Madonna - Drowned World Tour Live [2001]
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Drowned World, Shinning Madonna!
  • The Evolution of Theater
  • Madonna rocks the stadium to its foundations! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
  • Absolutely amazing!
  • The Beautiful Stranger Keeps Getting Better
Madonna - Drowned World Tour Live [2001]
Starring: Madonna , Niki Harris , Donna DeLory , Christian Vincent (II) , and Ruth Taveras
Director: Hamish Hamilton
Manufacturer: Warner Music Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Dance & Electronic Dance & Electronic | Styles | Music | Bestsellers | Ambient | Big Beat | Breakbeat | Chill Out | Drum & Bass - Jungle | Electro-Acoustic | Electronica | House & Garage | Industrial | Techno & Trance | Trip Hop | Reggae
Pop Pop | Styles | Music | Bestsellers | Greatest Hits | Live Albums | Disco | Dance Pop | Pop R&B | Contemporary
Pop Music Pop Music | Travel | uk-shops | Bestsellers | Greatest Hits | Live Albums | Disco | Dance Pop | Pop R&B
Pop Idols Pop Idols | Music | Children's DVD | Categories | DVD | Video
Madonna Madonna | Artists & Bands | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video
Concerts Concerts | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video
Adult Pop Adult Pop | Pop & Dance | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video
Chart Pop Chart Pop | Pop & Dance | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video
All Music DVDs All Music DVDs | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video
All DVD Special Offers All DVD Special Offers | DVD Bargains | Custom Stores | Substores | DVD | Video
DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. Madonna - The Girlie Show - Live Down Under [1993] Madonna - The Girlie Show - Live Down Under [1993]
  2. Ciao Italia [1987] Ciao Italia [1987]
  3. Madonna - The Ultimate Collection Madonna - The Ultimate Collection
  4. Madonna - I'm Going To Tell You A Secret [Live] [DVD + CD]  [2005] Madonna - I'm Going To Tell You A Secret [Live] [DVD + CD] [2005]
  5. Madonna - The Video Collection 93-99 [1999] Madonna - The Video Collection 93-99 [1999]

ASIN: B00005QX8H
Release Date: 2001-11-19
Madonna - Drowned World Tour Live [2001]

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Queen of Pop has done it again and offered her fans and music impresarios alike a musical performance to be remembered. Madonna: Drowned World Tour--filmed in her home town of Detroit on August 26, 2001--is an amazing pop concert and a visually stunning modern-dance and multi-media piece encompassing all the recent incarnations of this chameleon-like performer. Never one to shy away from championing new styles, both in clothes and music, Madonna is still as raunchy as she was on her Erotica tour, but the Drowned World Tour also offers a much more effeminate and intelligent side to her performance. This time we see a Geisha/Japanese performance during "Frozen" and a jokey southern-belle line-dancing romp during "Don't Tell Me".

The monarch of performance has also discovered the best way to undergo an elaborate costume change without keeping your audience waiting--simply ply them with stunningly directed music videos on a multitude of screens and hang two solitary male dancers upside down to perform feats of dance perfection. This truly impressive show holds as much for Madonna fans as it does for anyone who is interested in studying modern performance and dance routines--and Madonna is certainly well versed enough to teach in this field with almost 20 successful years in the business. The Drowned World Tour--rumoured to be her last live show--goes to prove that Madonna still reigns supreme.

On the DVD: Although the special features are hardly a ray of light--simply an impressive photo gallery and some Web links--the picture and sound on this DVD are excellent. As a champion of all things new Madonna's DVD uses a picture perfect format of 4:3, and superb sound quality: with a choice of Dolby Digital 2.0, 5.1 and DTS 5.1 you'll feel like you're at the concert in a prime seat. Another impressive feature is the ability to view the song lyrics, allowing you to strut around your living room like a prima donna with this glamorous version of Karaoke! --Nikki Disney

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Drowned World, Shinning Madonna!.......2004-03-19

The Drowned World Tour of 2001 was awaited by all as we heald of breath to see what the new millenium and motherhood had done to Her Majesty The Queen of POp, Madonna.
What resulted was the Drowned World Tour, a stunning array of song, colour, light, and performance beginning in the repressed punk era of the world of sorrow and Travelling down the road to Japanniese culture, country roadshows,and ending with a Holiday.
Tes Madonna didnt disappiont. Her arrival onstage was nothing short of electrifying and must go down as a true piece of musical stagecraft. The whole show right from the costumes to teh singing was fantastical as Madonna embraces her fanbase once more. Yes, her connection with the fans evokes a mind blowing response for the viewer and those critics who said she was finished get there minds blown away. Madonna's obsession with music, expression and culture are evident through her preformance and she performes an array of hits both old and new.
It would appear that whilst there is a Drowned World, Madonna is still shinning bright.

5 out of 5 stars The Evolution of Theater.......2002-11-20

We could say that Madonna's Drowned world tour is the perfect show. It is totally organised, much more sophisticated and evolved than most of the highly acclaimed conventional performances. It is also state of the art equipped and entertaining. It is a perfect product imbued with Madonna's unique perfectionism. BUT there is something missing. If u examine Madonna a little bit more carefully you will notice that she seems very determined,very competent,very intelligent but not really radiant. She emanates coldness and austerity to a degree that although Drowned World is surely an artistic monument of human endeavour, it could leave you with a sense of melancholy. Madonna has irreversibly changed into a very saturnian creature and this determines her whole attitude and performance in this work of art. Drowned world is very stern and serious. Like Madonna's eyes.

5 out of 5 stars Madonna rocks the stadium to its foundations! ! ! ! ! ! ! !.......2002-07-07

The place: Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan, US. The date: Sunday 26th August 2001. The main attraction: The Queen.

In June 2001, Madonna announced that she would be touring for the first time in eight years since 1993's The Girlie Show Live as part of the Drowned World Tour 2001. Millions of fans worldwide jammed the phone lines to try and get tickets to this truly amazing experience. Dubbed the most anticipated pop concert of all time, all six shows at Wembley Arena sold out in six hours. It was the same in Spain, Germany, Italy, France and countless states across the US. The price of tickets were higher than normal concert tickets, with some Internet auctioners willing to shell out £3000 for a front row seat. So any Madonna fan should have this wonderful concert to re-live that once in a lifetime experience. Madonna's Drowned World Tour was THE concert of 2001.

The show starts of with Madonna singing Drowned World/Substitute For Love. The crowd goes wild at the sight of Madonna in a kilt. Then it's time to get the house pumping with a superb performance of Impressive Instant from her No.1 2000 album, Music. The crowd goes wild when she performs THAT explicit scene! Madonna may have dumped the sexual antics from the early 90's, but she still does it in her performances! Candy Perfume Girl from the 1998 album Ray Of Light is next in line. Madonna shows us she can play a guitar with a message at the end; "F**k off, motherf**kers!". The audience just can't get enough of it. Madonna says, "Do I make you horny?!" before breaking out into her brilliant hit, Beautiful Stranger. Ray Of Light is next in line and has to be one of the Top 5 performances of the whole show - the energy just surges through the arena and overcomes its residents with satisfaction, love and pure bliss for their Queen. Paradise (Not For Me) is actually performed on a screen instead of a performance on stage. The performance of Frozen, Madonna's comback single from early 1998 is amazing - check out the 57ft sleeves on her arms! Open Your Heart is just a Chinese instrumental that lasts about 30 seconds - that shouldn't really be included on the tracklisting. Nobody's Perfect is another great performance. Sky Fits Heaven is another highlight of the concert. Madonna bungie jumps around the stage fighting crime while managing to sing! Mer Girl Parts I and II are pretty disappointing where I Deserve It is another good performance where Madonna shows off her guitar skills. Her well recieved performance of Don't Tell Me is another highlight. Hay-stacks and cowboys galore are the focus of this performance. The crowd are frantic when Madonna joins back-up singers and dancers as they clump together and dance - remeniscent of her MTV Video Music Awards 1990 Vogue performance. An old classic from 1995, Human Nature is up next. Madonna gets on a Buckin Bronco and rides around like a crazy woman! She takes the time to thank her country and her Dad - because he's "so cool". She teases the crowd with "I've got a new song to play for you - never heard before". The crowd get all excited before she belts out The Funny Song. This is obviously not gonna be a song of hers because it's so rubbish! Madonna then sings Secret from her 1994 album Bedtime Stories followed by Gone from her 2000 album Music. Don't Cry For Me Argentina (Instrumental) is next followed by a disturbing, pornographic cartoon Introduction for the Spanish version of What It Feels Like For A Girl. I know Madonna likes to shock, but she crosses the line here. I felt physically sick. The crowd go wild when she belts out La Isla Bonita followed by Holiday - Madonna's ultimate classic. She's performed Holiday at every one of her concerts (Virgin Tour - 1984, Who's That Girl - 1987, Blonde Ambition - 1990 and The Girlie Show Live - 1993), so why not at this one? The crowd love her for it. But the biggest roar comes from the last song, Music. The first few words of Music, "do you like to, boogie woogie?" and the crowd are in awe.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

Madonna's Drowned World Tour 2001 is a concert to remember. There's something here for everyone. A lot of people wanted her to sing more older songs, but she'll be saving that for a Greatest Hits Tour spanning all her hits in a few years time, mark my words...

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing!.......2002-03-09

It is possible that DVD fans complain about bad or boring picture quality, but I cannot judge that. For me Madonna as a performer and her music are much more important and therefore I can recommend this DVD to those, who are of the same opinion. I must admit, though, I was very sceptical in the beginning, when I heard of the tracks Madonna had chosen for her concerts. But as I got the chance to see her in Berlin I was totally overwhelmed. And that is ever so often the case when I am watching the DVD, which has been about one hundred times, meanwhile. Her voice is simply gorgeous and wouldn't fit anymore to many songs from her past. With the exception of "sky fist heaven", which is very much shortened anyway, Madonna performs everything live with a beautiful, clear voice. I would like to point out especially "drowned world", "frozen" and "don't tell me". The choreography of the whole concert is definitely unique and always surprising. Therefore it doesn't really matter that Niki Harris is losing her headscarf performing "holiday". The only weak point is "candy perfume girl", but you can skip that.

5 out of 5 stars The Beautiful Stranger Keeps Getting Better.......2002-03-08

Madonna established herself as the only Queen of Pop when she embarked on this tour. It's not hard to see why with this DVD. The sound is superb, and the editing is much better than the original TV screening.

From the beginning you know you're in for something amazing. The opening music sends shivers up your spine as the crowds go absolutely ballistic. Madonna performs 'Drowned World' with a husky, new-found vocal ability. Her voice sounds fantastic, although she does get breathless during the more upbeat numbers.

She looks fantastic with a guitar, too, as she performs 'Candy Perfume Gil' a la Courtney Love. Frozen is another vocal gem, as is Mer Girl, Gone, Lo Que Siente La Mujer and La Isla Bonita.

The stage show is superb. She once vowed never to compromise her artistic integrity. Well this is as artistic as it comes, with symbols of female empowerment throughout, from her flying through the air and whooping ninja ass to her smiling through her bruises during 'Mer Girl' to show she always comes out on top no matter how hard critics beat her into the ground.

Some of the show is serious and dark, whereas her sense of humour is shown during 'Don't Tell Me' and 'Beautiful Stranger'. Country, cyberpunk, and a reflective acoustic strum on a guitar to 'I Deserve It' show her depth and range as an artist.

She sounds and looks better than ever. May she rule the world forever!
Vincent - The Full Story
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Vincent Disk 1 Half the story
  • It is anoying when they get simple things wrong
  • Poor Value
  • Van Gogh Heaven
  • Good story
Vincent - The Full Story
Starring: Waldemar Januszczak
Manufacturer: Revolver Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Documentaries All Documentaries | Documentary | Categories | DVD | Video
Art & Antiques Art & Antiques | Documentary | Categories | DVD | Video
DVDs from £4.97 DVDs from £4.97 | From £4.97 | By Price | DVD Bargains | Custom Stores | Substores | DVD | Video
DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. Picasso - Magic, Sex And Death Picasso - Magic, Sex And Death
  2. Impressionism - Revenge Of The Nice Impressionism - Revenge Of The Nice
  3. Titian [2003] Titian [2003]
  4. The Michaelangelo Code - Secrets Of The Sistine Chapel The Michaelangelo Code - Secrets Of The Sistine Chapel
  5. The Impressionists With Tim Marlow - The Collection [1998] The Impressionists With Tim Marlow - The Collection [1998]

ASIN: B0007LPLUQ
Release Date: 2005-07-25
Vincent - The Full Story

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Vincent Disk 1 Half the story.......2008-03-13

Split up over 2 disks on Amazon rental you only get half the story;Waldemar Januszczak has an infectious enthusiasm and you can tell that he is a serious Van Gogh scholar he has researched his letters and interestingly begins the programme at an auction house where a Van Gogh letter goes for a record price.

Follows Van Gogh's early life from his time in the family business as an art salesman to his time in England and then as a missionary overseas a very informative programme and presenter visits all the important places in Van Gogh's life.

First aired on channel 4 and it is well worth viewing his other programmes one on Toulouse Lautrec was excellent might not be out yet.

1 out of 5 stars It is anoying when they get simple things wrong.......2007-06-17

I was put off it when the announcer implied that the Doc that VG painted 80 times was useless
because he prescribed digitalis for heart problems.
"I wouldn't go to adoctor that did that."
So you NEVER go to ANY doctors??
And
"Digitalis was used to make absinthe"
If they get such basic stuff wrong how can you trust the rest of their doggy research?

2 out of 5 stars Poor Value.......2006-02-20

Anyone who already has an interest in Van Gogh will find little new here - also the presentation is slightly flippant and it is irritating that the presenter cannot even pronounce Vincents Surname correctly - a dissapoint effiort .

5 out of 5 stars Van Gogh Heaven.......2005-10-04

I've been waiting for this to be released since I first saw it on Channel 4 back in early 2004, and I can say that it has been worth the wait. I regret not videoing it really, however it is great not to have it on VHS and have no advert breaks or anything.

Simply put, if you like Vincent Van Gogh and are interested in him or just like his works this DVD gets the thumbs up and will not disappoint.
Expertly presented by Waldemar Januszczak, he has thankfully thoroughly researched his subject with enormous accuracy giving us three hours of fascinating information about on of the worlds favourite artists.

Just brilliant! Well done Waldemar

5 out of 5 stars Good story.......2005-08-20

I found this really good entertainment as well as educational. The presenter travels to many of the places the artist lived and succeeds in bringing his story to life in a new and interesting way.
The Aviator [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Oh, for some antibacterial hand gel!
The Aviator [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Starring: Alec Baldwin , Kate Beckinsale , Frances Conroy , Willem Dafoe , and Stanley de Santis
Director: Martin Scorsese
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Drama All Drama | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video
Period Period | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video
All Documentaries All Documentaries | Documentary | Categories | DVD | Video
Region 1 Region 1 | Special Features | DVD | Video
DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. The Shining [Blu-ray] [1980] [US Import] The Shining [Blu-ray] [1980] [US Import]
  2. Alexander: Revisited - The Final Cut [HD DVD] [2005] [US Import] Alexander: Revisited - The Final Cut [HD DVD] [2005] [US Import]
  3. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
  4. Pride and Prejudice [HD DVD] [2005] [US Import] Pride and Prejudice [HD DVD] [2005] [US Import]
  5. Dawn of the Dead [US Import] [Blu-ray] [1980] Dawn of the Dead [US Import] [Blu-ray] [1980]

ASIN: B00080ZG1A
Release Date: 2005-05-24
The Aviator [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Oh, for some antibacterial hand gel!.......2005-12-28

AVIATOR depicts roughly twenty years in the life of what many - especially those outside the U.S. borders - may regard as the quintessential American: one who's an enormously successful business entrepreneur, a daring technical innovator, the playboy companion of Hollywood starlets, and crazy as a loon.

My opinion of Leonardo DiCaprio has never been more than one of indifference. But here, as millionaire aviator Howard Hughes, he excels.

The film opens in the late 1920s as Hughes is filming "Hell's Angels", his World War I air combat epic that was the most expensive Hollywood production to date, and ends with the one and only test flight of his Hercules military transport (a.k.a. "The Spruce Goose") in Los Angeles Harbor in November 1947. In between, we see depicted the highlights of his amazing life: his personally achieved air speed record (352 mph), his aerial circumnavigation of the globe, his controlling ownership of TWA, his development of the Constellation (perhaps the most beautiful passenger aircraft ever built), a nearly fatal crash in his FX-11 prototype reconnaissance aircraft, his battle with the government and Pan Am to prevent the latter's monopolization of American international air routes, the squabble with censors over Jane Russell's cleavage in his western "The Outlaw", and his liaison with starlets, especially Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale).

Director Martin Scorsese doesn't flinch from showing Howard's darker side: his increasing obsession with germs transferred by hand contact and his slow slide into madness. The film gives a new meaning to hand washing and the recycling of milk bottles. (What Hughes wouldn't have given for the waterless, antibacterial hand gel!) However, no mention is made of Howard's addiction to painkilling drugs after the FX-11 mishap, and which contributed to his eventual mental deterioration into being a completely reclusive figure. Nor, somewhat surprisingly, is there any epilog in the end credits regarding the remainder of Hughes's life and the fates of that which he wrought.

For me, Blanchett as Hepburn almost stole the show. Cate had Kate's mannerisms down pat; she was positively resplendent in the role with an Oscar-worthy performance. Beckinsale is luminous as Ava Gardner, and Alan Alda is effective as the oily Senator from Maine and Pan Am's lackey, Ralph Brewster.

Scorsese's use of special FX and sets is impressive, principally the recreation of the interior of Hollywood's Coconut Grove nightclub, the onboard re-creation of the test flight of the Spruce Goose, and Howard's filming of the aerial dogfights for "Hell's Angels".

At a 2 hour and 45 minute run time, AVIATOR is an all-American epic.
Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Starring: Brigid Berlin , Taylor Mead , Paul Morrissey , Larry Rivers , and Patricia Hearst
    Director: Shelly Dunn Fremont , and Vincent Fremont
    Manufacturer: New Video Group
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    All Documentaries All Documentaries | Documentary | Categories | DVD | Video
    Music & Entertainment Music & Entertainment | Television | Categories | DVD | Video
    Region 1 Region 1 | Special Features | DVD | Video
    DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
    ASIN: B00005QBYU
    Release Date: 2001-11-20
    Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Kennedy [1983] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Kennedy [1983] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
      Starring: Martin Sheen , John Shea , E.G. Marshall , Geraldine Fitzgerald , and Vincent Gardenia
      Director: Jim Goddard
      Manufacturer: Lance Entertainment
      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      All Drama All Drama | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video
      All Television All Television | Television | Categories | DVD | Video
      Drama Drama | Television | Categories | DVD | Video
      All Documentaries All Documentaries | Documentary | Categories | DVD | Video
      DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
      ASIN: B0000AKCME
      Release Date: 2003-10-07
      Kennedy [1983] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
      The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc [2000]
      Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
      • Very poor direction
      • An interesting Joan, but not my Joan
      • Fairly watchable version but overlong
      • Milla Jovovich shines
      • Much maligned but I liked it
      The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc [2000]
      Starring: Milla Jovovich , Dustin Hoffman , Faye Dunaway , John Malkovich , and Tchéky Karyo
      Director: Luc Besson
      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      Categories Categories | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | Children's DVD | Classics | Comedy | Crime, Thrillers & Mystery | Documentary | Drama | Fitness | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Interactive DVDs | Music DVDs | Musicals & Classical | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Sports | Television | World Cinema
      DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
      Similar Items:
      1. Joan Of Arc [1999] Joan Of Arc [1999]
      2. No Good Deed [2002] No Good Deed [2002]
      3. Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words
      4. You Stupid Man [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC) You Stupid Man [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
      5. Joan of Arc: Child of War, Soldier of God [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC) Joan of Arc: Child of War, Soldier of God [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

      ASIN: B00004X0V1
      The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc [2000]

      Amazon.co.uk Review

      Over the years, many film directors have attempted to tell the story of legendary 15th-century heroine Joan of Arc, a simple country girl who claimed she was inspired by God to lead the French troops in a victorious assault on the mighty English army. Luc Besson's 1999 epic might not be the best version of her life, but it's certainly the biggest. The movie cost a reported $60 million. Even if you are terminally unimpressed by the scale of such recent blockbusters as Gladiator, your eyes will pop out at the sheer number of bodies (living and dead) that Besson has assembled for the dynamic battle scenes. The lavish sets and costumes are almost equally gobsmacking, though neither will show to maximum advantage on the small screen. That's a pity because size is the only thing Joan of Arc really has going for it--as a human drama, it falls completely flat.

      The historical Joan was eventually made a saint by the Catholic Church, and earlier biopics tended to treat her celestial visions as literal fact. It was probably a mistake for Besson and his co-screenwriter Andrew Birkin to take a more psychological approach and present them as figments of her hysterical imagination. It makes it hard to work up the necessary empathy when the spectacle revolves around a confused and neurotic babe who couldn't organise a Tupperware party, let alone a vast military campaign. Milla Jovovich (the star of Besson's previous The Fifth Element and formerly his wife) doesn't help matters with her shrill and amateurish performance. But a couple of the supporting players are passably amusing--John Malkovich camps it up energetically as Charles, the dispossessed French king whom Joan reinstates, while Faye Dunaway wears outlandish headgear and carries on like a science-fiction creation in the role of his scheming mother-in-law. (The less said the better about Dustin Hoffman's pompous turn as Joan's personified conscience.) Besson keeps to the same glossy visual style even when the Maid is burning at the stake, but it isn't enough to prevent this empty shell of a movie from being a colossal yawn. --Peter Matthews

      Customer Reviews:

      1 out of 5 stars Very poor direction.......2008-01-20

      A very unconvincing film in which Joan one of the true heroes of France and indeed the world is projected as a neurotic fruit cake. Personally I would not have followed Milla Jovovich into battle on the basis of her screeching performance. Who can produce a film which really conveys the astonishing courage of a 19 year old girl leading the French army, ending the 100 years war and essentially creating France as nation? This whimpering Joan doesn't begin to get anywhere near it.

      3 out of 5 stars An interesting Joan, but not my Joan.......2007-10-28

      Oh dear! Having come fresh from seeing Shaw's play about Joan of Arc at the National Theatre, and having been inspired then to read histories of her and her times, I was curious to see Luc Besson's take on the subject. Whilst my review might commence in an overly-critical manner, there are good points that I reserve until the end.

      I had expected the worst "history according to Hollywood" tale. Whilst this is not strictly the case here, there are causes for some concern in both the historical veracity of what is portrayed and in the feel of the movie itself. To begin, the movie loses much of its edge by not employing French actors throughout, apart, obviously for the English and other nationalities. And records of the time show that Joan herself was not the most beautiful of women. (But who's going to invest so much money in a film without a beautiful heroine, without an English-language soundtrack, and without a strong Hollywood contingent - shame, but that's the way it is.) Secondly, the film is too clean and clinical, too staged, lacking realism in many scenes. Where's the mud, the dirt, the bad teeth, the ragged hair; where is the confusion of living? Why do we see conifer plantations with trees in nice rows? Why do the walls of Orleans suddenly halt and the grass begin with no suburbs, no roads, no boats in the river's port? Thirdly, the script is laughably lousy in places.

      Every five minutes there would appear to be something on screen to incur my wrath, whether it is the king of France (John Malkovich) speaking in an American accent; the ridiculous stage-set that is supposed to be the city of Orleans (and the even worse stage-set at the walls of Paris); or the twisting of history to suit the narrative. In this last point, the trial scene at the end is to me the most blatant: where is the inquisitor, where is Joan's claims that it was saints Margaret and Catherine who spoke to her? The attack on Domremy featured at the beginning of the movie, where Joan as a young girl witnesses unspeakable horrors, is based on the slenderest of evidence. And why are all the English prtrayed as thugs and villains? (After all, Mel Gibson doesn't appear in this film!) And what are we to make of the credit at the end of the movie where "Mr Besson" would like to thank, amongst others, Madonna, Sting and Trudy?

      So is there nothing good to say about this movie, which clearly has had a lot of time, money and energy expended on it? Well, yes, there is!

      I was impressed with the fresh take on Joan and her visions. Being an agnostic, and being someone who has studied psychology at degree level, I have never for one minute accepted uncritically the view that her visions were true in any objective sense. Besson's film does at least question them, and this is no bad thing. He uses imaginative ways to try to encapsulate what Joan may have been thinking at the time of her visitations, and Dustin Hoffman's portrayal as her conscience is very intriguing - and, I might add, well-acted on his part. Secondly, the effects in the film are good where Joan's visions are concerned, but could have been better with the depiction of medieval France, its towns, people and battles. Thirdly, the acting is good, and very good in parts. The scene at Chinon where joan first meets the king is excellent, and I found Faye Dunnaway especially convincing as Charles VII's mother-in-law.

      So, a film to love and to loath. This is a fresh and invigorating take on who Joan of Arc really was or might have been: but it is not my Joan.

      3 out of 5 stars Fairly watchable version but overlong.......2007-10-08

      This is as watchable as the other versions I have seen, but its length may be offputting to some. Not perfect then, but what about the treatment of the heroine here, does it add anything new to the rather unimaginative versions already made? The answer I'm glad to say is yes it does. It's another question entirely to ask if this is any good, but at least it is a new approach. Can any version of her really claim to get it right though? Although I liked Bergman's portrayal of her, it was undoubtedly over stylised and over dramatic. Will we ever know the truth of what she was like? I doubt it, but at least this version reminded us she was just a teenager, with the full set of teenage troubles (not that this would have meant anything to the bigots and hypocrites in sackcloth and vestments back then, other than she was easier to bully into submission, then cruelly execute).

      We needed more military action than the other films had given, to give a better perspective of her story, and this film delivers it. But the court scenes do go on a bit, and it's a shame there wasn't better dialogue written in the script, as this is a bit awful at times. Malkovich adds something to the film, a little twist of character that kept me watching when the script was starting to repeat itself. Infact, I found him strangely more compelling than Joan herself, but then that's Malkovich for you. I'm sure filmmakers will keep on trying to make the perfect movie of the story of Joan of Arc, but I'm not so sure it can ever really be done. The best I think we can hope for is entertainment, and this film manages that, just.

      5 out of 5 stars Milla Jovovich shines.......2007-09-06

      I wished to watch a 5 star movie that was both entertaining and original...so i bought this at a bargin price, and all i can say is WOW! Fantastic film that wasn't in any way predictable apart from the burning at the end. Milla Jovovich gives a very human and believable performance - fear, hope, anger, and love can be seen in her eyes. The biggest mystery to me was not her dreams/flashbacks/hallucinations, but just who was Dustin Hoffman's character? I thought he was The Devil, but then he prays for Joan of Arch at the end!?! Watched it twice, great film.

      4 out of 5 stars Much maligned but I liked it.......2007-05-18

      Luc Besson has a reputation for spectacular movies such as Taxi, Leon, The Fifth Element, etc. Joan of Arc is no exception. It details the life of Jeanne, the maiden of Lorraine, who in and around the year 1431, helped France defeat England, and win a war that has lasted for almost an entire century. The plot is great, and paced well. The performances that impressed me the most, however, were those of Milla Jovovich and Dustin Hoffman, as Jeanne and her conscience, respectively. They never cease to amaze me. The characters were well-written and credible. I liked the way the film seems to question Jeanne's sanity; whereas most believe that she *was* in fact, sent by God, this film sits down and asks the question, if she really was, or if the signs and miracles weren't all in her head, and caused by everyone wanting to believe it. The very last scenes especially puts doubt in the viewer. It was quite a gutsy move by Besson, to question his own country's hero. I will admit, the film does really make it seem more like she is crazy rather than sent by God, but it doesn't feel like Besson is pushing his view onto us, telling us that that's the way it was; it feels more like he tries to make us question it. The action and the war scenes were very well done, very chaotic and disturbing, very intense and bloody.
      All in all, a very enjoyable war-drama, with an authentic story and some well-done battle sequences. I recommend it to fans of the actors, of Luc Besson's other work and of war movies/dramas in general. Just don't expect a full-out war movie; it's two hours and thirty minutes long, and I don't think more than forty-five minutes in total are spent fighting.
      The Aviator [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        The Aviator [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
        Starring: Alec Baldwin , Kate Beckinsale , Frances Conroy , Willem Dafoe , and Stanley de Santis
        Director: Martin Scorsese
        Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
        ProductGroup: DVD
        Binding: DVD

        All Drama All Drama | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video
        Period Period | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video
        All Documentaries All Documentaries | Documentary | Categories | DVD | Video
        DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
        ASIN: B00095LIE8
        Release Date: 2005-05-24
        The Aviator [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

        UK DVD:

        1. Madonna: Wild Angel - The Unauthorized Story [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
        2. Martin Luther King: I Have a Dream [1986] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
        3. McFly - Wonderland Tour 2005 - Live In Manchester
        4. Metallica - Reflections [2006]
        5. Mommie Dearest [1981] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
        6. Most Haunted - Series 4 - Complete
        7. Napoleon's Waterloo
        8. Natural Splendors - Vol. 1 [2002] (NTSC)
        9. Nightmare City [1980] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
        10. Panzer III - Medium Tank

        UK DVD List

        UK DVD