Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition)

Amazon.com essential video

Emma Thompson scores a double bull's-eye with this marvelous adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. Not only does Thompson turn in a strong (and gently humorous) performance as one of the Dashwood sisters--the one with "sense"--she also wrote the witty, wise screenplay. Austen's tale of 19th-century manners and morals provides a large cast with a feast of possibilities, notably Kate Winslet, in her pre-Titanic flowering, as Thompson's deeply romantic sister. Winslet attracts the wooing of shy Alan Rickman (a nice change of pace from his bad-guy roles) and dashing Greg Wise, while Thompson must endure an incredibly roundabout courtship with Hugh Grant, here in fine and funny form. All of this is doled out with the usual eye-filling English countryside and handsome costumes, yet the film always seems to be about the careful interior lives of its characters. The director, an inspired choice, is Taiwan-born Ang Lee, who brings the same exquisite taste and discreet touch he displayed in his previous Asian films (such as Eat Drink Man Woman). Thompson's script won an Oscar, and 1995 was a fine year for Jane Austen all around: Persuasion was made into an excellent picture, and Emma became the spritzy high school comedy Clueless. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Sense and Sensability.......2007-09-11

An amazing film at an amazing price. Product came in perfect shape except the plastic on the cover had been sliced (probably while opening the box).

Sense And Sensibility.......2007-09-09

If you are a fan of Jane Austin or like me, new admirer of her works, this is a great movie. It captures the romance and the atmosphere of this time and place. I really enjoyed the characters and the story.

IF YOU LIKE JANE AUSTEN MOVIES.......2007-09-06

I love Jane Austen, I love well-done 19th Century Brit Lit classic productions. The actors are fun...Emma Thompson, as always, is superb and Hugh Grant, of course, is the bad boy one just loves to hate. This movie is really multi-purpose: a great way to spend some time if you are home with the sniffles, a great escape on what might be the end of an all too modern day, or just cozy to watch curled up by the fire.

Definitely worth owning...sort of a "little black dress" DVD. ENJOY!

A Social Commentary.......2007-09-06

The worst thing a person can do is underestimate Jane Austen. Though it is true that her stories center on young women and their romantic struggles, her works are not mere romance novels. This film does a wonderful job of demonstrating that.

Emma Thompson is a wonderful actress and she really brings Elinor to life. At times she seems almost cold and unfeeling but she is actually a woman who keeps her own counsel and who is very aware of how society views young women. Better to be thought a cold woman than to make a mockery of herself in the eyes of others. Thompson is at her best in those brief moments when Elinor is alone, when she is gazing sadly at her sister while she plays pianoforte, when she is alone in her room and running her fingers over the monogram embroidered on a handkerchief. Elinor is actually quite a complex character, a woman who loves deeply and wholly but who is also very self and socially aware.

Her polar opposite is her sister Marianne and Kate Winslet is simply perfect in the role. She captures Marianne's youthful exuberance and the blissful lack of awareness that she has for what others think of her. In this day and age, such individuality would be encouraged but in Marianne's time it is seen as a fatal flaw, one that risks making her the target of ridicule of others. She follows her heart over her head, unlike Elinor. As the title indicate, Marianne is all sensibility while her sister is all sense.

Hugh Grant does a nice job of portraying the somewhat socially awkward and very shy Edward. He always looks uncomfortable in his skin and only seems to relax when he is with Elinor or when he is brushing up on his sword wielding skills with Margaret. Edward exemplifies the plight of the younger sons of the era, the need to please the family in order to maintain his position. This was not a time when going it alone was encouraged or even feasible. It is Edward's sense of honor and duty that are almost his undoing and, in some ways, his situation is no better than that of the women. Though he is ostensibly free to choose his profession, he is actually quite subject to the whims of his mother and his vicious social-climbing sister.

The most surprising and rewarding bits of casting lie with Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon. His world weariness and deep sadness are visible in every line of Rickman's face. He has seen what society can do to a young woman determined to follow her passions as Marianne is and it has left a deep impression upon him. Though Elinor has a good grasp of the world, Brandon understands it even better and one of the finest scenes of the movie is the one in which he chides Elinor not to wish for her sister to become acquainted with the ways of the world.

Emma Thompson did a fine job of writing the screenplay for this movie, cutting out some of the less essential bits and lifting quite a bit of the dialogue directly from the text. Ang Lee's direction is lovely and his shots are framed with such care. Often his cast doesn't even need to speak, they simply need to observe and Lee does a wonderful job of capturing the characters' emotions in their quieter moments.

Sense and Sensibility.......2007-08-24

We love this movie. The acting in it is great and you'll come to love each character like an old friend. It is a movie we watch over an over again, enjoying it everytime.

Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

I love it!
What is last line spoken by Meg Ryan?
Wonderful
What I think about Sleepless in Seattle
Feel Good Movie!

Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Tom Hanks , Meg Ryan , Bill Pullman , Ross Malinger , and Rosie O'Donnell
Director: Nora Ephron
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AOV4I
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Customer Reviews:

I love it!.......2007-07-06

I love it I love it I love it! No movie collection is complete without sleepless in seattle!! I have seen it 2 million 40 thousand times and it never gets old. The controversy and persistance of magic,love, fate and the chemistry and amazing acting of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan is timeless and unrelenting even as the movie ages. It's a definate classic I do Not regret buying. you will love it! =]

What is last line spoken by Meg Ryan?.......2007-07-01

Also one of my favorite movies. This classic is shown at least once a month on one or another of my cable channels. I am particularly impressed with the way the music moves the story along as it reaches its conclusion. I'm still trying to get the last line--spoken by Meg Ryan just before the elevator doors close and the credits begin. Can anyone tell me what she says to Sam and/or Jonah. Thank you for your assistance. Mary McCue

Wonderful.......2007-06-16

This is a classic film, full of romance and yet the 2 main characters are almost never together...great job!

What I think about Sleepless in Seattle.......2007-05-18

This was supposedly a little known film that made a big impact on me and the general product. Anthing with Tom Hanks is usally a good bet it's going to be good, plus add in Meg Ryan and it's going to be a winner. I realy enjoyed this movie

Feel Good Movie!.......2007-03-18

This is such a feel good movie. It makes you believe in "Love At First Sight" or Love at first touch. This is a movie I watch over and over again. When I am sad and want to be lifted up. When I want to believe in love. There is a line in the movie that goes something like this, "it was like coming home, but not to any home I have ever know before". That's what you want to believe love is, like coming home.

Average customer rating:

Lee Marvin Masterpiece!
A classic
Nostalgic film
SAME AS IN THE MOVIE JUST ON DVD GET IT !
Cat Ballou

Cat Ballou
Starring: Jane Fonda , Lee Marvin , Michael Callan , Dwayne Hickman , and Nat 'King' Cole
Director: Elliot Silverstein
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004TJQK
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Amazon.com

Long before Unforgiven deconstructed the Western, or Blazing Saddles lampooned it, Cat Ballou poked the genre in the eye. An altogether enjoyable comedy, the film is full of small surprises, big laughs, and wonderful character turns. Catherine Ballou (Jane Fonda) is a schoolteacher until a hired thug kills her daddy. To protect what she loves, she collects two petty criminals, a wisecracking hired hand, and a hired killer, Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin). Unfortunately, Shelleen is a raging drunk who is so inebriated and unsteady with a gun he literally misses the broad side of a barn. However, Cat, has, as they used to say in those days, a mind of her own, and she masterminds a spectacular train heist that puts them all on the lam. Marvin won an Academy Award for his role as the derelict Shelleen, and his performances (he actually has two) are still topnotch and on target. The framing device, two wandering minstrels, played by Stubby Kaye and Nat "King" Cole, are the maraschino cherries on the top of this Wild West confection. --Keith Simanton

Customer Reviews:

Lee Marvin Masterpiece!.......2007-07-23

One of the most original westerns...films even...I have ever seen. The musical narration provided by Mister Nat King Cole adds to this wonderfully funny tale of a band of ill equipped outlaws aiming at revenge. Lee Marvin plays two pivotal roles which garnered the great action star and one of cinema's coolest cats awards aplenty. This is not the Lee Marvin we all grew to love and idolize, this is a Lee that will keep you smiling and chuckling throughout the film. What an amazing turn for such a fine actor. Jane Fonda also stars and pulls off the dangerous headstrong damsel that so fit the era and her own personality. I recommend this film highly. This is no Sergio Leone western, but I think you will appreciate its originality nontheless. Terrific!

A classic.......2007-03-26

Always been in love with this film! Now that I have it on DVD, I can watch it and watch it and watch it! The price was really good too.

Nostalgic film.......2007-03-14

I understand why this film is so high-starred, but it simply does not deserve the five stars, nor the four. I'll try to explain. The director, as he admits in the little extra piece, intended to make a comedy in the West. He put together the basic ingredients for it: a beautiful Fonda, two young simpletons that aren't Western material -more fit for Broadway-, and a funny drunkard. Silverstein didn't have a clear idea of what kind of film was going to come out of this (as happens to all bad directors) but when he saw Lee Marvin act his role, he had one moment of lucidness, even brilliance, he told Marvin to try to make us cry instead of laugh. Boy, did that make a difference! Lee Marvin steals the show totally.

Lee Marvin was a great, a fantastic actor. But he belonged to a past era, when real Westerns were shot, when classic directors still hung around the movie studios. That day had gone, not for him, obviously, but for the industry. It makes me sad to see this film, and to see bufoons like Silverstein mockering and degrading the great American West. If it wasn't for Lee Marvin nobody would remember this film. What happens around him in this film I just don't care, he is the show. The rest belong in Park Avenue.

SAME AS IN THE MOVIE JUST ON DVD GET IT !.......2007-01-25

CATBALLOU............................. ! WE STILL LOVE YOU ?

Cat Ballou.......2007-01-22

It is a great movie, I love the singing. We realy enjoyed watching it again after so many year.

Average customer rating:

BEAUTIFUL, THOUGHT PROVOKING FILM
One of the best stories ever.....
Chick flick
Great representation of the book
beautiful and heartwrenching.........

The Joy Luck Club
Starring: Diane Baker , Michael Paul Chan , Rosalind Chao , Kim Chew , and Chao Li Chi
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
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ASIN: B00005JKGK
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Amazon.com

The 1993 film adaptation of Amy Tan's bestselling novel is both a delight and a moving experience, an anthology of stories wrapped in one Chinese-American woman's journey to understand her roots. Wayne Wang (Eat a Bowl of Tea) directs a large, outstanding cast spread over eight different tales of the lives of Chinese women, most of them set in the past. The script by Tan and Ronald Bass (Rain Man) is a delicate balance of emotions that swell but don't gush, and Wang brings impressive texture and a personal feel to Tan's descriptions of daily life in the Chinese-American community. This sprawling, good-looking movie makes for a cathartic tearjerker one can feel good about. --Tom Keogh

Description

Produced by Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone (Best Picture -- PLATOON) and based on the powerful #1 best-selling book, THE JOY LUCK CLUB tells the uplifting story of four remarkable friends whose extraordinary lives are filled with joy and heartbreak. Their lifelong friendship reveals a mosaic of the startling events and conditions that have shaped their lives -- and how these experiences have affected the hopes and dreams they hold for each of their children. Hailed as one of the must-see films of the year, this exceptional motion picture is sure to entertain and inspire you from beginning to end!

Customer Reviews:

BEAUTIFUL, THOUGHT PROVOKING FILM.......2007-09-14

This is a wonderful, thought provoking movie about 3 women and their 3 daughters. The individual stories of the 3 mothers are told in flashback. Each woman suffered terrible loss and heart break in their homeland. The film moves from past to present seemlessly. The stories of the 3 modern American daughters and their mothers unfold during a huge celebration party for daughter June, who is flying to China to be reunited with her long lost twin half-sisters.

This movie is heart wrenching at points. During some of the story telling I was amazed at the degree of pain and suffering another human benig can withstand and still go on living. But the point is, they do go on living, and they pass their strength on to their daughters who are each enduring their own heartache, disappointments and struggles.

This is a movie that every female should see. My 13 year old son even watched it with me and my daughter, long before Amy Tan's book became required reading at his middle school. Although I do agree to some extent that this is a "chick flick" I also believe that a man can gain great insight into the deepest heart of a woman by viewing this film. I highly recommend it.

One of the best stories ever............2007-06-28

This is a great story to share with you daughter. I have 2 daughters and will show them this DVD. I watched it with my mother and we cried. The women in this story are so real and every woman can relate to at least one of them. A must see--DVD, a must read book.

Chick flick.......2007-05-29

Definite chick flick. One of the first really long films I fell in love with. Get's a good cry from me. I definitely feel like I can connect to the characters in this film. Many of them are really nicely developed. You can really feel the struggles of many of the daughters and the expectations the family has for them.

Great representation of the book.......2007-05-25

"The Joy Luck Club" is one of my favorite books, so I wasn't sure how I would like the movie. But, I was surprised to find that it is a great depiction of the book - very accurate, minus a few minor things here and there. I highly recommend this movie, whether you have read the book or not.

beautiful and heartwrenching................2007-05-16

I saw this film, based on the novel of the same name (written by Amy Tan), several years after it was released in the movie theaters. It was a suggested film for a Sociology in the Media course, and I can definitely see why it was reccomended. It's a tearjerker and was beautifully adapted for the screen. Director Wayne Wang brings the harrowing stories of eight Chinese and Chinese-American women, spanning two generations, together as an epic tale of the turbulence and pain of immigration and assimilation. The cast includes the wonderful Ming Na (as one of the daughters).

This story really takes an honest look at the struggle and sacrifice that immigrants must make, in the face of all odds, to survive and adapt to a new culture, language and set of social expectations. All the while, in the case of these strong women, they hold strong to their culture through weekly games of mah jong, where they gather together to gossip, give advice and commiserate. This is a great film, and has been called a "chic flick," but I really don't believe that that stereotypical term is fitting of THE JOY LUCK CLUB at all. It is truly a film for all people. All people age seventeen and over, that is. There is a reason that this was rated R. There is intensely graphic and disturbing imagery here, as well as thematic elements that are too much for small children or young teens.

Average customer rating:

the complications of a novel put into film- brilliantly done
Okay
Eroticatic-
What is all about beyond intimacy?
Not what I expected

Sex and Lucia (Unrated Edition)
Starring: Paz Vega , Tristán Ulloa , Najwa Nimri , Daniel Freire , and Elena Anaya
Director: Julio Medem
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures / Umvd
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0004Z32NI
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

Sex and Lucia engages mind and body with its time-bending narrative and images of beautiful Spaniards having vibrant sex. The story shifts between past and present, fact and fiction, so a plot summary won't capture it, but… A young writer named Lorenzo falls into a passionate relationship with a waitress named Lucía. But he also finds himself drawn to a young nanny taking care of a child who just might be the result of an anonymous fling Lorenzo had with a woman he met on an island the year before. Lorenzo fantasizes about the lives of all of these women until a horrific event sends him into a suicidal depression. This may sound obscure or flat, but Sex and Lucía unfolds clearly and beautifully, featuring stunning visual images of both nature and flesh, and weaving a poetic spell much like the director's previous film, The Lovers of the Arctic Circle. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

the complications of a novel put into film- brilliantly done.......2007-09-06

most people watch this movie for the amazing intimate scenes, but the kicker is really the mind-bending way it tells the very human and emotionally charged story- complicated and artistic plot twists acted out on film rarely accomplished by any but hitchcock or krzysztof kieslowski, from a passionate female latin viewpoint. amazing. gorgeous. watch it completely alone or with someone who won't mind pausing for you to express your love for the film...

Okay.......2007-05-13

It definately kept your interest. Mainly because it was hard to follow and the story is so strange that you just had to see what was happening next.

Eroticatic-.......2007-01-10

A very romanic and very erotic movie. Paz Vega is one of the most beauitful actress to come along in years, and has moved into the mainstream of movie making. The story is a wondrous love story. I would recommend it for adults.

What is all about beyond intimacy?.......2006-07-19

This dramatic movie exposes many sex activities. Beyond all that, what is the message to send for the viewer? "Do you want to have wild sex with strangers?" Or "do you want to have intimacy sex with your lover?" With all the sex enjoyment, love and "blood" relationship is the final count after all. This is the destiny but not up to our choice. This is why Lorenzo falls into suicidal depression. This is why Lorenzo bursts into sorry tears to Comandrona. This is why Lucia rejects Tony's sex even there is a strong indication of sex enjoyment. Are these sex activities necessary? Let's look at it in different way. Can the movie have same visionary and emotional impacts without sex scenes? The answer is clear. Overall I enjoy this move very much, even have a shock for many days.

Not what I expected.......2006-07-05

In a word this movie was disappointing. It's supposed to be about beautiful Spaniards having sex on a magnificent Mediterranean island. Well there wasn't that much sex and the photography was nothing special. Add that to a plodding pace and poor plot and you don't get a very good film

Average customer rating:

An eerie, sometimes JOLTING winner.
Evil Room

1408 (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: John Cusack , Samuel L. Jackson , Tony Shalhoub , Mary McCormack , and Kate Walsh
Director: Mikael Håfström
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000TJ6PBK
Release Date: 2007-10-02

Description

(Thriller) Based on a short story by Stephen King, a man who specializes in debunking the paranormal checks into the infamous room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel, only to discover… the terror is real.

Customer Reviews:

An eerie, sometimes JOLTING winner........2007-07-22

Stephen King's literary horror fests (often well-written;almost always in need of editing)are very uneven in their cinematic adaptations. CARRIE;DEAD ZONE and SILVER BULLET are my favorites and nominations for solid screen horror thrillers. I regard Stanley Kubrick/Jack Nicholson effort at"epic"horror,THE SHINING, as great disappointment bordering on abject(pretentious) failure.
Not so 1 4 0 8. This,in my estimate,is nifty,minimalist effort(much of it comprising SHINING-like riffs)that eminently succeeds.The movie(not striving for iconic SK "film"-osity)has superb ambiance and atmospherics
(though once or twice it skirts an unnecessary "Apocalyptic" lurch).The plot is good-to-gripping.ACTING is great.John Cusack's protagonist almost-hero-writer,Mike,is appealing,convincing and complex.(When he gets the s..t scarred-out of his cynical self,so do viewers.)Samuel L.Jackson's role as Hotel Manager/anti-Keeper of the Flame is good as usual.[He's cinematic equivalent of occult mythology's Watcher-on-the Threshold~he "referees"Mike's descent into Hell,keeping score.]
Room 1408 is a nasty,PURGATORY portal.Heaven or Hell will be the outcome in a movie which is occult Quest(comprised of classic SUMMONS;ORDEAL;..
TEMPTATIONS to the max;and RETURN).The initially eerie...eventually terrifying,monster-from-the-Id villain...is ROOM 1408 itself. Signature CARPENTER'S ditty,"We've Only Just Begun" sets a schizo-wacko tempo of the film from annoying to menacing to starkly horrific:HOTEL HELL-CALIFORNIA to the max!

As usual, King's comprise of classic horror elements and "existential" reality--& skepticism--is employed. In 1 4 0 8 it works. By not overdoing the brew(SHINING-it up too mucho),the viewer is treated to good horror with enough authentic jolt to make him not wish for more,and glad that he's not a guest in 1408.

Evil Room.......2007-07-17

Stephen King. What does one think when one hears the name Stephen King? The Master of Horror, a writer of complete schlock that puts the rain forests in danger of extinction, or a mediocre writer who somehow became the world's bestselling writer? As for me, and millions of others, King was my introduction to "adult" fiction when I read The Eyes of the Dragon almost two decades ago. Like many teenagers I went through a major Stephen King period devouring his brick thick books like so many ears of corn. As I grew older and began to read "literary" fiction for the most part I moved away from King's books, but that didn't stop me from reading one or two a year and along with King's books, I have always enjoyed the films, mini-series, and made-for-television films that have been released over the last three decades. Some have been good, some have been bad, and some have been god awful, but they have always had a great entertainment value and sometimes, like his books, they can be truly creepy.

When a friend of mine asked me if I would like to go watch 1408 with him, I knew nothing about the film besides that the room 1408 was located within the Dolphin Hotel which is supposedly homage to the writings of Haruki Murakami. If that is true or not it left me hoping that the film would be more of a psychological horror film than a gore fest. My hopes were answered quite well. 1408 stars John Cusack as Mike Enslin a failed writer of literary fiction who has turned to writing such books as Top Ten Haunted Lighthouses and the like to little acclaim. A bordering alcoholic, Mike does not believe in the supernatural and is more determined to debunk claims of the super natural than anything else. One day after a very unsuccessful book signing, Mike receives an unaddressed post card with the name Dolphin Hotel on it along with the room number 1408. Mike calls the hotel to reserve the room, but is repeatedly turned down. However, supposedly there is a loophole in the law that states that he cannot be turned down to stay in the room, so he is able to make his reservation. There the receptionist directs him to the manager: Gerald Olin portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson. Mr. Olin informs Mike of the numerous deaths that have occurred in the room from suicides and natural causes. Pestered for the reason why he does not want Mike to enter the room Mr. Olin answers that he does not want to deal with the cleanup and asked what the deal with the room is, Mr. Olin answers, "it's an evil f#cking room!" Mike makes his way up to the room and quickly tries to debunk the room because of its mundane features, but things begin to become odd: mints appear on the pillow, the clock radio begins by itself, windows shut violently on their own, and the heat continues to rise. All is relatively fine until the alarm clock begins ticking down from sixty minutes because no one has ever survived more than sixty minutes in the room.

Earlier in this review I mentioned that the luxury hotel was called the Dolphin Hotel in a supposed homage to Murakami Haruki's novels. Within his novel Dance Dance Dance, the dolphin hotel, the original one at least, houses the narrator's memories. Room 1408 is similar to Murakami's Dolphin Hotel, but instead of only housing Mike's memories it also uses them to attack him. 1408 is a very claustrophobic film. Little of the action takes place outside of Room 1408 and the sense of being entrapped is increased by the muted lighting and creative camera angles. The film works on tension. My body felt as if was made of stone at some points because of the tension created while waiting for something to happen and when something did happen it almost made me jump out of my skin. Many have complained that the film's second half is not as good as the first and that it derails a bit. I thought so also, but after reflecting on the film for the last couple of days, room 1408 might be even more sinister that Mr. Olin's line "it's an evil f#cking room" gives it credit for.

Average customer rating:

Olivia deHaviland - Unforgettable Actress
Riveting...Washington Square may have changed, but not human behavior...
Havilland at her best
The Heiress
Great service.

The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)
Starring: Olivia de Havilland , Montgomery Clift , Miriam Hopkins , and Ralph Richardson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000KGGJ1I
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com essential video

Olivia de Havilland's Oscar®-winning performance in The Heiress is so good that even hard-to-please critic Pauline Kael hailed it as de Havilland's "finest work ever." Like director William Wyler's previous masterpiece The Best Years of Our Lives, this tightly controlled drama is an all-time classic (it was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry in 1996), and as Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne observes in his DVD introduction, its reputation has steadily improved with the passage of time. It was de Havilland who sought the services of director William Wyler for this superlative film adaptation of Henry James' 1881 novel Washington Square, after director Lewis Milestone urged her to see the acclaimed stage adaptation by married playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz. De Havilland had already won her first Oscar (for her role in the 1946 drama To Each His Own), and recognized a prestigious opportunity when she saw one. Wyler enthusiastically agreed, and The Heiress was fast-tracked for production in early 1949. Released on October 6 of that year, the film eventually earned eight Academy Award nominations, winning the Oscar® for Best Actress, Art Direction, Costume Design, and Music (the last for Aaron Copland's splendid score). When Martin Scorsese was preparing to film The Age of Innocence in 1992, he cited Wyler's film as a primary influence. (Washington Square was filmed again in 1997, with its original title and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Catherine.)

De Havilland is heartbreaking, docile, victimized, and ultimately cruel as Catherine Sloper, a plain-looking aristocrat who stands to inherit a fortune from her ailing physician father (Ralph Richardson), as well as his well-meaning but cold-hearted demeanor. Dr. Sloper disapproves of Catherine's passionate suitor Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift, perfectly cast), certain that the penniless young man has proposed marriage to win Catherine's inheritance. Catherine's too much in love to consider this potential betrayal, and when circumstances lead her to misinterpret Morris's intentions, The Heiress reaches an unforgettable conclusion that brilliantly supports the richly psychological nuance that Wyler brings to the preceding romance. Universal's "Cinema Classics" DVD is skimpy on extras, but Osborne's introduction is informative (as always), and despite a grainy quality of some scenes (typical with films of this vintage), the DVD transfer impeccably captures the mood-setting excellence of Leo Tover's flawless cinematography. The film's original theatrical trailer is also included. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Academy Award winner Olivia De Havilland and Montgomery Clift light up the screen in this spellbinding, landmark drama. De Havilland is Catherine Sloper, an aristocratic young woman living under the scrutiny of her malevolent father. When a handsome but penniless suitor proposes, her father believes he could only be after her vast estate and threatens disinheritance. Can she be rich in love and money? Based on the stage version of Henry James' renowned novel Washington Square, this is the "****" (Leonard Maltin) winner of four Academy Awards, featuring an all-new, digitally remastered picture. A masterpiece of love, deception and betrayal, The Heiress remains a shining example of a true cinematic achievement.

Customer Reviews:

Olivia deHaviland - Unforgettable Actress.......2007-09-14

I first saw this movie at 15 in early 1950. At that time, I thought it was great, but also frightening due to my age and inexperience. Saw it again in my 40's and really appreciated the great performances by the four main characters. This is one of those fabulous films you never get tired of. I have in recent years watched it on TCM and also purchased the film to watch at home. Olivia deHaviland is my all time favorite actress. Growing up in the 40's and 50's, though I always admired her, never thought of her as being number one. As far as actresses, Joan Crawford, Vivien Leigh, Jane Wyman, or more recently Meryl Streep rated at or near the top. However, after seeing more of Olivia deHaviland's films such as "To Each His Own" or "The Snake Pit" and then as an older adult once again seeing "The Heiress" there is no doubt she is the greatest movie actress in the history of Hollywood. Though her character, Catherine, was a plain jane, Olivia deHaviland is one of the screens great beauties. I highly recommend this film for anyone if you want to see a compelling story that moves at just the right pace and never leaves you bored. Wonderful, wonderful film.

Riveting...Washington Square may have changed, but not human behavior..........2007-08-23

Spellbinding movie. The characters portrayed are played to perfection by the entire cast. The transformation of Olivia DeHavilland from a naive, introverted and socially awkward young woman to a shrewd and stern mistress of Washington Square is well worth watching. Montgomery Cliff as a calculating and opportunistic loafer is a sight to behold. Ralph Richardson in his brilliant performance as Olivia's father is gripping. Overall, the depiction of human nature of this production is captured in a manner so entrancing that you can't take your eyes off the screen. This movie is a perpetual gem.

Havilland at her best.......2007-08-17

What more could you ask than to see Olivia in her Acadmeny Award winning role. One would never believe that such a beautiful actress could tame her good looks and become the plain looking, empty headed daughter. Oliva is mesmerizing as a young girl who falls in love, is betrayed by her own father, and then by her betrothed.

Her ultimate revenge comes as both come to points in their lives when they need her and she strikes back with the perfect 'dagger' to repay their treachery.

The Heiress.......2007-07-22

The Heiress is an amazing movie. I've always liked the classics and I find this one to be very suspenseful and exciting. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

Great service. .......2007-07-21

Good seller and great service. Movie was in tip-top condition. I got exactly what I paid for and appreciate that.

Average customer rating:

CRIA CUERVOS... Y TE SACARÁN LOS OJOS

Cria Cuervos (Criterion Collection)
Starring: Héctor Alterio , Geraldine Chaplin , Florinda Chico , German Cobos , and Mirta Miller
Director: Carlos Saura
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000QXDFR6
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Description

Carlos Saura's exquisite Cría cuervos… heralded a turning point in Spain: Shot while General Franco was on his deathbed, the film melds the personal and the political in a portrait of the legacy of fascism and its effects on a middle-class family (the title derives from the Spanish proverb: "Raise ravens and they'll peck out your eyes"). Ana Torrent (the dark-eyed beauty from The Spirit of the Beehive) portrays the disturbed eight-year-old Ana, living in Madrid with her two sisters and mourning the death of her mother, whom she conjures as a ghost (played by an ethereal Geraldine Chaplin). Seamlessly shifting between fantasy and reality, the film subtly evokes both the complex feelings of childhood and the struggles of a nation emerging from the shadows.

Customer Reviews:

CRIA CUERVOS... Y TE SACARÁN LOS OJOS.......2007-08-10

Finally, it appears, Criterion is getting around to releasing some of the many great Spanish films of the past decades. High time they noticed there has been some astounding Spanish films and directors beyond Luis Buñuel, undoubtedly the great master. But Saura, Berlanga, Bardem, Borau, Erice, Bigas Luna, and quite a few more I could name, have directed some masterpieces that also deserve the special Criterion teatment. After the recent and excellent release of El Espíritu de la Colmena (Spirit of the Beehive), now comes Cría Cuervos, a fascinating parable, somewhere between fantasy and reality, that beyond the too obvious symbolism of a country finally liberating itself from a long dictatorship, it is an intelligent exploration of the scary world of troubled childhood. And Ana Torrent (the same girl of Spirit of the Beehive) speaks volumes just with those incredible dark eyes. My copy is in its way, but I don't doubt Criterion transfer and worthy extras will deserve a 5-star rating.

UPDATING: Having just received my copy, I can say I am very pleased with the excellent transfer of the movie. It looks great. But I am even more impressed by the extras on the second disc:. Mainly, a wonderfully insightful portrait of Carlos Saura (more than one hour long), produced by TVE (state-run Spanish tv) in 2004 -unfortunately in a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer-, which I found as interesting as the film itself. Also a 20-minute incredibly candid and perceptive interview in English with Geraldine Chaplin (done for Criterion in 2007 susprisingly not in widescreen). I have the pleasure of interviewing the actress some years back for a Spanish publication and I knew how good and revealing she was in conversation with the press, unlike most film actors. But I was surprised by some of her intimate revelations in this one. Another 8-minute conversation with Ana Torrent shot for the Criterion Collection as well (this one in anamorphic widescree!) is also welcomed, but should have been conducted in Spanish, as the actress is no so fluent with her English.

Average customer rating:

Places in the Heart, a wonderful movie
I know this sounds corny but the movie really did win a special place in my heart
One of the best American films of the eighties
Has a place in my heart!
FABULOUS

Places in the Heart
Starring: Sally Field , Lindsay Crouse , Ed Harris , Amy Madigan , and John Malkovich
Director: Robert Benton
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005NRN8
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Customer Reviews:

Places in the Heart, a wonderful movie.......2007-08-15

This movie is a must see for the whole family. I saw it years ago, but never with the family. When I saw the DVD I new it was one to watch on a family Sunday afternoon. We all loved it. Sally Field is a really good actress and she shines in this. And Danny Glover is just fantastic. This is one movie you must watch for pure entertainment with fine acting from everyone.

I know this sounds corny but the movie really did win a special place in my heart.......2007-05-13

PLACES IN THE HEART is an excellent movie that takes place in 1930's rural Texas. The movie starts sadly with the tragic death of a sheriff who is also a husband and father. Sally Fields is his widow, Edna, who is left to deal with an almost Biblical plague of difficulties and setbacks. Fields' acting is great as she transforms from a woman who did not even know her husband's salary to one who can negotiate a deal with an unscrupulous cotton gin owner. Danny Glover shows his acting skills as Mose a homeless drifter who miraculously comes to help her save her farm. And John Malkovich is amazing as the bitter blind man Mr. Will. The subplot about Edna's beauty shop owning sister and her unfaithful husband was not as compelling and did not quite seem to belong in the same movie.
The famous ending at the church during a communion service is very powerful no matter what the viewer's spiritual beliefs and leaves many in tears or with goosebumps.

One of the best American films of the eighties.......2007-04-04

With storytelling of Dickensian authority, brilliant casting matched with excellent performances including the work of the two children, this film remains a very strong candidate as one of the best American movies of the 1980's. The central story follows the story of two sisters in parallel - one loses her husband through an accident in the line of duty, the other (nearly) loses her husband through his infidelity. The widow overcomes her loss through faith in her ability to prevail, through ignoring the question of race - her husband was shot dead by a young black boy - and through love. Her sister forgives her unfaithful husband. The film does not ignore the cancer of racism in a country that professes to be "the land of the free", nor does it ignore the struggle those of the land face with the forces of nature - and banks. It is all of a whole and adds up to more than the sum of its parts. Brilliant but not flashy. It seems as real as the land it depicts.

Has a place in my heart!.......2007-03-13

This is a wonderful movie. As always, Sally Fields is just great in it.
It is a "Kleenex- Box" movie, so have a few handy, but has a wonderful ending.

FABULOUS.......2007-01-09

This is one of my favorite movies, it is a great story and one you can
watch with the whole family. A classic in my book.

Average customer rating:

The Original
Spellbinding
IS IT JUST MY IMAGINATION...
Good Drama
Replacement

Death Wish
Starring: Charles Bronson , Hope Lange , Vincent Gardenia , Steven Keats , and William Redfield
Director: Michael Winner
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000541AN
Release Date: 2001-01-16

Customer Reviews:

The Original.......2007-08-09

Standard Chuck Bronson shoot 'em up. Better then the sequels. Wouldn't bother with them, but this one is timeless.

Spellbinding.......2007-07-28

Plenty of people here have summarized what the film is about, so I won't. I'll try to add something original to the mix, so forgive me if I don't confine myself to describing the film's plot. The popularity of this film cannot be explained without a wider understanding of cultural conditions and sentiments at the time of its release. Death Wish was a bombshell, as it gave voice to how hundreds of thousands of people were feeling, sentiments people felt and may not have publicly expressed for fear of backlash from the PC movement. In a few sentences, the cultural circumstance referred to was a growing discontent with what was growingly considered to be misguided attempts to solve society's "problems." In the sixties the government gave itself the responsibility to "fix" many problems, from teenage pregnancy to poverty to drug use to discrimination to crime, with social "programs," judicial activism and new legislation. Ironically, ALL of these problems were already rapidly decreasing in the early sixties. Crime was HALF what it was in 1930, even if you don't control for the increase in the population!! Poverty was lessening each and every year. What happened after the social programs of the late sixties and the generation of the welfare state? Well, the crime rate literally exploded. So did teenage pregnancy. Poverty quadrupled. Another thing that happened was the rewriting of law to lessen the punishment of criminals to the result that even the criminals that were arrested and successfully prosecuted often ended right back out on the street in a matter of months to commit even more crimes. People were sick and tired of this crap. Some filmmakers new it, and tapped into this sentiment with wildly popular films like Death Wish, The Stone Killer, and Dirty Harry. An entire genre of "vendetta/revenge/let's take out the human garbage" films was born, and Charles Bronson, after Death Wish, was for a decade the most popular actor in the world. Cinematically Death Wish is an amazing, spellbinding film. Bronson's presence is undeniable, and Herbie Hancock's soundtrack unforgettable. The seventies threw up some wonderfully gritty films drenched in utter realism, and this is one of the greatest of all time. This film would simply not get made today. No way.

IS IT JUST MY IMAGINATION..........2007-05-03

... or were certain scenes edited from this DVD version just like Paramount did with "Thief Of Hearts"? I could have sworn the rape scene was originally longer and more graphic.

Good Drama.......2007-03-09

The rape scene at the beginning is very graphic but is essential to the story about Charles Bronson's character becoming a vigilante. We have to know why he is so frustrated into taking matters in his own hands. It is interesting to see how the police chief breaks the case and how he handles it in the end.

Replacement.......2007-03-09

Liked it 20 years ago and like it now. I lost my original(loaned it out one too many times). This is a replacement.

DVD:

DVD

DVD