Hedy Lamarr

Samson And Delilah (DVD) Cecelle B Demille - BY GOLDEN CLASSIC COLLECTIBLES

Average customer rating:

Lamarr's beauty took audience's breath away...
Well worth owning.

Samson And Delilah (DVD) Cecelle B Demille - BY GOLDEN CLASSIC COLLECTIBLES
Director: Cecil B. Demille
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Customer Reviews:

Lamarr's beauty took audience's breath away..........2007-01-13

Hedy Lamarr took the title role of Delilah and made it her own... She was full and sparkling as the Philistine temptress, the central figure of Samson's last love story, dark and troubled when she took advantage of Samson's confidence to betray him to his enemies, repent and full of love when she sees him blinded and disgraced... Her name has since become synonymous with a voluptuous treacherous woman...

Victor Mature was a mighty, troubled Samson, beset by conflicting emotions, totally dominated by a pagan woman... He teases with her, perhaps showing some smarts here for a change... He falls victim to his enemies through the love of Delilah, a sophisticated beauty with innate elegance, who beguiles him into revealing the secret of his strength... His performance was always up to the standard of Lamarr... Together, they acted with wonderful passion and were as convincing dramatically as long-suffering Hebrews as they were Philistines drunk with victory...

George Sanders, whose dignified presence was a perfect match for the Saran of Gaza, admires Samson for his strength, and envies him for the love of his people... He persuades Delilah to find out what is the source of Samson's strength so they can destroy him...

"Samson and Delilah' is a film of emotion, of love, and action... It is at once a wonderful, and rich historical look at an ancient era, an excuse for beautiful and passionate music, and a thrilling climax hardly rivaled in its size and lavishness... The film is wonderful to look at, and the music is terrific...

Look for Russ Tamblyn playing the little shepherd Saul...

Well worth owning........2006-10-22

In searching for this movie I found there are two DVD products available along with a VHS version. There were complaints about the video/audio quality on the other DVD and VHS versions, so I bought this one. This DVD is also produced in China like the other version, but I have no complaints about the video or audio quality. According to the box: "For this new edition a 35mm interpositive was made from the original 3-strip Technicolor nitrate negative, and digitally transfered. The soundtrack has been transfered from the 35mm optical positive protection master.".
My only complaint is that it is not in wide screen format.
Because it is a product of China the subtitles are in Chinese and it doesn't have the usual top menu system. You pop the DVD in and the movie begins playing. There are no special features except at the end of the movie you can watch the theatrical trailers for two other DeMille classics.
I won't waste time reviewing the plot or actor's performances - there are already some great reviews containing that information on the other versions available here, which I would only be duplicating.
I recommend you read the reviews of the other DVD and VHS version, then play it safe and buy THIS one because of the poor quality reports on the others.

Average customer rating:

Who is....'That other woman??
Update for the Boom Town DVD by Rags to Riches Reviewer
All Star Cast Does Not Equal Greatness
Hawks + Cukor
Rags to Riches Four Times over and more!

Boom Town
Starring: Clark Gable , Spencer Tracy , Claudette Colbert , Hedy Lamarr , and Frank Morgan
Director: Jack Conway , George Sidney (II) , and Rudolf Ising
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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San Francisco
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ASIN: B000F7CMP4
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Amazon.com

There may be a pair of impressive ladies in the cast, but don't be fooled--Boom Town is a cool love-hate buddy movie from the get-go. Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy are oil wildcatters who meet during a Texas strike, take an instant dislike to each other, go into business together, tussle over a woman, break up, reunite, etc., etc. The film spans years, and various parts of the continent, as each man gets rich and goes bust with regularity. Claudette Colbert, re-teaming with It Happened One Night co-star Gable, is the woman who comes between them, and Hedy Lamarr presents a more exotic temptation later on. Another star here is the dialogue by veteran screenwriter John Lee Mahin, which--despite the wild, credulity-bending twists in the story--is chockfull of salty, slangy talk. The early scenes in the Texas town are crammed with believable oil jargon and great period touches (such as an entrepreneur who charges money to walk on planks across a muddy street). Director Jack Conway (Saratoga) gets the roughneck appeal of the material, and a sequence involving an oil fire is a knockout. Gable and Tracy, who had worked together so memorably in San Francisco, are a terrific match: Gable is all straight-ahead gusto, declaiming every line, as Tracy underplays to crafty effect. Nice supporting parts for Frank Morgan and Chill Wills span the entire movie, which ends, curiously, in a courtroom and a speech about capitalism. --Robert Horton

Description

Oil! The ebony lifeblood of American industry...and of mighty fortunes made and lost. In search of one of those black-gold fortunes, two bare-knuckle wildcatters dream, scheme, team up and square off in the make-or-break frenzy of a Texas Boom Town. In this pyrotechnics-filled film classic, the only things bigger than the adventure are the four stars: screen giants Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy as the oilmen and Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr as the women in their tumultuous lives. As the foursome struggle through the personal upheaval of love and loyalties, wealth comes a gusher ? and a rig bursts into a screen-filling inferno that could turn dreams to dust. No wonder Boom Town boomed at the box office, too, as the biggest moneymaker of 1940.

Customer Reviews:

Who is....'That other woman??.......2007-04-08

Boom Town is a darn good movie about those maverick 'wild/catters' turned loose upon the tundra of those windswept plains of Oklahoma...you can read from other reviewers just how good this MGM vehicle generated...perfect casting makes this film what it is: Clark Gable-Spencer Tracy-Claudette Colbert-Frank Morgan and Chill Wills...ohh, ohh, best eye candy of all....luscious Hedy Lamarr...WoW...is she a head/turner or what!!...every scene she was in, she had my rapt attention...she was a headliner from her European roots filming in the Czech/Republic before those Nazis marched into Prague in 1939, thank goodness she emigrated and MGM put her under contract, no one and I mean no other female actress, can come close to this exciting actress who had.."IT"...oops, watch this wonderful movie [DVD] and see for yourself....Hedy-Hedy-Hedy.... :-)...SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

Update for the Boom Town DVD by Rags to Riches Reviewer.......2006-07-07

The new DVD sharpens the film up considerably. The Theatrical Trailer is included along with a cartoon and Hollywood short that don't have much of anything to do with this great film. As before, I mentioned that I had hoped that all the film would be put back together and although this is a little better there is still some cutting, including the Oklahoma Indian Land Deal Peace Pipe smoking scene which is still missing here. This film was the biggest money maker in 1940. It won an academy award for special effects and deserved it. Why can't we have the whole production on film? Anyway, I still recommend the film for entertainment value. They don't make films for pure fun anymore but this was one of them.

All Star Cast Does Not Equal Greatness.......2005-10-13

Boom Town is the story of two oil men who begin as friends but ruin their relationship over a girl. It is a 2 hour film that should have been done in less time. It tends to drag on and throw in unnecessary plot twists.

Clark Gable is a smart, tricky oil man who strikes it rich by stealing equipment. He plays his character just as he does most of his characters with a strength and arrogant confidence. He is certainly appealing, but he offers nothing new to the part.

Spencer Tracy is likable as the underdog in the friendship. His character is a hard-working man in love with a beautiful girl. When he finds that his girl loves his best friend, he becomes subtlety defeated and pathetic throughout without becoming comical. He is the best part of the film.

Claudette Colbert plays the woman the two men are in love with. She marries Gable's character and they have a son; she is hopelessly in love. However, most of her scenes are generic and simply adequate. She becomes more intriguing when she finds that her husband is cheating on her, but she is not outstanding.

Hedy Lamarr is gorgeous as the other woman whose disguise is working for her lover. Her scenes are brief, but she exudes a sophisticated sex appeal in each of them. Her part truly is not necessary in the film. The fact that Gable's character is having an affair could have simply been alluded to.

Hawks + Cukor.......2005-03-16

I loved it, but I have to agree with the other reviewer who said that something gets lost when Clark Gable decides to go to New York and moves Claudette Colbert and little Jack with him.

The fun of the first part of the picture is replaced by an agonizing melodrama, which I also like, but it could have been two different pictures. The first movie would tell all about Gable and Tracy's friendship and their rivalry over Colbert--a kind of Howard Hawks male bonding movie. The key scene in this one would be the hotel room in the "boom town" in which Tracy and Gable strip to their underwear and Gable starts calling Tracy "Shorty," a nickname he hates but he loves to have Gable call him. The second film is more of a George Cukor story, for once Hedy Lamarr enters the picture as a Dutch lobbyist, this gives Claudette Colbert a whole lot more to worry about than scrubbing oil stains off Gable's overalls. Watching this picture recently I found myself more involved with Hedy Lamarr's role than I had been previously. She's not "brash" and "American" like the others actors (yes, I know Colbert is French but she has that American buzz thing going on) and she's languorous and moody, speaking of herself modestly as a "high class eavesdropper." But she's far from a bad actress, she's a bit more subtle than the other three (not to mention such certified hams as Chill Wills and Frank Morgan). Lamarr's scenes convince you that she was actually a very smart girl, didn't she invent the submarine or something in real life? You can see her brain turning over every possibility in Gable's long, lanky frame, and the glint in his dark eyes.

Rags to Riches Four Times over and more!.......2003-12-18

Boom Town is entertainment. This movie was made in 1940 and is based on a short story. It begins with a partnership/friendship between Gable & Tracey as Big John McMasters & John Sand. The underlying philosophy in the movie is meant to show that no matter how much money you have you were still happier when things were tough! Each man earns and loses about 2 to 3 fortunes apiece. I have lived long enough to have seen the complete movie before our modern day censors got to it, so I can tell you that you cannot get an uncut edition of this movie and this VHS is NO exception. They removed the Indian peace pipe smoking scene when McMasters(Gable) signs a land deal with Oklahoma indians.(pretending that people never smoked.) This subtle cutting is done to a lot of old films and is really silly.Also the "melting" scenes with the sad horn music when people lose all their money have been cut out also. The only one left in is when Compton United goes broke in the oil war with McMasters. Curiously we DO get to see the US Government prosecution of Oil barons and not necessarily in favorable light. This film also takes a shot at the IRS and complains about taxation! (Where are the censors for this stuff?) Anyway, Frank Morgan is great in this work as Luthur Aldridge and young Chill Wills is excellent as a deadly crack shot deputy who just wants to be a ranch cook. The Oil fire scenes received an Academy award for effects and it was top notch for 1940. Girls invade and cause a lot of trouble between McMasters and Sand and their ability to make money but everything comes clean and happy in the end. Well worth a view but please.... if the DVD ever comes out put ALL the film back together!

Average customer rating:

MOVIE SYNOPSIS
Still waiting for this movie on DVD with closed caption
Samson & Delilah (1950) DVD , DVD DVD????? WHEN?
Another DeMille Spectacle
Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr Heat Up The Screen in Their Most Unforgettable Roles

Samson & Delilah (1950)
Starring: Hedy Lamarr , Victor Mature , George Sanders , Angela Lansbury , and Henry Wilcoxon
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Chandler, Lane | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Deering, Olive | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Farnum, William | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Faye, Julia | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Holden, Fay | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Lamarr, Hedy | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Lansbury, Angela | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Olsen, Moroni | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Rogers, Kasey | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Sanders, George | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Tamblyn, Russ | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Varconi, Victor | ( V ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Wilcoxon, Henry | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Demille, Cecil B | ( D ) | Directors | VHS | Video

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ASIN: 6300216012
Release Date: 1998-01-01

Amazon.com

Behaving as if it hadn't already been immortalized in Judges, chapters 13-16, Cecil B. DeMille immortalized history's most famous haircut all over again in this 1949 classic of the Epic Saga genre. Victor Mature is a trifle bovine as Samson--which perhaps isn't so inappropriate--but Hedy Lamarr's Delilah is a magnet on fire. Impossibly perfect and sexy, she sashays through the movie in a whole wardrobe of revealing halter tops, bending the men like blades of grass. These days it's hard to enjoy a DeMille film without condescension: from Samson's fight with a lion that might well be stuffed, to the famous collapsing-temple scene, we are constantly aware of how far movies have come, and the Philistines parade around in costumes that won an Oscar but can only remind the modern viewer of Klingon cocktail parties. But in so many other ways this is very classy filmmaking. DeMille takes considerable liberties with the biblical story to come up with a sort of Ur-narrative of love, betrayal, and remorse that you can swallow very nicely with or without its religious ingredient. Best exchange: Lamarr--"You killed him with... your hands. Oh, Samson!" (Jumps on Mature's back.) Mature--"Hey! One cat at a time!" Also stars George Sanders, a very youthful (and miscast) Angela Lansbury, and impassioned music by Victor Young. --Richard Farr

Customer Reviews:

MOVIE SYNOPSIS .......2006-10-16

This dazzling biblical epic, based on the Old Testament story of the legendary strongman and the treacherous woman who betrayed him, became an instant classic in the "only by DeMille" tradition. Victor Mature stars as Samson, a proud and strong slave who gallantly fights for the love of a beautiful Philistine (Angela Lansbury). In a spectacular sequence, the rippling Samson fights a lion with his bare hands in order to gain the woman's hand in marriage as her sister, Delilah (Heddy Lamar), jealously looks on. On the evening of their wedding feast a battle erupts between Samson and jealous Philistines, tragically killing the young bride. Shattered, Samson declares vengeance on the Philistines as Delilah vows to avenge her sister's death. Samson becomes a legendary fighter of superhuman strength, unbeatable by even the greatest Philistine warriors. Only one thing can stop him--the love of a beautiful woman. DeMille creates a sumptuous oasis of Hollywood glamour in which Delilah and Samson swoon in this romantic epic that recalls the finery and splendid overblown production values of Joseph L. Mankiewicz's legendary CLEOPATRA. DeMille's passion for disaster is vividly employed in the stone-shattering climax. The film also features eye-popping costume creations from legendary designer Edith Head.

Still waiting for this movie on DVD with closed caption.......2006-06-25

I have enjoyed this classic movie. It's really silly to have 2-hour movie on 2 VHS tapes which take up too much space in my video cabinet. I deducted 1 star for this reason.

Studio, if you read this, I hope you will have this movie transferred to DVD with closed-caption included, of course, in the near future. I wonder why it wasn't done so since it's as good as other classic movies like Ben Hur, Ten Commandments, The Robe, Demetrius and the Gladiators, Spartacus, etc. and I have those DVDs in my collection already.

Samson & Delilah (1950) DVD , DVD DVD????? WHEN?.......2006-03-30

I saw the the movie when it played in the theater.
I got the VHS version on 2 separate tapes which is frustrating to change tapes.

I see other movies on DVD by Victor Mature like Demetrius & The Gladiators, The Robe.
Other movies like Ten Commandments, Ben Hur.
All these releases on DVD and NO SAMSON & DELILAH!!!!!!ON DVD!!!!!!

When in the world are they going to release this movie on DVD???

I loved this movie and I keep asking, WHEN IS THIS MOVIE, "SAMSON & DELILAH" with Victor Mature & Hedy Lamaar are going to be released???? WHEN???
PLEASE MAKE IT SOON!!!!

Another DeMille Spectacle.......2006-03-27

"Samson and Delilah" is a high quality 1949 epic spectacle directed by Cecil B DeMille, starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as the title characters. The story of Samson and Delilah is adapted from the biblical Book of Judges.

This is a delightful epic and moving story which was very successful. It is characterized by excellent cast, production and colourful costumes plus good acting. This DeMille's Biblical epic has unforgettable scenes and is well known for the beauty of its leading lady and the spectacular toppling of the temple.

The setting of the film is during the period when the Israelites were ruled and oppressed by the Philistines. During this time, God's angel appeared to Manoah and his sterile wife, Israelites residing in the city of Zorah. This angel tells them that they will have a son who will deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. The child was not to shave or cut his hair. Later the son, Samson, is born and he is reared according to the dictates of the angel.

Samson grew to be an Israelite of incredible strength and was a scourge of the Philistines. All the attempts by the Philistines to capture him had failed. Samson is utilized his massive strength to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats unachievable by ordinary men such as wrestling a lion; slaying an entire army with nothing more than a mule's jawbone and breaking down an entire building.

Along the way, Samson commits sins which results in his disastrous end. Whilst he was in Gaza, he falls in love with Delilah, a beautiful, charming and scheming lady. The Philistines approach Delilah and induce her to try to find the secret of Samson's strength. Eventually Samson tells Delilah that he will lose his strength at the loss of his hair. Delilah shaves Samson's hair and Samson is captured by the Philistines, who blind him. Samson is imprisoned by the Philistines, and is put to work grinding grain.

One day the Philistine leaders assemble in a temple for a religious sacrifice to their god Dagon for having delivered Samson into their hands. As their merriment grows, they summon Samson so that he may entertain them. Once inside the temple, Samson asks the servant who is leading him to the temple's central pillars if he may lean against them.

Then Samson prayed to God asking to be strengthened just once more, so that he can get revenge on the Philistines and for him to die with the Philistines. God gave him back his strength and he brought down the temple on the rulers and all the people in it.

This is a highly recommended movie. You should also see another DeMille spectacle, the Ten Commandments, if not yet done so.

Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr Heat Up The Screen in Their Most Unforgettable Roles.......2005-10-12

"Samson and Delilah", one of the super epics created by legendary producer/director Cecil B. DeMille really ushered in the amazing decade of epic film production that included such lavish efforts as "Quo Vadis?", "The Ten Commandments", and of course "Ben Hur". It is a personal favourite of mine from a decade full of such epic retellings of episodes from the religious and historical past. Both Victor Mature and Hedy LaMarr I feel had the roles of their life times here and Cecil B. DeMille created a suitably lavish and colourful production around them that is still wonderful entertainment without ever loosing sight of the religious nature of the story.

Average customer rating:

A Pleasant Surprise
Shocking but Nothing to Rave About
One star for film quality
Four and a half stars!
A novelty every collector should have

Ecstasy (Extase)
Starring: Hedy Lamarr , Aribert Mog , Zvonimir Rogoz , Leopold Kramer , and Emil Jerman
Director: Gustav Machatý
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006673P
Release Date: 2002-06-11

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It is one of the notorious titles in all cinema history, but--sigh--it looks rather quaint today. In the mid-1930s, Ecstasy was a great conversation piece, for its scandalous acknowledgment of sexual passion in women and its revelation of the naked form of actress Hedy Kiesler, who would become the Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr. Henry Miller even wrote an excited essay about it, sure proof that something libidinous was loose. Czech director Gustav Machatý constructs the movie as an almost wordless shadow play of symbols and signs, mostly sexual (there are many close-ups of heavy-breathing horses and nude statues, cut together for maximum erotic impact). As precious as some of these things seem now, it's still amazing to consider Machatý's nerve in depicting one of the first orgasms to hit the movies. And then there's Hedy, whose expressive eyes matter more than her brief skinny-dip. She's an unmistakable future star. --Robert Horton

Description

Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah) stars as Eva, a young woman who marries an older man and is rejected on their wedding night. Frustrated, she runs away and meets a younger man who responds to her unfulfilled yearnings. Called "the most whispered about picture in the world" at its release, "Ecstasy" shocked moviegoers with its erotic depiction of sex, particularly scenes of a young Lamarr swimming naked and its images of this unknown beauty at the height of passion. The European film propelled Lamarr into Hollywood stardom and became an internationally-known classic hailed for its sophisticated approach to sexuality, maintaining a special place in movie history.

Customer Reviews:

A Pleasant Surprise.......2006-07-01

I purchased this flick because it has a notorious reputation, and my reaction was, "Yeah, Right. How wild could a 1932 movie be?" Admittedly, Heddy Lamarr is shown swimming and running through a forest in the nude, and there is a love scene where she reportedly has the first orgasm ever filmed, but these scenes really contribute to a sense of naturalness to the film that I didn't find nasty or lewd....just artful. The use of visual symbols throughout the film is rich, clever,and quite accessable to a modern mind, unlike other films approaching it's time. I'm not a great scholar of films from the 30's, but I was reminded of clips I had seen of Leni Riefenstal's film, "Olympia." There is little dialog, which is in German, although the film is subtitled, but that really removes what would otherwise distract one from enjoying the visual wealth of this film. The soundtrack is well in synchronized with the film in both timing and mood. Altogether and interesting addition to any collection.

Shocking but Nothing to Rave About.......2005-06-08

This film is famous because of the nudity and blatant sexuality it entails. Not only does it show a naked woman running after her horse that has escaped, it is a long scene, and one that has a close-up from the chest up. This would be incredibly shocking for a film of the 1950s, let alone a film from the 1930s. Secondly, when the woman goes to her lover, the scene does not stop when the two kiss. In fact, it closes in on the woman's face as she thrives in ecstasy, suggesting an orgasm.

Hedy Lamarr is certainly beautiful and it is interesting to see her in this film because her look is dramatically different than that in her American films. Her transformation is akin to Joan Crawford's from the 1920s to the 1930s.

The film quality of Ecstacy is horrible, although not as bad as some. The print is covered in artifacts but the quality of the lighting still shines through. The silences are deafening, truly. They drown out the music score in the background and what little dialogue there is.

As an American watching this movie as a foreign film and as a fan of silent films, I was pleasantly surprised that most of the movie has no dialogue. I was not distracted by subtitles (often difficult to read in bad prints) throughout the film, much to it's merit.

The part of this movie that kills the film is the ending. When the woman could easily stay with her new lover, her guilt forces her to leave him. Then, the man is shown at work seemingly happy and either dreaming about his lover and their baby or living it. Whether or not this really happened or not is unclear because the emotions in the scene do not transition well. Sadly, it is the end of the film so it is not cleared up for the viewer.

One star for film quality.......2005-03-19

I was amazed by some of the camerawork in this film, enjoyed the inclusion of nudity and sensuality, and was awed by the forceful (propaganda?) images of manual laborers towards the end. The story is simple, but involving. If the film quality were good, I would give this film four or five stars. But I must warn you that while quite a few films this old have survived the ravages of time, or have been restored in one way or another, this film is in absolutely dreadful condition. The soundtrack hisses and rattles (deranging the music, since there is practically no dialogue), and the celluoid is thoroughly scratched, not to mention split asunder by occasional "thunderbolts." Perhaps it would have been too expensive to attempt a complete restoration of this particular film, but for the high price of the DVD, you'd expect some attempt to correct at least some of the damage. (Note: Anyone wishing to buy this strictly for the nude scenes will be largely disappointed because the nudity is mostly distant, and the film quality leaves most of the details to the viewer's imagination.) "Extase" definitely merits restoration, if it is feasible. As it is, the film quality so distracts from the viewing experience that it's painful to watch.

Four and a half stars!.......2003-12-05

This movie, starring a young Hedy Lamarr is proof of how sexual old films could be without showing much!
Ecstasy is basically the story of a young girl who marries an old guy (though they don't really explain why she did in the first place). He isn't at all interested in her on their wedding night...he isn't really interested in her at all! The simple prettiness of Hedy makes her seem like a girl you yourself would know and it makes it that much easier to feel all the emotions she is feeling. I was a little confused as to why there were silent parts (without even the use of dialogue boxes) and also talking parts. I personally liked the silent scenes. Hedy was a wonderful actress and her face alone could tell the entire story.
Anyways, after she requests a divorce from her husband, she lives with her father and while out alone one day, she decides to go swimming in the nude (this scene was blown way out of proportion; yes, she was naked, but I thought it was done very tastefully and you really don't see much). I won't give away all that happens, but by the end of that scene she meets a very VERY handsome land surveyor, who is everything she's searching for. After this initial meeting she later goes to his home and this results in the first on-screen orgasm, which was done simply showing Hedy's face, and it became, in my opinion, the hottest love scene ever!
Overall, this movie was excellent, though it should probably be seen more than once to see every little erotic message the director put in there. I would have given it five stars, but I didn't care for the ending. But please don't let that keep you from seeing this film! It is still wonderful!

A novelty every collector should have.......2000-02-16

This film has so many versions that it's hard to say which one you will get. The original is quite spicy with several nude scenes of Hedy Geisler (Hedy Lamar). The sound track is primitive with just a little dialog or, depending on which cut, no dialog. This film was made just into the sound era in Chechoslovakia. As a collectors' item, it is a must for classic film buffs, not for its quality or filmaking technique but for its impact on movie censorship in the US. The theme here is adultry. Hedy plays a young new wife to an older cold fish. Fustrated on her wedding night, she embarks on various endeavors clearly motivated by sexual fustration. The nude swim after a horseback ride is what all the hoopla was about. The horse runs away carrying our girl's clothes. From this point on, various versions carry various degrees of Hedy depending on which cut you get. I have 2, one purchased commercially in 1975 and another obtained later from a private collector. The second has much more nudity than the first. While hiding in the woods, Hedy meets a young surveyor and a liason blossoms. You'll have to buy the film to find out what happens. I would buy this film, especially if you haven't seen it. Although tame by modern standards, it had 'em gasping in 1933.

Average customer rating:

Class A Suds
WONDERFUL MUSICAL-DRAMA
Four Stars For The Four Stars.
My Favorite Musical
What a film!!!!!

Ziegfeld Girl
Starring: James Stewart , Judy Garland , Hedy Lamarr , Lana Turner , and Tony Martin
Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001DCYUK
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Description

An elevator operator, a wife of a struggling concert violinist, a born-in-a-trunk vaudevillian: they're three different women on three different paths of life, yet they soon share one dream: to become a Ziegfeld Girl. Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr and Judy Garland play the respective three trying for stardom in this sumptuous extravaganza. James Stewart adds to the star wattage, playing the jilted truck-driving beau of Turner's footlight diva. And legendary innovator Busby Berkeley brings his imaginative camerawork and pacing to numbers that include Garland's massively scaled and calypso-infused Minnie from Trinidad, plus a lavish, showgirl-revue finale that reprises the rhapsodic You Stepped Out of a Dream. Sweet dreams, movie fans.

Customer Reviews:

Class A Suds.......2006-08-29

Okay, the plot is familiar -- three girls head for stardom in the Follies, one good (Garland), one bad (Turner), and one indifferent (Lamarr), with predictable results. But MGM threw all of its renowned studio craftsmanship into this film, and it makes for a wonderfully satisfying experience. Garland has moxie and talent, so her character makes it -- but only after proving her loyalty to her vaudeville Dad. That's MGM's (read: Louis Mayer's) take on the morality of show business, but it doesn't come across as hokey because Garland makes us believe in it, and her, all the way. Turner's character isn't really bad, just greedy, but she rejects James Stewart's offer of domestic penury and, in MGM's eyes, that's equivalent to Mortal Sin. So she lushes herself to the bottom. The part may be a stereotype, but Turner isn't. For those who've only seen her as a caricature of herself in later roles, this performance is a revelation. And Lamarr -- well, her character leaves her husband (justified, if you ask me; he acts like a jerk about her success) but runs back to him in time for the final number. I can't really get on Lamarr's case for her lack of acting skills since she was (a) drop-dead gorgeous and (b) an electronics wizard in real life, which is about all you can ask of one person. Still, one does get tired of MGM's insistence on pushing her into roles that could have used a real actress.

And yes, this movie is one that cries out for the visual joys of technicolor (The Sea Hawk is another). But perhaps Adrian's gloriously decadent costumes and Busby Berkeley's reliably loony production numbers would have been way over the top in color. In black-and-white they seem just right, an evocation of a bygone era. Ziegfeld Girl is a sudsy but terrifically effective fairy tale that retains its magic even today.

Last word: this may be the only Edward Everett Horton movie in which he doesn't plague the viewer with stupid double-takes, a real plus if you've seen him dithering in RKO movies. Plus his character's name (Noble Sage) is one of my all-time favorites.

WONDERFUL MUSICAL-DRAMA.......2006-02-13

.. with an all-star cast. The plot is not new(Stage Door, How to Marry a Millionaire and Valley of the Dolls to mention but a few), but Judy, Hedy and Lana do an admirable job. Never mind highbrow critcs; Hedy Lamarr wasn`t THAT bad and Lana does one of her best acting jobs ever. Judy is a tomboy and it`s sad that life eventually took her into the direction of Lana`s character Sheila.

The musical numbers are good, but sadly; footage from THE GREAT ZIEGFELD are edited in(note the finale). James Stewart are good as well - as are Edvard Everett Horton, Charles Winninger and Eve Arden. The film is filled with good 1-liners and there are even echoes of Garbo`s first sound-entrance in ANNA CHRISTIE.

Four Stars For The Four Stars. .......2006-02-01

How did it take me three days to plod through this film, considering it was produced by Pandro S. Berman, directed musically by Busby Berkeley, and starred Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, and Jimmy Stewart? This film had all the ingredients for being a huge success, but it just didn't quite make it. It is definately worth seeing as a piece of classic Hollywood history, but, the story drags, and the musical numbers range, in my opinion, from acceptable to pretty bad. There's a reason why you almost never see clips from this film in retrospectives of Hollywood musicals. Even the great Judy, albeit always charming, comes off as somewhat lackluster in her numbers, though she injects them all with her trademark energy. I found the musical number "Minnie From Trinidad" particularly bad....everyone seems to be doing a dress rehearsal at best, and for the first time in one of her films I could tell Judy was singing to a pre-recorded track. Still, she is adorable as one of the gals with stars in her eyes, and retains the persona of her two years earlier role of Dorothy in "The Wizard Of Oz." Lana Turner, Judy's Little Red School House chum from the MGM lot, is surprisingly effective as the sexy blonde showgirl with a fatal ambition. Never wanting to return to her lower class squalor, she "dates" many men, accepting fabulous jewels, a Park Ave. apartment, and, at last count, six furs, for her "company", the '40s reference for whoredom. Bad girls, even those with a heart of gold, always got punished way back when, and Lana's showgirl, the former elevator girl, is back on for a ride straight down. I had never seen too many of Lana's earlier roles, being more familiar with her '50s melodramas, such as "Imitation Of Life" and "Madame X", where she definately projected a mature quality. I was very impressed with her role here. She had a natural ability for one so early in her career. Tennessee Williams, before his own fame, was once assigned to write a screenplay for her, and commented that she couldn't act her way out of her brassiere. I feel this was an unfair assessment of her skills. She's darn good! Fellow Little Red School House alumni Jackie Cooper plays Lana's kid brother, and there is a very humorous moment when he saunters for their mom in imitation of Lana's performance of the night before, and mom says "I hope I didn't raise my son to be a showgirl" with such gay inference that it should have been included in "The Celluloid Closet." Jimmy Stewart is Jimmy Stewart, which is to say he is totally believable as Lana's true love. Hedy Lamarr, as the third showgirl, has no ambitions other than to get she and her husband out of debt. As porcelein and perfect as a Dresden doll, she shows just about as much acting range. Hedy was one of Hollywood's all-time beauties, and her image in this film is no exception. But, I wouldn't consider her the world's greatest actress. In her scenes with the even more wooden actor who plays her violinist husband, "Franz", their interaction, both replete with discernible European accents, comes off as very dated and almost amateur. Hedy, who was no dummy, once commented that "any girl can look glamorous, all you have to do is stand still and look stupid." She knew wherein her own strengths lie, and it is when she is immobile that her screen power shines. She is unbelievably gorgeous, and in scenes such as the one here where she is framed by giant orchids, well...that image alone is worth a chapter in any book on the history of Hollywood. Busby Berkeley was Hollywood's most famous stage/musical director. Though his sets and numbers here have all the elaborate, over-sized qualities that are identified with his style, and are visually impressive, the music accompanying them just wasn't that memorable. And seeing Judy Garland in her last musical number here was not my favorite Garland moment in a film. Sitting atop the revolving, showgirl laden Berkeley monument, dressed in attire and wig which make her look amazingly and unflatteringly similar to Marie Antoinette, she also looks very uncomfortable and almost ridiculous. Costumes in this film were designed by the famous contract designer, Adrian. These are quite possibly some of the most elaborate, detailed costumes ever in a film, and they range from breathtakingly gorgeous to so over-the-top as to make a drag queen blush. Though this all may seem like too many negatives to make this viewable, the star power and, most of all, the visual power of this film make it more than worthwhile. Add to it the great cast of character actors, most of whose names would be familiar to only film buffs, and, Eve Arden with her trademark dead-pan cynicism and best - gal friend humor, and it all combines to make this, if far from a perfect movie, a movie well worth seeing anyway. My final impression?: "Hooray For Hollywood!"

My Favorite Musical.......2005-10-11

The Ziegfeld Follies were a popular form of entertainment during the 1910s. They featured many types of entertainment from low-brow vaudeville humor to high class musical numbers featuring glorified women in elaborate costumes. This film is about the women who are privileged enough to be chosen to be a Follies girl and how their lives change when fame hits.

Lana Turner plays the lead, a beautiful elevator girl turned showgirl. Her performance is understated perfection from the beginning when she feels gorgeous and wonderful to her decline into alcohol and ill-health.

Jimmy Stewart plays her boyfriend, a sweet man who idealizes his relationship with Turner. When she begins to flake, his heart breaks, and he becomes a bootlegger with dreary hopes of striking it rich and feeling worthy of her.

Judy Garland is outstanding as a young, energetic hopeful trained in vaudeville. She is never annoying; her energy is cute and admirable. She had anxieties being cast with such beautiful women; she felt she would be ugly in comparison, but Garland is glamorous and attractive in her own right.

Hedy Lamarr is gorgeous as one of the most striking Follies girls. Her character joins because she and her husband are desperate for money since he is a struggling musician. Her role is smaller than the other women's, but her love for her husband is deeply moving.

Jackie Cooper has a small role as Turner's brother and Garland's love interest. His youthful innocence is a lot of fun, but his role is too small to have a real impact on the film.

The songs in this film are both beautiful and fun. "Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Sides" features Garland and her father performing in a vaudeville show. The two are quite remarkable together; they are funny and well synchronized. "You Stepped Out of a Dream" is a softer melody which features the Follies girls "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" is sung both fast and slow, and both versions are great which is only testimony to Garland's amazing musical talents. "Minnie From Trinidad" is also a Garland song, a fun story song with many Busby Berkley visual effects. "You Never Looked So Beautiful" is the final song, a weak finale comprised of stock footage from The Great Ziegfeld, a 1936 film about Florenz Ziegfeld. The great thing about this film is that it is realistic. Instead of the actors randomly bursting into song to show their emotions, the songs are part of a Ziegfeld show. The only musical numbers are during practice or during the shows.

There are several nice extra features on this DVD including an introduction to the film, deleted song numbers, and an Our Gang short. The short film does not seem very fitting for the DVD except for the fact that it features dance numbers, specifically those representative of different eras through dance.

What a film!!!!!.......2005-09-28

"You stepped out of a dream" is one of the great songs from this outstanding motion picture. This number alone will give you chills and even if your a guy you would wonder what it would be like to decend on a glamor staircase. It the production number you don't want to have end. It is just beautiful. The whole entire film is also outstanding but the last scene before the final number in true Lana Turner fasion steals the film. In this scene she is fatally ill and leaves the theare while Tony Martin is singing "You stepped out of a dream." In her trade mark jestures at the top of the stair case without any dialog only music she thinks of being that beautiful Ziegfield girl again and decends down the stairs. The music builds and then she collapses. Oh,,,what a dramatic scene. This entire film will make your heart pound and only wish that Hollywood could produce something like this again.

Average customer rating:

Dated, but Chilling Thriller
Hedy well-showcased in period potboiler
Hedy Lamarr's best performance. Check it out!

The Strange Woman
Starring: Jessie Arnold , Edward Biby , Olive Blakeney , Hillary Brooke , and Louis Hayward
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Dishonored Lady
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I Wake Up Screaming (Fox Film Noir)
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ASIN: B000286RTS
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Customer Reviews:

Dated, but Chilling Thriller.......2006-03-22

I'm a fan of Hedy Lamarr. The actress and the woman. You would not know from most of her vacuous film roles that this was a woman of enough substance to win a Nobel Prize. She was so often cast in blank roles that just skated on the surface of her beauty. This film gives you an inkling of her depth.
This is Hedy's Scarlett O'Hara, a bit melodramatic, a bit dated, but still a fascinating story, setting, and character study of an ice-blooded, selfish-to-the-bone, smart, manipulative, beautiful woman. Her famous Tondeleo in WHITE CARGO gives an idea of this depth... but that character is an outline compared to this full bodied Jenny. She is, of course, completely miscast as a small town frontier girl, but... the rest is a treat.
Rarely does a movie do justice to manipulative female characters, assuming it all relys on looks. This story shows how Jenny wraps everyone slowly around her fingers, men, women, anyone who can be of use. It also deeply explores the dichotomy of self-interest wrapped up in good deeds.
Her icy detachment is reminds me of Alida Valli as the accused murderess in Hitchcock's Paradine Case, another favorite. Every time I watch this DVD, I see more in it, more in her performance. An expansive story, interesting boom town setting, really solid, memorable performances. Heady stuff! ; )

Hedy well-showcased in period potboiler.......2006-01-02

Following a series of badly-received films, M-G-M allowed Hedy Lamarr to set up her own production unit inside the studio where properties could be developed that suited her style and abilities. THE STRANGE WOMAN was one of the films made during this time. This sudsy period melodrama stars Lamarr as Jenny Hager, a young woman whose wanton lusts and desires end up destroying three men - and eventually herself.

In 1800s Maine, Jenny emerges from her white-trash origins to become the wife of wealthy Isaiah Poster (Gene Lockhart), though the marriage is completely devoid of love and affection from Jenny's corner. She soon turns her attentions to her stepson Ephraim (Louis Hayward) and convinces him to kill his father, so that they may be together. But once the dirty deed has been done, Jenny turns her back on Ephraim and begins to zero-in on John Evered (George Sanders), the handsome new foreman. The fact that he is engaged to her supposed best friend (Hillary Brooke) doesn't faze Jenny in the least. It seems nothing will stop ruthless Jenny in her horrifying quest for love.

Hedy Lamarr is ideally-suited in bringing to life the monstrous yet captivating Jenny Hager. The cast surrounding Lamarr is well-appointed and the production design brings the rowdy 1800-era city of Bangor to thrilling life. The print from Alpha DVD is serviceable, with good contrast and clear sound for the most part.

Hedy Lamarr's best performance. Check it out!.......2005-12-02

Hedy Lamarr is frequently referred to as the most beautiful movie star of her era, and I'll certainly go along with that assessment. Yet she has rarely been given enough credit for her acting ability, and is usually dismissed as a limited actress. True, Hedy can't exactly be ranked alongside Bette Davis or Ida Lupino, but she still had a magnetic screen presence and could turn in a fine performance when given the opportunity. Many claim she gave one of her finest performances in THE STRANGE WOMAN (1946). I'd go so far as to say it's her all-time best.

In this melodrama set in 19th century Maine, Hedy (with an accent that hardly sounds like anyone from Maine) plays Jenny Hager, a self-aborbed young woman whose outward beauty belies a background of poverty and abuse. Jenny uses her alluring charms to attract the attention of Isaiah Poster (Gene Lockhart), an elderly merchant. After marrying Isaiah, Jenny seduces her weak-willed stepson Ephraim (Louis Hayward), which sets the stage for a tragic turn of events between father and son. Jenny later sets her sights on John Evered (George Sanders), who is engaged to one of Jenny's so-called close friends (Hillary Brooke). But even the cunning Jenny can't escape the cumulative effects of her past deeds.

While Hedy was excellent in films like H. M. PULHAM, ESQ. (1941), EXPERIMENT PERILOUS (1944), and SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949), I don't think she ever had a better showcase than THE STRANGE WOMAN. Her portrayal of Jenny Hager is more complex than a simple plot synopsis would indicate. Jenny is heartless in her manipulation of men, and ruthless in her drive to acquire wealth and prestige. And yet she can't shake the memories of her impoverished childhood; once she becomes rich, she uses her influence to help the downtrodden. Hedy often complained that the studios saddled her substandard assignments, but here she was able to exert control: she co-produced THE STRANGE WOMAN (based on a novel by Ben Ames Williams) and was responsible for hiring its director, Edgar G. Ulmer. Hedy's active participation in this production no doubt accounts for her strong, vibrant performance in the film. (Hedy wasn't always able to hide her disgust with other studio assignments; in some films, her boredom is palpable.)

THE STRANGE WOMAN is also one of the best efforts of its aforementioned director, Edgar G. Ulmer, who has attracted a cult following thanks to films like THE BLACK CAT (1934), BLUEBEARD (1944), DETOUR (1945), STRANGE ILLUSION (1945), and THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951). THE STRANGE WOMAN touches upon several Ulmer themes: lust, greed, deception, ruthless ambition, the emptiness of material gain, and the inescapable hand of fate. THE STRANGE WOMAN would make a great double-bill with RUTHLESS (1948; currently unavailable on DVD), another top-notch Ulmer film dealing with a lead character (Zachary Scott this time) who schemes his way to the top. Ulmer also knew how to squeeze the most production value out of every dollar, and brings a far glossier look to THE STRANGE WOMAN than its moderate budget would normally allow.

THE STRANGE WOMAN features a powerhouse supporting cast that includes the always-reliable George Sanders (ALL ABOUT EVE), Louis Hayward (THE HOUSE BY THE RIVER), Gene Lockhart (who was adept at playing everything from mousy clerks to oily blackmailers), and Hillary Brooke (THE WOMAN IN GREEN, THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SHOW). Yet, with no disrespect to these fine players, it's Hedy's show all the way.

The print quality of this Alpha Video release is very good, although there's an abrupt scene change around the 81-minute mark. This is evident in other circulating copies of the film, and I don't know if this is the result of a missing transitional fade or if some footage is missing. (Most sources list the running time as 100 minutes; this print runs 99.) Nevertheless, there's no harm done to the storyline, and it shouldn't deter anyone from purchasing a copy of this disc.

If you've never seen Hedy Lamarr, THE STRANGE WOMAN will be the perfect introduction to this lovely and underrated actress. If you've seen Hedy Lamarr and haven't been terribly impressed, THE STRANGE WOMAN will be a revelation.

Average customer rating:

A Compelling Documentary
A Visual Journey
great footage, but lacks commentary
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime is a Great movie
Hindered by lack of commentary

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Starring: Vivien Leigh , Clark Gable , Hedy Lamarr , Joe Louis , and Cliff Edwards
Director: Philippe Mora
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Riding the Rails
Our Daily Bread & Other Films of the Great Depression
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The Great Depression - 1930's-40's - 5 Hours of Early Films on DVD
The Plow That Broke the Plains & The River / Gil-Ordonez, Post-Classical Ensemble

ASIN: 6305609276
Release Date: 1999-10-12

Amazon.com

As those who are old enough to have lived through the Great Depression disappear, the era seems more and more remote; it's nearly impossible for later generations to understand just how desperate things were in the United States in the 1930s. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? captures not only the history but also the culture of the time in a rather unusual documentary format. Totally without the benefit of narration, the movie mixes newsreel footage with clips from Hollywood films to tell the story, from the stock market crash through Pearl Harbor. Movie-minded viewers will easily recognize footage from They Made Me a Criminal, Public Enemy, Golddiggers of 1933, Employee's Entrance, Little Caesar, Lady Killer, I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, and countless other Hollywood films from the time--some classics, some more obscure. The scope of the film covers not only historical landmarks such as the Dust Bowl, FDR's election, and the New Deal, but dance marathons and the Louis-Schmeling heavyweight fight for a comprehensive look at the country's social climate. The formula works well, for the most part; especially before the imposition of the Hays Code chilled Hollywood's tone, the '30s saw the birth of the "social consciousness" picture that dealt with topical issues in straightforward ways. Brother only falls down when it attempts to wrap up the film by bringing it up to the present time (1975, anyway); its ending seems superfluous, tacked-on. Still, for history buffs and movie fans alike, this is an interesting account of a pivotal decade in American history. --Jerry Renshaw

Description

The chronicle of an unforgettable piece of American history--12 crazy, painful see-saw years, from the Wall Street crash to Pearl Harbor. By juxtaposing contemporary news and documentary footage with extracts from Hollywood classics such as Golddiggers, Lady Killer and Wild Boys of the Road, director Philippe Mora offers an immediate, intricate and evocative scrapbook of the 1930s. 111 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

A Compelling Documentary.......2006-04-27

This documentary should not be down-graded due to its lack of narration. The lack of commentary is exactly what makes this such a unique piece of work and all the more memorable and fascinating.

I think the film is compelling enough to motivate those who may not fully understand the history of the Great Depression to learn more, which will only enhance their next viewing.

A Visual Journey .......2005-08-20

My father introduced me to this doc. when I was fairly young, and I loved it at even a young age. It combines news and movie clips that flow together wonderfully with period music (alot of great Woody Guthrie) The end is lacking as it jumps raggedly into the next 20 years and then ends, but on a whole it is a great film! (I introduced it to many of my history teachers as an alternative to poorly acted educational films.)

great footage, but lacks commentary.......2005-07-08

There is great documentary, movie, and news footage in this film, however, the lack of commentary is frustrating. I was expecting something that would give more of the history of the period, rather than just showing footage. The lack of narration left me questioning the history and context of the footage being shown. Narration, or even captions, would have been effective. The footage that is shown, however, is excellent and would probably be much appreciated by someone who is familiar with this time period.

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime is a Great movie.......2004-03-23

My name is Amanda and I'm in a 10th grade world history class. We are currently studying the Great Depression and WWII and we have just finished watching Brother, Can You Spare a Dime. This movie helped me to understand not only the culture and life of this era but also helped me to understand the things that led up to the Depression and Stock market crash as well as Pearl Harbor and WWII. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who wants an entertaining way to learn a bit about history.

Hindered by lack of commentary.......2003-05-20

Although this documentary brings together a lot of interesting footage, lack of a commentary means that a viewer without a close knowledge of the period in question will find themselves wondering, "Who were those people, and why was what they were doing of historical significance?" On the other hand, if you are very familiar with the politics and culture of the US in the 1930s, this may provide some useful illustrative imagery. I suspect that, these days, more people will fall into the first category.

Average customer rating:

way more than bugs bunny led us to believe
Buy the other DVD version!
CHEAP PRODUCTION
"Take me to the Casbah" - unspoken quote says it all
Fidelity to the model

Algiers (B&W)
Starring: Charles Boyer , Sigrid Gurie , Hedy Lamarr , Joseph Calleia , and Alan Hale
Director: John Cromwell
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Hedy Lamarr: Dishonored Lady/Strange Woman
Ecstasy (Extase)
Copper Canyon
Ziegfeld Girl
Boom Town

ASIN: B00006II5I
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Customer Reviews:

way more than bugs bunny led us to believe.......2007-03-21

"take me to the casbah"; pepe le moko; hedy lamarr & charles boyer. i had always assumed this moviewould just bea joke, but it turns out to be a first-rate crime thriller. one would wish that the print were in a bit better shape, but the movie is great fun.

Buy the other DVD version!.......2006-10-20

After reading the EXTREMELY bad reviews here of this DVD copy, I bought the other version (ASIN: B0002CR4GY) for sale here on Amazon.
The other version has none of the quality problems reported here. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a better version just because the photo on this DVD case is in color and the other in black & white. See my review on the other version for more information.
BUY THE OTHER DVD VERSION THAT AMAZON SELLS!!!

CHEAP PRODUCTION.......2006-07-03

I love the movie "Algiers". For those who know, there are some authentic touches through gestures and through music of old Algiers. And, any fan of the Charles Boyer/Hedy Lamarr foreign intrigue/exotique film genre will enjoy it immensely. But, this copy might as well have been bought on the streets of Shanghai. The quality of the copy is extremely poor and even more offensive, midway through the film another conversation keeps taking over, what is it? "DARK SHADOWS". No mistaking the "Dark Shadows" music or Joan Bennett. I recommend that Amazon drop this vendor.

"Take me to the Casbah" - unspoken quote says it all.......2006-03-24

[This review is based on a VHS copy, which doesn't have the quality problems the DVD apparently has.]

Charles Boyer plays arch jewel thief Pepe le Moko, hiding out from the police in the Casbah section of Algiers. Tourist Heddy Lamarr falls in love with him, and the passion really heats up. When Lamarr is tricked by the police into thinking Boyer is dead, she stays away from the Casbah; they know he'll come after her, and when he does they nab him. Joseph Calleia does a great job as the detective who patiently waits for Boyer to take the bait before netting him. The movie has lots of atmosphere and kitchiness, and the love scenes between Boyer and Lamarr are hot stuff, but the original [PEPE LE MOKO] starring Jean Gabin is a tad better, though the approach is much different. A classic from the 30s, it's worth a watch.

Fidelity to the model.......2005-07-14

Hollywood's remake of the french classic directed in 1937 by Julien Duvivier " Pepe le Moko " . Produced just one year later and directed efficiently by today almost forgotten american director John Cromwell ( " Dead reckoning "," Of human bondage " ," Caged " ), " Algiers " copies almost dialogue by dialogue and shot by shot this fatalistic and romantic french melodrama about a parisian jewels thief hidden in Algiers' Casbah who falls in love with a gorgeous tourist, born as him in Paris, that returns to him his hope of freedom. However, without forget in none moment we are talking about an almost literal remake, Cromwell's version benefits of an stylish and thick atmosphere that increase the tone of ironic fate that cross over the film since its begining. Charles Boyer replaces Jean Gabin in the role of Pepe,a character so ambiguous and elegant as his relationship with the inspector Slimane, a man whose higher ambition is to capture Pepe le Moko.

I highly recommend this film,but not this copy. Look for another better.

Average customer rating:

Edgar G. Ulmer - Archive
Starring: Hedy Lamarr , George Sanders , Louis Hayward , Gene Lockhart , and Hillary Brooke
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000639GB
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Description

All Day Entertainment's ongoing DVD celebration of the films of legendary indie pioneer Edgar G. Ulmer began in 1999 with two DVD volumes that have since become very hard to find collector's items. This deluxe boxed set collects these first two special editions plus a third bonus disc representing a magnificent overview of the career of this pioneering film talent. DELUXE 3-DISC SET INCLUDES: BLUEBEARD, a Parisian tale of murder, madness and puppeteers starring John Carradine DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL, a chiller in which the daughter of the infamous mad scientist is terrified that she has inherited her father's curse THE STRANGE WOMAN, a riff on Gone with the Wind with Hedy Lamarr as a conniving manipulator who exploits her sexual allure to destroy the men around her MOON OVER HARLEM, a rarely-seen noir musical featuring an all-black cast STRANGE ILLUSION, a middle American film noir version of Hamlet SPECIAL FEATURES: The definitive transfers digitally mastered from restored 35mm preservation elements Swiss Family Robinson, Ulmer's rarely seen one-hour color TV pilot Goodbye Mr. Germ, Ulmer's educational children's short Daughter of Dr. Jekyll Theatrical Trailer, Two Featurettes, and Isolated Music & Effects Soundtrack Bluebeard Unmasked!: Featurette The Strange Woman Audio Commentary by David Kalat and Video Interview with Ulmer?s wife, Shirley Ulmer Theatrical Trailers for The Man from Planet X, Daughter of Dr. Jekyll, The Amazing Transparent Man, Beyond the Time Barrier and The Cavern Photo Galleries and more!

Average customer rating:

The Divine Miss Hedy in Technicolor!
Copper Canyon
Likeable western.

Copper Canyon
Starring: Ray Milland , Hedy Lamarr , Macdonald Carey , Mona Freeman , and Harry Carey Jr.
Director: John Farrow
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Hedy Lamarr: Dishonored Lady/Strange Woman
Algiers (B&W)
War Arrow
Colt .45 / Tall Man Riding / Fort Worth
The Man Behind the Gun / Thunder Over the Plains / Riding Shotgun

ASIN: B00008CMR0
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Amazon.com

Copper Canyon is a quirky little Western with nothing distinctive to accomplish and more stylish talent on hand than it needs to get the job done. Director John Farrow, writer Jonathan Latimer, and star Ray Milland had recently collaborated on a pair of suave Paramount thrillers (The Big Clock and Alias Nick Beal). Here Milland plays a trick-shooting frontier vaudevillian who, under another name, may have been a Confederate war hero--and a bit of a rascal. He isn't admitting anything. But he does pitch in to help some ex-Rebels, now copper miners, who are getting shafted by a sanctimonious Yankee smelter operator, a lady gambler (Hedy Lamarr in her next-to-last Hollywood film), and a murderous deputy sheriff (Macdonald Carey). The action comes in fits and starts, but Milland's out-of-place urbanity, Charles Lang's Technicolor camerawork, and those great red-rock formations around Sedona, Arizona, make 84 minutes pass agreeably. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

The Divine Miss Hedy in Technicolor!.......2006-06-03

Copper Canyon is your typical B grade western from the 1950's. Packed with Hollywood's A-List performers and presented in dazzling technicolor Copper Canyon is a bit corny at times but does have its moments, as you would expect from the principles, the ravishingly beautiful Hedy Lamarr and the urbane Ray Milland. A must have for Hedy Lamarr fans as her body of film works on DVD is rather limited. At least the price is nice.

Copper Canyon.......2005-01-22

COPPER CANYON is an agreeably mediocre film, a gray B-movie hiding behind a Technicolor A-list of stars. Although it probably won't win converts to the genre, it will satisfy the faithful.
The plot is cast in the standard Big Bully vs. Little Bully mold. Most commonly it's cattlemen vs. sodbusters, black hats worn by the cattlemen. This time around it copper miner vs. copper miner, or, to be more exact in this post-Civil War drama, ex-Union copper miners vs. ex-Confederate copper miners. The ex-Confederates are the underdog Little Bullies feeling the tight squeeze - their ore is being stolen, the local smelter won't smelt their ore, they're ambushed and killed when they try to sell it in the next town, etc. Standard western skullduggery, although it's unlikely that a modern movie would cast ex-Confederates as sympathetic underdogs, certainly not a movie as light-headed as this one. In any event, the plan is to force out the Little Bullies and buy their claims at severely discounted prices.
Enter Ray Milland, who plays a wandering vaudeville trick-shot artist who may (or may not) have stolen $20,000 which may (or may not) have been rightfully his when he escaped (if he is indeed the colonel in question) from a Yankee prison. You see, the Little Bullies are sure he's a fighting Reb colonel who is traveling incognito to avoid capture and re-imprisonment. They need a fighter to galvanize and lead their resistance, and they make a number of overtures to Milland, who plays coy about his real identity.
With its unique (for a western) and sterling cast the first half of COPPER CANYON won my attention. It was ripe with promise but barren with results. I was disappointed to see the movie drag itself to such a conventional conclusion. For instance, the mistaken identity angle was loaded with possibilities but more or less left unexplored. In the end it really didn't matter much if Milland was the Reb colonel or not. The final showdown certainly didn't call for extraordinary courage or a military genius.
An okay western, with the cast flying high above a leaden plot.

Likeable western........2000-10-18

I like Copper Canyon, it's one of my favorite westerns. Admittedly the plot is somewhat convoluted and the acting is merely adequate. I think I mainly like the cast. Hedy Lamarr is gorgeous -- as always, Mona Freeman was one of Hollywood's prettiest blondes, and Ray Milland is the suave, dashing hero. Copper Canyon was just another western ground out during Hollywood's Golden Age. But at least it was fun to watch, which I can't say about most movies made these days.

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