Amazon.co.uk Review
The Pax Romana was never optional, it was always imposed. The Roman army both disseminated and enforced Roman civilisation on its Empire, first subjugating recalcitrant peoples, then turning them into good Roman citizens ripe for recruitment into the army. At its height, the Roman army never numbered more than 400,000 soldiers, but with these troops it controlled a region stretching from Scotland to Arabia. It was the world's first professional army, with a formal administrative structure, officer corps, regular pay and, most importantly, thorough training, making it the model for the armies of all modern nation states. The legendary discipline of the Legions enabled them to conquer unruly barbarian hordes and impose the Roman peace throughout the Empire. The Roman army, albeit in a drastically modified form, continued under the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, making it, at nearly 2,000 years old, one of the longest-lived and most conspicuously successful institutions in history.
The Roman War Machine consists of four 50-minute documentaries made for The History Channel in 1999 and spread across two tapes. They chart the rise and development of the army in an absorbing if fairly standard documentary format, with plenty of academic talking heads wheeled out to fill in narrative details. Most interesting are the demonstrations of Roman equipment and battle tactics by re-enactors such as the Ermine Street Guard (although made for the History Channel with an American narration, most participants are British). The computer-animated sequences are distinctly minimalist.
Following on from the first tape, Tape 2 opens with "Roman Seige Warfare" and some fascinating demonstrations of siege equipment, including devastatingly deadly bolt-firing catapults and stone-throwing ballistae. The famous sieges of Jerusalem (in 66 AD) and Masada in Judea are described, then the programme settles down to describe the life of a soldier in a typical Roman fort, such as Vindolanda on Hadrian's wall, illustrating the change in the army from an offensive to a defensive force. In the final episode, "Barbarians at the Gate", the steady decline of the Empire is sketched, the military reforms of Diocletian and Constantine are touched upon, as is the process of barbarisation of the army, before the collapse of the Western Empire in the fifth century. Mark Walker
Customer Reviews:
I could watch this movie OVER and over again........2004-02-01
Who knew you could make a comedy about a Leveraged Buyout (LBO)? James Garner, in a brilliant performance, plays F. Ross Johnson, the CEO of RJR Nabisco who wants to buy out the company. He learns about LBOs from the cool slick Henry Kravis, the then-master of the buyout (played by Jonathan Pryce). When Ross takes Kravis' advice and goes out on his own, Henry gets MAD and fires his own salvo. This was a time when people threw figures like "$25 billion" around and thought nothing of it. The technicals of the deal are explained with enough detail that non-financiers can easily follow what's going on. Nice satirical touches like Ross' wife's manicurist explaining the art of the deal to her. A lot of cussing; after all, this was the ultimate boys' game. Fine fun movie.
Customer Reviews:
Multi Region DVD players.......2006-12-24
Upon arrival of this product from the USA i took it out of the wrapping and put it into my UK DVD player. I was concerned that it wouldn't play but i found that it played just as you would expect a normal DVD to play. I cannot guarantee that this will work for everybody buying a USA DVD and playing it on a UK DVD player but i thought as i was only paying £5.00 it wasn't a massive lose. So i recommened to people worried about buying USA DVDS and playing them on UK DVD players to take a chance with this. Also i will add this isn't the first time i have bought a DVD from a different country i purchased a DVD from Australia and found that it played in the UK so actually you don't need a multi region DVD player.
a brilliant movie!.......2001-02-18
Keanen and Kel are very funny, this movie was brilliant. the reason i,m on the internet is beacause i want to buy it. We watched it in my class and i couldn't hear what they were saying people were laughing too much lets hope theres a Good Burger 2.
BEST FILM IN THE WORLD!.......2000-09-17
I've been a big fan of Kenan and Kel for a long time and I always watch them on T.V, Their show is fantastic, so this film is great, Kel Mitchell is sooooo cute, and very,very talented, he can always make me laugh! BEST FILM EVER!
Attention all kids!.......2000-09-04
This was an great film, many people critisise Kenan and Kel and this movie but I thought it was great! I think Kel Mitchell is a really good actor and kids will love it!
A great comedy for all the family!.......2000-04-20
Two fast food workers Ed and Dexter (Played by Kenan and Kel) find themselves in a battle to save their tiny burger bar from being shut down because of competition from a new bigger burger bar 'Mondo Burger', an absolute hoot!
Customer Reviews:
COMPARED WITH PARIS VERSION.......2007-06-17
ALTHOUGH THIS IS A MORE COMPLETE VERSION IT DOES NOT COMPARE WITH NURYEVS VERSION, THE RUSSIAN DANCERS ARE SUPERB AND THE BRITISH DANCERS ONLY ADEQUATE. A PITY THE RUSSIANS ARE ALWAYS SUPERIOR. KIROV AND BOLSHOI ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD
A generally very good performance by the Royal Ballet.......2006-10-13
This recording of a performance by the Royal Ballet in 1991 is based on Natalia Makarova's production, which generally follows the Soviet-era Russian choreography. The main difference between them is that Makarova re-created the final act of the wedding scene where the temple is destroyed by angry gods.
The main attraction of this DVD (to this reviewer) is the guest appearance of Altynai Asylmuratova, then a prima ballerina of the Kirov Ballet, in the role of Nikiya, the temple dancer ("la bayadere"). She brings out the heroine's inner emotions through her dancing and her expressive face. The choreography for Nikiya is so demanding that it requires a dancer with technical as well as artistic maturity. In the Kingdom of the Shades scene in Act 2, she is an epitome of a classical ballerina.
Irek Mukhamedov is excellent as Solor - primarily in pas de deux as there are not many solo dances for him. These two Russian dancers show complete rapport.
Darcy Bussell is very good as Gamsatti; the role suits her style. The dramatic role of the High Bramin is acted by Anthony Dowell very convincingly. In the Kingdom of the Shades scene, the contributions from some soloists and the corps de ballet (only 24 girls instead of 32 in the current Russian version) are generally good, although the soloists do not always achieve synchronization.
Finally, a negative point. The original score by Minkus was "arranged" by John Lanchbery (for Makarova's version) who also conducts the orchestra in this recording. Intrusive counterpoints and unnecessary variations on the original themes have unfortunately been added. Makarova could have used the more traditional score currently in use in Russia.
The divine and the delightful........2005-04-21
This is probably not one of the ballets that spring to most people's minds but it is one of my favourites. You might not want it to be your first ballet DVD since the music is not so well known as for example Nutcracker or Swan Lake but at least make it number 2 or 3 in your collection. The entrance procession of the corps de ballet as the "shades" with a wonderful sequence of arabesques, the delightful variations and the powerful pas de deux all are shining examples of classical ballet at it's best. The performances of all the principals was excellent but standing out for me was the scintillating presence and sheer artistry of Darcey Bussell as Gamzatti. Mukhamedov impressed as Solor and (The Divine) Asylmuratova (as Nikiya) shows that visiting artists from the Kirov shined way back then but of course she was their Prima Ballerina Assoluta. Tetsuya Kumakawa deserves a mention for his excellent Dance of the Bronze Idol, though in his case it was more remeniscent of goldfinger, it must have taken hours to get his makeup on, all for only 2.5 minutes, but what a 2.5 minutes no wonder he is famed for his elevation. This production was unfortunately filmed in 4:3 format but the quality is pretty respectable and direction sympathetic, the audio quality is very good with stereo, 5.1 and DTS all on offer. I for one like to hear the corps de ballet's footfalls and it was right there for me but it was not intrusive at all. The set and costume design were colourful and not too "faddish" or intrusive, giving a well executed final scene of the temple destruction and Nikiya and Solor's union in spirit for example. The enclosed booklet is not terrifically informing but it does at least give the story and indexes the performances. The DVD has no extras on offer at all apart from scene access, audio selection and a quartet of samples from TDK's other ballet DVD's.
Customer Reviews:
Just Watch It.......2004-07-16
This film is hilarious. Even my boyfriend will grudgingly admit it. I grew up from the age of 11 with this film, probably watching it once every couple of months. This is a tradition that my sister and I still carry on. It just gets better with age!
80s fans will probably recognize many of the young troopers (from Jenny Lewis to Kelli Martin to Tori Spelling), and I'm sure pre-teen girls are sure to like the movie for it's silly story, young female cast, and the hilarious antics of Shelly Long. It's a great little movie, appeals to all age groups and has some genuinely amusing lines, which I often find myself subconsciously quoting. Talking of quotes, here's a funny one:
Phylis Nefler (Shelley Long): If we leave her here injured in the wilderness she may be ravaged by lonely mountain men.... Really lonely mountain men.
Ha ha ha! It still gets me! Believe me, it's a funny movie - well worth watching.
Customer Reviews:
HAHHAHAHAHA from start to finish.......2005-03-08
good entertainment that you can watch anytime in any mood
Amazon.com
In reducing the rules of romance to a 10-day plan for repairing a breakup, Two Can Play That Game tickles a few funny bones while "keepin' it real" about heartbreak and human behaviour. Our hostess through this marathon of head games is 28-year-old Shanté (Vivica A. Fox--emphasis on the fox), who speaks to the camera so much that critic Roger Ebert nicknamed this movie "Waiting to Inhale." In a film packed with positive stereotypes (no crack-smoking gangstas here, thank you), she's a successful marketing executive, and her straying boyfriend is a high-profile attorney (Morris Chestnut). Their turbulent romance survives Shanté's 10-day power play, but not all viewers will be so lucky, since this movie is alternately charming and aggravating, and there's precious little romance while the lovers are plotting their moves. Still, it's a safe bet that many people will appreciate this movie's endearing lesson--namely, that sincere grovelling can save you lots of time and heartache. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Oh so true!.......2007-12-31
This film is oh so true! Hell, we can play that game, games are not just for men. Put your foot down girls, don't put up with their cr*p... I let my man know that in a subtle way and we got married last month!
Still fresh!.......2007-07-09
I watched this film again last night, and have to say that it has worn
very well. It made me lol several times and I did rewind quite a few jokes! As well as Morris, there is an extra serving of eye candy in the form of the writer/director if you watch the special features. All the actors are good, but Anthony Anderson is absolutely brilliant, and the writing is very sharp. Both men & women should watch & learn!!
Two can play that game: A brilliant film.......2005-02-01
I found this film extremely refreshing to watch as it is diffrent from the usual gangsta films, where black people are seen as stereotypes. This is a film that uses intelligence , charm and wit to tackle the issues of relationships. Anthony Anderson and Monique are comic geniuses, Vivica and Morris have brilliant chemistry, anybody can watch this film, as it's subjects issues potrayed in the film are not restricted.
SUBERB.......2004-04-29
An absolutely suberb film. It was a refreshing change to see good blackactors living in nice neighboourhoods with good jobs, as opposed to livingin the ghetto, drug dealing and shot outs every scene. Black people DOhave good jobs, and it is heartening to see this portrayed in this film. Very funny from start to finish, the characters are very easy to identifywith, which makes it a very easy to get into the film.
Morris, Vivica,Monique and Anthony Anderson are brilliant!
HIGHLY recommended.
two can play that game.......2004-01-22
I thought this was a fun light hearted film about relationship between black couple the difference between men and women very funny
Customer Reviews:
Is there any hope for our guilt?.......2007-09-24
It is a marvelous film for many reasons and it has many meaningful interpretations. The first we can think of is of course the effect of the Vietnam War on a normal man. It made him someone whose desire to kill, whose need to kill could never be controlled and dominated. Nothing could keep him within the limits of normalcy, that is to say a violence that is purely symbolical or superficial. His desire was not to punch a few noses and be done with it, but it was to kill, and I repeat that was a need for him to be satisfied in order to survive. The second line is that of the two brothers. One chose to be a cop and he killed legally. That's not in anyway easy, but at least you can come to terms with it: you saved your life from someone who wanted to kill you, and that was legal. You can wonder why he shot to kill, right in the heart, but he was entirely justified to shoot, so why not to kill? The other chose to go to Vietnam and there he killed but it was never to really save his life, never really justified because it was not self defense on his own turf but aggression in a foreign country, and the killing was not exactly shooting at combatants, but more often at women and children. This seems to prove that the desire to kill is in any man, good or bad, and that the only choice you have is to do it legally and morally or not. Vietnam produced twisted, distorted and completely warped personalities for whom killing had become a need, just like alcohol or smoking for others. This leads to a confrontation between the two brothers and the dilemma for the cop who has to arrest or shoot his own brother. He chose differently. The third line is metaphorical. The guilt the cop had built in himself after killing the young chap who was running away and then started to shoot at him can only come out, be retrieved and rehabilitated if in a way or another the need to kill is projected into someone else and that someone else is forced to go away. The guilt has to be entrusted to some Indian runner who will take it away as if it were a message he has to go dump in the ocean or the infinite. But this meaning is metaphorically symbolical of us all. We all have to get rid of this death instinct, and here comes the ending of the film. It is a dream society will let us go without making us pay for that death instinct. And the price is called guilt because we have to repress it and then it will go on lurking in our minds forever. There is no Indian runner for our death instinct, just a repressed guilt that may come out one day, but when and how no one knows.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
Very good.......2005-05-25
I was browsing through channels in my sofa, when suddenly a movie was starting, saw the name Viggo Mortensen in the credits and gave it a shot.
I was very surprised with this movie. A simple story, but done in a way that touches you inside. It's one of those movies with a simple plot, small scenery that brings so much more to it.
Viggo is at his best here, in fact i think this is his best performance ever. He really is a great actor and i hope he gets more attention in the future (specially after the LOTR trilogy and Hidalgo).
Patricia Arquette has one of her best performances and David Morse is perfect as the "good brother". I dont know if this movie came out in cinemas, at least in my country it didnt, but you have some oscar winning performances here.
Sean Penn directs it and shows he's so much talented in the screen as behind the cameras. A wonderful movie, not to be missed, i highly recomend it.
a really excellent film.......2004-03-06
The film was consistant in its excellent acting, with a very interesting and poigiant story line, which although quite a familiar idea of bad brother versus good brother, was still a pleasure to watch.
As can be seen by the certificate it is obviously not a family film and may not appeal to all. However, the superb acting, dramatic and at times rather beautiful storyline, certainly compels the audience to watch on. The film seems to have been directed with sensitivity, and good understanding of the issues raised concerning the plot line. In summary, it starts well has a good plot line throughout with an equally good ending. I urge you to watch on.
Customer Reviews:
Bertolucci's flawed epic... certainly worth experiencing........2008-02-29
1900 was director Bernardo Bertolucci follow up to the Italian masterpiece, The Conformist, and his legendary work, The Last Tango in Paris. Like Michael Cimmino's similarly flawed-epic, Heaven's Gate, it shows what happens when an acclaimed director gets control of the ultimate cast and an unlimited budget, and is allowed to go over-schedule on a sprawling personal project, without the interference of the studios. As a result of this, 1900 is a deeply flawed film, really falling apart somewhere towards the end and to some extent, slipping away from Bertolucci's grasp as a result of the sheer epic scale of the project. The story begins in the year 1901, on the day of Verdi's death. As the people mourn, the backdrop to the story finds two boys born on the same day - the first boy, Alfredo, is the son of a wealthy landowner... the second boy, Olmo, is the bastard son of a farm labourer - as the story progresses, the two boys become central to the ultimate story, developing a strong friendship that will play-out against a backdrop of war, socialism and the rise of the Fascist party in early twentieth-century Italy. Bertolucci confuses matters further by having the film begin during the 1945 Liberation Day; using this pivotal moment as a framing device to launch into his epic back-story, only to emerge at the end of the story some many years in the future.
The story isn't quite as confusing as it sounds, with the director anchoring the story throughout to the characters of Olmo and Alfredo. In the early scenes, we see the two boys living an idyllic "Huckleberry Finn" style existence, catching frogs, play-fighting, testing each other's bravery with a series of dares... whilst, all the while, succumbing to the lifestyle of their respective families. This will eventually, to some extent, tear the two friends apart, as the hard working Olmo sides with the communists whilst Alfredo, torn by loyalty and greed, allows the fascists to operate on his land. As you would expect from an epic, the film introduced lots of background characters, with the film taking in three generations of Italian history over the course of its vast, five-hour running time. Some of the history of the film is glossed over... with Bertolucci falling into an uneasy habit of switching between oblique, allegorical metaphors (the use of different animals to act as a symbol for each type of character, for example; the socialists as cats, head butted to death by the fascists who are portrayed as pigs, bloated, self-righteous beasts there to be gutted by the labourers) and almost bludgeoning political ideologies (the penultimate speech from Olmo is delivered literally to camera). Also, we're never really sure of whom we're supposed to be rooting for; clearly, Bertolucci wants us to side with the socialists, but they come across as spineless cowards who can only afflict revenge on the fascists and the landowners once they have been stripped of all their power. For the most part, the socialists wander around singing songs to each other, never once trying to convince us of their suffering, whilst Bertolucci seemingly thinks that if he makes them dirty enough, or ugly enough, we'll feel sympathy for them regardless. It doesn't quite work.
However, despite these flaws, the film is still (as many other critics have also noted) a monumental achievement. This is an epic in the classic sense, recalling films like The Godfather and Visconti's The Leopard (Burt Lancaster plays a role here that is very similar to the role of Don Fabrizio Salina, which he played in that particular film). It's also very similar to that other flawed Italian filmmaker's epic, Once Upon A Time in America, with both films employing the use of a flash-back/framing devise, as well as a thematic scope that covers a similar period in history (albeit, this is about Italy rather than America). Like Leone's film, 1900 is vast and sprawling, though anchored to two characters (who are best friends since childhood) and their personal relationships (...whilst, superficially, they both feature Robert DeNiro). Like Once Upon A Time... 1900 is a very brutal and confrontational film, with many violent sequences and scenes of outrageous sexuality. The version that I have (the one shown on Film Four) is as close to uncut as can be shown in this county (only one shot, the one in which the young Alfredo plays with himself in order to achieve an erection, was digitally darkened around the genital areas so that nothing could be seen); with Bertolucci taking almost every scene and characterisation completely over the top. This method is most apparent with the character of Attila, the lead-fascist in the film, who, in one of his earliest appearances, ties a kitten to the wall and then head buts it. This prefigures a later scene, in which Bertolucci implies that Attila has raped a small boy, only for Attila to then pick the child up by the ankles and swing him around the room until his skull shatters against a post.
Some of the performances in the film are very strong, particularly DeNiro as Alfredo, Gérard Depardieu as Olmo, Dominique Sanda as Ada, Sterling Hayden as Olmo's grandpa Leo, Burt Lancaster as the patriarch Berlinghieri and Donald Sutherland as the snarling "villain" Attila, whilst that gorgeous cinematography from Vittorio Storaro is just exquisite (...the camera always moving, blocking, tracking, revealing, swooping around the characters with the most gorgeous colours imaginable). It's easily one of the most beautiful films ever made, adding to the epic nature of the story and the feelings evoked through Ennio Morricone's great score. 1900 might not be the greatest film ever made, but I feel that it is an important film, both in terms of style and ambition. It's a definite flawed masterpiece, with a great cast and a talented director at the height of their creative prowess. As both an outrageous, overblown melodrama and as a political allegory/treatise on loyalty and friendship, it's worth looking out for and is an interesting relic to one of the most-important eras of cinema history.
Classic but overlong.......2007-05-24
This film in its uncut version is 315 minutes long. That means the equivalent of watching both Godfather 1 and 2. For the first and perhaps only time, two giants of modern cinema were reunited namely De Niro and Depardieu. Coupled with the direction of Bertolucci, this is indeed a visual masterpiece which would have been better portrayed aa a mini series rather than a twp part film. Thee are times when the action just meanders and if you understand Italian, then you have an advantage whereas the dubbed version is at best tacky.
A too much long but beautiful movie, showing the political changes in Italy in the Twentieth Century. These changes are presented and reflected through the friendship of Alfredo (Robert De Niro) and Olmo (Gerard Depardieau), from the end of World War I to the end of World War II, from the ascent of the Fascism to its decline and the ascent of the Socialism. Alfred and Olmo were born in the same day and in the same place, landowner and peasant respectively. As far as they grow up, Bertolucci presents the changes in the political scenario in Italy, affecting the relationship between these two friends. The film is a little exhaustive, but it deserves to be watched more than one time. Recommended to viewers who like European movies and particularly Italian history and Bertolucci.
Bertolucci's flesh for fascism.......2007-03-24
Bernardo Bertolucci's exhaustive look at two boys (Robert DeNiro & Gerard Depardieu) born on the same day in the year 1900 (hence; 1900 or Novecento if you prefer). One to a wealthy landower (Burt Lancaster) and the other to a family of peasants (Sterling Haydon). This sprawling epic 5 hour marathon will certainly test your patience if not your resolve to finish watching it. A redundant story that pits the black shirt fascists against the communistic peasants with an appalling amount of graphic violence for the sheer sake of violence. Like Donald Sutherland's head on collision with a dangling feline. I'm still not sure exactly what point Bertulucci was trying to make with that statement (crushing communism could have been demonstrated in a more realistic fashion). The impact was there (no pun intended)...but for what? Pure sensationalism? I'm positively certain thats why Paramount cut it from the 255 minute R version. Although it survives the cutting room floor in this NC-17 version.
The all-star cast will certainly maintain your interest, if not make you angry that all the talent here was miscast and wasted in so many ways. For example; the lovely Stefania Sandrelli (Desideria & Partner) would have been more believable in Dominique Sanda's role when you consider how great she was in The Conformist (another Bertolucci film where she played the role of a shallow materialistic tart). Not that Sanda wasn't acceptable or believable, I just enjoyed Sandrelli's screen presence more and found it hard to accept her role as a peasant. Also, Sutherland's talents appear to be under appreciated here when you consider he literally steals every scene he's in. Only...he's not nearly in it enough. Convincing as the black shirt fascist who bully's the peasants at the request of the wealthy landowners. Sutherland appears to be the only realistic character in this film. Making you wonder why Paramount would cut his animal abuse act but leave the beheading of the child who was caught spying on him while having sex with the padroni's niece. Whats Paramount's logic here? American's will tolerate child abuse but not animal abuse? Huh?
What you have here is alot of over-the-top performances mixed in with 18th century Italian folk songs that gives the film an unreal amount of fairy tale quality. One example of what I mean is; A hail storm damages the crops, so the landowner tells the peasants that he employs that there will be a cut in pay to make up for the lost harvest. A peasant emerges from the crowd, cuts off his own ear and proceeds to walk off playing some corny folk song with his flute. Another example is when liberation day comes in 1945 (the end of the Nazi regime). The peasants perform a mock trial against their boss (DeNiro). The padroni (landowner) is subjected to alot of ridicule and scoffing which didn't seem believable on any level. As if I would feel sorry for some communistic peasant who's content with being a peasant for as long as he or she lives. Making Sutherlands pitch-fork departure a little difficult to accept. Especially when you consider the fact that he was the only one holding this film together.
This film is worth a look for Donald Sutherland's performance and Vittoro Storaro's (Last Tango In Paris & Apocalypse Now) camera work alone. However, most Bertolucci fanatics are still wondering why The Last Emporer won nine Oscars and 1900 didn't even recieve not one nomination. Especially when you consider the parallels involved here, and 1900's all-star cast. The Conformist was perhaps Bertolucci's best film...and won nothing. No matter though...the Academy Awards are nothing more than a popularity contest anyways. It's just strange that the Academy seems to thrive on over-the-top performances (which again, explains why Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" won so many awards). You would think a film like 1900 would fit right into the grand scheme of things. My guess is the Academy preferred baby poop as opposed to horse dung.
olofpalme63
Flawed but fantastic.......2007-02-11
A very, very long film that doesn't exactly bounce along. There is some rather odd acting styles reminiscent of Dick Dastardly and a little too much "adult" content than might be considered necessary. That aside, this film is totally mesmerising, beautiful to watch and completely absorbing. When you've finished watching this; at about three in the morning, you feel as though the two protagonists are people you have grown up with and really care about.
Like Spartacus, some of the best scenes are when nothing much is really happening except for crowds of the dispossessed and downtrodden wandering soberly across the landscape. The political lecturing is far from subtle but honestly, if the local communist party recruiting agent had knocked on my door just after watching this I'm sure that because the emotion of this film is so strong I would have joined up there and then!
This is how story telling should be.
A magnificent Marxist soap opera with moments of greatness.......2006-12-05
1900 is a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly of Italian cinema. Bertolucci's defiantly left wing political epic at times plays like a Sidney Sheldon doorstop novel as written by a disciple of Karl Marx, has a laughable first hour and some performances that are so far over the top they've circumnavigate the globe and come back again. Yet it also has moments of genuine power, a sweeping ambition to it and is one of the most beautifully photographed films ever made due to Vittorio Storaro's wondrous combination of natural light, backlighting and the `magic hour' as the situation demands. Ennio Morricone's score is consistently one of his best as well, ensuring that the film sounds as good as it looks.
Chief debit is Burt Lancaster's senile padrone, hanging himself because he can't even get the erection he needs to rape the child of one of his employees: no gattapardo he. Donald Sutherland's socially mobile foreman-turned-fascist thug veers between plus and minus - it's a broad performance, as you'd expect from a character whose idea of political debate is to head butt a kitten to death (it's an extremely tough film on animals: the kitten's death may be faked but none of the other animal killings are), although there are moments that ring true in the latter section.
It's an interesting experiment to try to gauge the actors original intent by flitting between the various soundtracks on the extras-free but uncut European DVD - the preferred English soundtrack gives you De Niro, Sutherland, Lancaster, Stirling Hayden and Dominique Sanda talking for themselves, the French offers Depardieu's voice while the Italian gives you more natural vocalisation for the majority of the smaller parts, as does the German.
Ultimately it doesn't amount to much - the basic thesis can be reduced to "Fascism, socialism - huh. Both as bad as each other," with paradise postponed once again at the very moment of liberation and the status quo more or less restored for the rest of the century. But there's a side of me that can't help thinking that for the most part it's a movie about peasants' rights made by a group of people who are now multi-millionaires who'll make almost anything if you write them a big enough cheque...
Customer Reviews:
hooper.......2006-05-13
If you like Burt Reynolds this is the ultimate movie for you. Cocky, slick, laid back humour that Burt stands for. Sit back and enjoy one of the best opening scenes in the business. Burt is a hard edged stunt man who lives for fun and wont let anything as trivial as a hollywood studio stop him from doing what he does best - keep an eye out for the bar room brawl between the stunt men and a SWOT team with its reference to the magnificant seven, and the final scenes of Burt and the 'new kid on the block' pull off the ultimate car stunt. Rip roaring fun with a brilliant sound track that will stay with you for ever !
DVD Review:
- The Moody Blues - Live At Montreux - 1991
- The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber 'Masterpiece' [2001]
- The Pat Metheny Group - Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up: Live [2005]
- The Rolling Stones: Bridges to Babylon Tour '97-98 [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Rolling Stones - Rock And Roll Circus
- The Undertones - Teenage Kicks [2003]
- The Zen of Screaming: Vocal Instruction for a New Breed [2006]
- Thin Lizzy - Live And Dangerous [2006]
- Tina Turner - Simply The Best - The Video Collection [1991]
- Tom Jones - The Ultimate Tom Jones Collection [1999]
DVD Review List
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