This comedy/drama has a terrific cast... Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner will blow you away with their performances as "contractors" in love, William Hickey brings his own special brand of charm as "The Don". Angelica Huston, who we first see in a black and red dress that makes you think of a black widow spider,is superb and won Best Supporting Actress for her role as the jilted Mafia Princess. Also look for Robert Loggia in his usual great style as a heavy.
The Anchor Bay DVD is great. The picture and colors are clear and bright. It looks like a new film. The sound is in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and sounded very good. Everything was distinct. It is in widescreen,with full screen on the other side.
There are no special features with this one, but I can't take anything away from the film or DVD for that. Maybe someday they'll have a special edition in 5.1 with some added features and then we'll have to go to 6 stars. I enjoyed this DVD just the way it was. If you're a Nicholson fan,you will too!
Kick back and enjoy this one..........Laurie

This movie was pretty good and I liked the majority of it and thought Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner were both great but I didn't like the ending, I have to agree with the guy who said it just ended, it ended rather abrubtly and just seemed so unfinished. But that is my opinion.

Only after seeing this film can you be expected to believe that this is a charming comedy about two killers (PC: hit persons) who are deeply involved with mob families, fall madly in love, and then....

One is Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson), a contract laborer for the Prizzi family headed by Don Corrado on the East Coast; the other is Irene Walker (Kathleen Turner), based on the West Coast, who accepts an assignment to kill Partanna before meeting and then falling in love with him. The romance flourishes for a time. Previously, Partanna had ended his relationship with Maerose Prizzi (Angelica Huston), the Don's beloved but volatile granddaughter. Later, Huston received an Academy Award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role. She deserved it. Although apparently quite talented in his line of work, Charley often seems somewhat dimwitted, at least when contrasted with Irene who seems highly intelligent as well as physically attractive. Watching Nicholson play a smitten, almost schoolboyish Charlie is indeed a treat. Director John Huston does a brilliant job of juxtaposing romantic comedy with mob-directed violence. Amidst all the laughter, people really do get killed. William Hickey certainly deserved his nomination for an Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role, won in 1985 by Don Ameche for his work in Cocoon. He and other members of the cast were blessed with having an immensely clever script by Richard Condon, based on his novel. Listen carefully to Hickey's reading of his lines while also paying close attention to his masterful use of body language. Don Corrado Prizzi is indeed a lovable but deadly senior citizen. Yes, this film is highly entertaining. Witty, at times zany. However, as directed by John Huston, it also has layers of subtle menace as it examines darker regions of human nature.

A young boy, in his cub scout uniform at Christmas, recieves his first pair of brass knuckles. Then as a young man we see him taking a blood oath and swearing loyalty to "The Family". "The Family" is the Prizzi's, and the boy has grown up to be their number one hit man. He is Charlie Partanna, godson to Don Corrado Prizzi, head of "The Family". Another sequel to the Godfather? NOT!
"Prizzi's Honor"(based on a novel by Richard Condon) is a comedy with it's own brand of humor, a take off of mob family style movies. Director John Huston spins us a web of loyalties, and deciets,and schemes so out there you just have to laugh.
When Charlie meets and falls for Irene, a woman outside the family,he discovers that she also is a "contractor". As a matter of fact she has done a job for the family, but has also ripped them off. Charlie doesn,t know whether to "ice her or marry her"
So he marries her.They do jobs together. All seems well. But it is not...MaeRose the grandaughter of The Don, who has loved Charlie all her life, has been dishonored in the eyes of the family due to a break up with Charlie five years earlier. She is determined to get back in with the family, and with Charlie, and she has her own way of icing the competition, no guns or knives needed. Her scheme sets into motion a chain of events that leaves the whole family not knowing who to trust,and loyalties,especially Charlie's are put to the test.
This comedy/drama has a terrific cast... Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner will blow you away with their performances as "contractors" in love, William Hickey brings his own special brand of charm as "The Don". Angelica Huston, who we first see in a black and red dress that makes you think of a black widow spider,is superb and won Best Supporting Actress for her role as the jilted Mafia Princess. Also look for Robert Loggia in his usual great style as a heavy.
The Anchor Bay DVD is great. The picture and colors are clear and bright. It looks like a new film. The sound is in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and sounded very good. Everything was distinct. It is in widescreen,with full screen on the other side.
There are no special features with this one, but I can't take anything away from the film or DVD for that. Maybe someday they'll have a special edition in 5.1 with some added features and then we'll have to go to 6 stars. I enjoyed this DVD just the way it was. If you're a Nicholson fan,you will too!
Kick back and enjoy this one..........Laurie

This movie is excellent!! From the beginning to the end it is very rich in content. I have never seen a biblical film that spent so much time on the 'beginning' as this one did. The Noah story was REALLY great to see, being an animal lover and seeing Noah's love for the animals was really nice to see. The Soddom and Gamorrah scene was just as I had always pictured. Strange thing is, I think I may have seen this movie when I was a child...some imgages were very familiar to me.

The shame on FOX thing was due to the actual DVD being POORLY made as far as sound and picture. The sound is beyond horrible in the first Adam/Eve story and mostly through out. I had to blast my speakers just to hear loud music but faint dialogue. The picture was very dark as well...FOX cheaply converting this to DVD is the reason im told. I had to keep the subtitles on just to understand and catch all the words.

I would still say if you are interested in this picture, DO NOT pass it up just due to the sound issue, I am still very glad I have this DVD and would not consider selling it. I just wish FOX would have took the time they should have with it. Just puts a bad name on FOX video that ive experienced before as well with other classics, like The Robe.

There have been former reviews of this film, which have weighed in on the pro or con, but aside from all that hoopla, this is the DEFINITIVE movie by John Huston.

As not only the director, but the one who portrays "Noah," my family and I found this to be very close to the first 22 chapters of Genesis, which the film is adapted from. Huston is a phenomenal Noah, and you can actually believe that the period before, during, and after the Flood occurred in this fashion. He is remarkable as the Patriarch who's in love with the animals which the Lord God brings his way and preserves - two-by-two - in order to replenish the Earth after the Flood.

Aside from Noah, probably the most engrossing of them all is Abraham's depiction by George C. Scott, and at times, Scott played Abraham with a heavy hand, and the scene before he is asked to sacrifice Isaac was a bit much, with Scott carrying on very melodramatically. But overall, it was still worth the price for the film.

Do yourself a favor and get this film. Don't take this reviewer's word for it, although I think my word is pretty good, but be the judge for yourself, and while you're watching the film, crack open the Bible and follow along. You'll find it not only instructional, but enjoyable as well. And it may give you a new passion for what's taking place before your eyes.

Highly recommended!!!

John Huston's 1966 offering "The Bible....In the Beginning" is a film which definately grows on you with each viewing. Often criticised for being slow moving, lacking in any real action or purpose, I feel it is a very beautiful production that honours greatly the first 22 chapters of the book of Genesis from the world's creation through to the story of Abraham and Issac. It is greatly anticipated Easter viewing each year for me and I find there are always new points of interest to appreciate in this ambitious effort.

Obviously tackling the "most famous book in the world" would be a daunting task for anyone however within a three hour running time John Huston has managed to create a piece of work on a human level that while very reverant to the material being handled, also never shies away from the harshness and brutality in some of the chapters. Each of these chapters from Genesis has a distinct character of its own and this lavish production does each in turn proud. My personal favourite is the Adam and Eve sequence with a recreation of the famed garden of Eden which is just as I had always envisioned it. Michael Parks and Ulla Bergryd make the perfect Adam and Eve with their youthful goodlooks and innocense. The use of a male figure as the serpent in the mysterious Tree of Knowledge, often criticised, is a vivid and original image to use here and is a great choice. Each of the chapters unfolds with new wonders for the viewer as we pass through the story of Adam and Eve's sons Cain and Able which contains a marvellous performance by Richard Harris as Cain to the story of Noah and the great flood which includes some of the most spectacular special effects of the film in its depiction of the building of the ark and then the forty days and forty nights of rainfall resulting in the extinction of all living things on earth except those saved in the arch. In this sequence John Huston who also narrates as the voice of God makes an appearance as Noah and his refreshing and semi comical depiction of the ark builder is a joy to behold and somehow for me is how I always imagined Noah to actually be, a little eccentric and highly likeable. Later sequences take us through the building of the Tower of Babel with Stephen Boyd as the selfish ruler Nimrod who is reponsible for God mixing up the languages of all mankind so that such a project can never be attempted again, to the saga of Sodom and Gomorrah and God's retribution on those cities who have lost sight of God's teachings. The transformation of Lot's wife into a pillar of Salt is one memorable image in this section of the story. The acting throughout by the leads is memorable and the final lengthy chapter dealing with Abraham and Sarah although drawn out, offers superb performances by legends George C. Scott and Ava Gardner in a beautifully understated performance as Sarah who gives birth to Issac as an old woman.

Perhaps the most breathtaking aspect of "The Bible....In the Beginning", is the sensational use of location photography using the landscapes of Africa and the Middle East to their best advantage. Filmed also in Rome the film boasts lush cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno in all the chapters and of course as mentioned previously the special effects for scenes such as the expelling of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden , the scenes of the great flood and the decadence and eventual destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are sensational.

"The Bible....In the Beginning" should never be passed off as just another religious film to be viewed at Easter etc. It is vivid storytelling at its best. The use of a narrator instead of a great deal of dialogue between the actors is an original way of presenting the stories and indeed would not be to everyones taste however John Huston's clear narration adds a special element to the unfolding action. Each of the stories of Genesis hold their own pieces of interest and despite the films long running time it is an engrossing visualisation of the stories from the Bible that I grew up with. I always get particular worth out of this movie during the Easter period when my thoughts often go back to those far off times at the start of my religion's history. "The Bible..In the Beginning" is worth looking at as a good piece of cinema but also as one of the best visualisations of these famous stories that you are likely to see. Enjoy!