James Bond 007 -You Only Live Twice Blu-ray (1967)

Ah, it is a tough call, trying to rate a movie as fun as this. Holding such an iconic status as it does, how do you keep your bias in check and look at the movie without those nostalgic rose coloured specs?

As witness for the defence, I would like to call Ken Adams creator of the 1 million dollar volcano set, this action sequence at the end of the movie set a standard for Bond movies for a very long time... so much so that it is recreated in different guises in `The Spy who loved me', and `Moonraker'. It is certainly the most spectacular set and largest scale action sequence in a Bond movie yet.

Next witness Sean Connery yes, he seems a little more weary in the role than he did in Thunderball, but while not at his peak, he is still fit and charming enough to be the definitive James Bond (at least when not wearing insanely unconvincing Japanese prosthetics).

John Barry who produces another great and imaginative score here, one of the last to sound truly original.

And then I call Little Nellie the signature gadget for the film, a weapon loaded gyrocopter, is a great success, not just for the aerial action sequence, but also for getting `Q' out of the office and into the field for a change!

But then comes the witnesses for the prosecution... If I call Blofeld to the stand, then you will find what at first appears to be brilliant casting, turns out to be too little too late in the movie. Donald Pleasance as just the right creepiness for the role, but never truly brings the character to life, and demasking Blofeld only seems to tarnish some of the mythos that had been built up around him.

The same holds true if I call Bond's ladies to the stand. Helga Brandt may have a healthy chest, but is a pale pale imitation of the evil Fiona Volpe from Thunderball. And the Japanese ladies have a novelty value, but never appear to truly have an impact on Bond.

Then there is the screenplay. Roald Dahl is a genius, but somewhere between the story, the screenplay of the story and the screen, some magic has been left out. When I watched this with an audience, a third of them were sleeping through the middle sagging part of the movie.

Part of the joy, and also part of the problem is that some of the international flair has been left out of this movie to concentrate on one location Japan. The location is therefore well explored in both culture and geography, but a certain variety and roving nature to Bond's exploits is missing.

I call the effects to the stand... Bond always worked best when the stories were timeless. By using a space age plot, the plot device, effects, and concept are all immediately dated. Bear in mind this movie was conceived long before man walked on the moon.

And then I'd like to call Little Nellie. Yes, the same Little Nellie called by the defence. Is it used craftily integrated into the plot? No, we see a scene where he is attacked predictably by helicopters, and goes through the gadgets one by one until they are all used and he goes home. It's just not as clever as say, the tear gas in the case from `From Russia with Love'.

Critically, there is the myth of Bond himself. Where in previous Bond movies he was a spy who through tradecraft and hard work (and occasionally seducing beautiful women) would find his way to the evil masterminds lair, here it is as if the character stumbles from one situation to the next, rather than driving events. This was to hold true for Bond for many years to come, with the exception of `On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.

The verdict? A hung jury... It is a movie that perhaps tries too hard to go bigger and better in many respects. And so we have a movie with two hats It introduces some fun ideas, such as M and Moneypenny having a mobile office in a submarine the first of many mobile offices for M, and seeing Bond in naval uniform for the first time. But it also fails to achieve the characterisation that had gone before and relies on the goodwill from previous movies a little too hard. Thus, we all love You Only Live Twice, but have to be honest, it is harmless fun, but not a classic. Majority verdict in favour of the defence.

What does the Ultimate Edition have to offer to persuade you to part with your cash? Truth be told, this is where it gets interesting. The picture is flawless, yes, but it is the sound that really becomes 3 dimensional in the dts mix, giving the rockets shooting into space much more realism and depth than the on screen effects do. Even background noises are clearer and dialogue sparkling, thanks to some nifty digital remastering.

All the extras from the Special Edition are present and correct, and everyone should watch the superb (as usual) half hour documentary `Inside You Only Live Twice'. Also included for the first time though are three items. Firstly, some of Ken Adams home video footage of location scouting and then shooting of the movie, which is great fun to watch to see both the construction of the set and Sean Connery clowning around at every opportunity. Then there is a short segment from Whickers World, which is an entertaining period fluff piece promoting the movie while still acknowledging its campness and humour make it an antidote for the times. Finally an oddity, a one hour special `Welcome to Japan, Mr Bond' which uses MoneyPenny and Q in specially shot scenes to frame a selection of clips from the movies to this point. Interesting for fans of Q especially, this purports to be Moneypenny musing over who it can be that James Bond will marry.

All in all, I can only recommend this DVD as a worthwhile watch, while acknowledging it is just not as finely crafted as its predecessors. This Ultimate Edition series once again proves to be the best and most comprehensive way to see the movie.

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE contained elements of espionage, action, thrills, adventure and science fiction. Looking back it somehow worked loosely when put together yet till this day I can not determine what the cohesive element was. Looking at it closely the film is a real dichotomy of styles. The first hour is excellently filmed and works very well. We get to see James Bond the spy, working with recognition codes, breaking into safes, going under cover and the like. There is an excellently choreographed fight scene between Bond and a sumo wrestler. This is also the first time he developed a good working relationship with a fellow intelligence head, Tiger Tanaka, similar to that of Kerim Bey in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. We also see that "M" has absolute confidence in his man. "This is the big one," he tells Bond knowing that 007 is the only one capable of pulling off this assignment. There is also quite a bit of very witty dialog in the first hour of this film. In the first hour the pace is deliberate, but never boring or unentertaining. It ends with Bond flying "Little Nellie," delivered by "Q," into an aerial dogfight with four helicopters. As it moves into the second hour more of the science fiction and fantasy elements start to take center stage. The film starts to look untidy and meanders along till it gets to the excellently filmed battle between Tanaka's ninjas and Blofeld's private army in his Volcano lair. It's not a bad Bond film, but it should have been a lot better. I think the culprit was the editing. Russian and American manned space capsules were being snatched out of orbit by an "intruder missile." Bond had to find the location and the identity of those responsible before World War III breaks out. The filmmakers decided not to surprise us at the end of the film, but instead show us, not Bond, that this "intruder missile" is in fact owned by SPECTRE and is being launched from Blofeld's Volcano lair in Japan. That comes a little past the hour mark. That being the case there was a good opportunity to develop suspense, as Bond has to locate the launch site. When Bond finally does find the volcano he has very little reaction to his discovery. He in fact seems to have come prepared with suction cup kneepads, which he uses to climb upside down and into the volcano. Tanaka shows up with his men, the battle ensues and Bond saves the day. It just could have been done much better considering how well the first half of the film was handled. The massive sets designed by Ken Adam were highly innovative and stylized and are probably the best of the entire series. M's office aboard the submarine, M-1, was also pretty innovative incorporating furniture and decorations from his office from the Ministry of Defense back in London. John Barry wrote a brilliant score. His music for the "Capsule in Space" was eerily ominous. He also incorporated sections of the "James Bond Theme" very effectively subsequent to Henderson's death and the fight in Osato's office. Barry's "Mountains and Sunset" went beautifully with Freddie Young's Cinematography. This and his score for ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE were the last to contain his best action pieces for the series. These were little snippets here and there written to give the action a little more punch. I thought Sean Connery gave some his best performances as James Bond in this film. Bond's scene with Henderson was very good. His repartee with Moneypenney was one of his best. Sean Connery did return as James Bond in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER but one era had already ended with ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and a new one would begin with his return.

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I love this picture. The previous reviewers had problems with it. It has everything a Bond picture should have. The scenery is magnificent, the gadgets are up to standard, the production quality is as good as the previous Bond efforts, the villain is a typical jerk, and the title song sung by Nancy Sinatra is the best I've ever heard in a Bond picture.

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After James Bond (Sean Connery) has participated in faking his own murder in Hong Kong, to give him "more elbow room" in the words of his superior, M (Bernard Lee), he is dispatched to Japan to investigate the mysterious disappearance of both American and Soviet space crafts which threatens to spark World War III.

Working together with Japanese secret service leader Tiger Tanaka (Tetsuro Tamba), he meets beautiful Japanese agent Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi), who helps Bond through several close shaves.

Working with a Japanese Secret Service Ninja force, he locates the sabotage to the shadowy organization SPECTRE, led by the sinister Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Donald Pleasence).

After Aki is murdered by SPECTRE agents (She dies after ingesting poison dropped into the bed she shares with Bond), Bond teams up, in a faked marriage with the attractive Kissy Suzuki Mie Hama).

Together with the Ninja force they penetrate Blofeld's massive headquarters, hidden in a volcano, where the final battle ensues.

Before Blofeld tries to kill Bond, he reminds him "You Only Live Twice", referring to his earlier faked death.

The chemistry between Bond and the exquisite Aki is perfect, and in the scene where a marriage is proposed and Bond thinks it is Aki, Aki's face lights up.

No less stunning is Mie Hama as Kissy Suzuki, an expert swimmer and fighter, and one of the sexiest Bond girl ever.

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You can tell when a movie has been influential because of imitation ("The Incredibles")and parody ("Austin Powers")40 plus years AFTER it was released. Although some elements are even less believable 45 years later (Bond passing as a Japanese fisherman? Really?)Roald Dahl's script and the sharp direction of Lewis Gilbert keep "You Only Live Twice" entertaining and the unexpected opening sequence where Bond is assassinated only to be resurrected later adds to the fantasy elements of the film.

Bond travels to Japan to find out who is behind snatching U.S. and Soviet spacecraft in an attempt to cause war between the two superpowers. To investigate this case which Bond believes Blofeld (Donald Pleasence) to be behind, he must appear to be dead so that his enemies won't expect him.

Production designer Ken Adams creates one of his most impressive sets, Dahl's script introduces key elements that will become part of every Bond film in the future (to one degree or another)and director Lewis Gilbert does a nice job setting up the action sequences creating one of the seminal Bond films. Although the Bond films would often go bigger (not much more than this admittedly), I don't think they ever got better. Gilbert is so confident directing the film that he even borrows the "punch" shot from Hitcock's "Strangers on a Train" and "North by Northwest" (where when our hero is hit it appears that WE are a nice use of point-of-view rarely used beyond Hitchcock's films).

In a nice touch Charles Gray who appears as Henderson here appears in "Diamonds are Forever" playing Blofeld (I do find it curious though that EON productions chose not to cast the same actor as Blofeld in more than one film although, at least in the case of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", the character is played by the late bald actor Telly Savalas)in Connery's next-to-last appearance as Bond (his last would be, of course, in the "Thunderball" remake "Never Say Never Again").

The film was so successful that "You Only Live Twice" was used as a template for later Bond movies such as "The Spy Who Loved Me".

"You Only Live Twice" receives a nice looking restoration from Lowry and a very nice HD transfer. The film has nice depth and detail. There are still a few flaws that crop up now and again (for example during a couple of shots of the volcano there's a noticeable line right in the middle of the frame)but, on the whole, "You Only Live Twice".

The sequences that tend to be soft and look the worse for wear are some of the composite shots used in the film which was unavoidable. This also includes the stock footage of the volano erupting at the conclusion of the film.

The DTS lossless audio sounds marvelous highlighting John Barry's marvelous and often melodic score.

The special features have largely been ported over from the previous DVD edition of the film. We get a commentary track that features director Lewis Gilbert (among others)combined with others from the production crew.

Unfortunately no deleted scenes survived for this Blu-ray edition (unlike "Diamonds Are Forever" for example).

We do get "Welcome to Japan Mr. Bond" a made for TV program to promote the film featuring Moneypenny discussing Bond's various adventures. It's a cool vintage extra for fans of the series and is presented in HD.

We also get excerpts from "Whicker's World" a BBC documentary we also get a brief behind-the-scenes glimpse at the locations narrated by production designer Ken Adam.

"Inside 'You Only Live Twice'" is a well made documentary on the making of the movie. We also get a documentary on the opening titles created by the late Maurice Binder for the Bond films. The two short documentaries are presented in standard definition. We also get the storyboard sequence for the plane crash as well as a brief glimpse at the exotic locations used for the film hosted by Maude Adams.

Also included are theatrical trailers for the film, a TV ad, radio spots and "Image Database" which inclues various stills and promo shots for the film.

It's tough to name a favorite Connery Bond film but when it comes to sheer spectacle "You Only Live Twice" was the biggest and boldest of the Bond adventures with its stunning final assault on the volcano lair of Blofeld influencing an entire generation of Spy films. Although my favorite remains "From Russia with Love" followed by "Goldfinger", "You Only Live Twice" is certainly up there with those two films.

The Purge (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (2013)

The premise behind writer/director James DeMonaco's film THE PURGE is indeed a fantastic one: set in the year 2022, when unemployment nationwide is down to just one percent, and crimes across the board are at an all-time low. But what if the manner of getting it that was to allow a one-night "purge", in which violent behavior was actually sanctioned by the United States government, and largely to rid America of the poor and the indigent? It is a premise that may seem outrageous; but so too was the idea of a surveillance state as depicted in George Orwell's classic 1948 novel "1984"; and what has America become since 9/11 but a real-life surveillance state? Under the right circumstances, it is completely possible that something like THE PURGE might come to pass.

Ethan Hawke portrays a security systems designer whose entire neighborhood, located in the hills above West Los Angeles, owes its very security and safety to his security designs. It becomes especially important during a twelve-hour time frame from 7 PM to 7 AM on March 21st and 22nd, 2022 known as "The Purge", in which violent behavior, including murder, theft, and even rape, will be allowed--and no police or emergency first responders will be on duty. It is a thing that Hawke and his family, and their neighbors, have gotten used to; and they have also become largely callous when it comes to the potential victims of the Purge, namely the poor who don't have the ability to support themselves with any job or pay approaching anywhere close to what Hawke makes. But on this particular Purge Night, one of Hawke's children (Max Burkholder), out of the goodness and conscience of his heart, lets a wounded black man (Edwin Hodge) enter the premises, which upsets Hawke tremendously. To Hawke, Hodge is exactly the kind of target the Purge people want to kill; and when the leader (Rhys Wakefield) of one such Purge group comes to get Hodge, Hawke, his family, and their home come under siege from that group. Hawke at first advocates handing over Hodge to them (given that the Purge group has already totally crippled what Hawke had once proclaimed a foolproof security system), but his wife (Lena Headey), daughter (Adelaide Kane) and Burkholder, appalled at his descent into cold-blooded "survival of the fittest", force the issue. In the end, they are forced to endure much physical horror and psychological terror until the morning comes. And does the madness really even end there?

DeMonaco wrote and directed THE PURGE on a budget of just slightly more than $3 million; and apart from the sometimes shaky and unsteady camera work (a trait that came from the quasi-documentary style of films like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY), every penny of that $3 million budget shows up here. There are a number of things that don't quite work the way they should; and some of the acting, especially by Wakefield as the chief Purge instigator, is overly hammy. In terms of what DeMonaco is basically trying to do with what is certainly a fantastic and crazy premise (one that seems to take a number of shots at right-wing elements of America, up to and including the Tea Party), however, THE PURGE is effective enough. There is something extraordinarily ironic at rich, upscale people turning on one another, either for harboring a "filthy swine" such as Hodge, or for having their supposedly "foolproof" security system exposed. In many ways, it derives its power and plot from many films: the original ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13; A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (the masks worn by Wakefield and his posse); THE BIRDS; NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD; STRAW DOGS (the original 1971 Sam Peckinpah classic); and even THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND (Peckinpah's last, released in 1983). But these are films that have a kinetic and psychological power that very few other "horror" or "thriller" films of this kind can have without spiraling into hyper-violent absurdity, and they are films that DeMonaco clearly has learned a lot from.

Hawke does a fairly good job of being a somewhat callous capitalist who grossly underrates the impact that the violent behavior of the night of the Purge will have on his family. Headey also does a credible job as his wife, who questions his motivations and his morality when, at first, he decides to hand Hodge over to Wakefield, instead of doing the right thing and fighting for his humanity. In the final analysis, and in terms of its credibility and plausibility, it has to be said that THE PURGE isn't necessarily the best psychological "horror" or "thriller" film that has ever been. But it is effective enough to deliver what it promises for its eighty-five minute running time.

"The Purge, for its time, is by far one of the most daring and intriguing thrillers and social conscience dramas released in recent memory. While some people might find the concept bewildering to grasp (a 12-hour period known as The Annual Purge involving free, legalised criminal activity), it is nonetheless stronger for consideration than the average "horror" film especially when recent discussions about the Second Amendment, poverty, race/class issues, and mental health all have been in the spotlight.

The film, as the trailers might hint, starts off more as a dark and chilling parable and then switch its gears for more conventional thriller devices with the Straw Dogs-like house invasion toward the middle and end of the film. Nonetheless, much of its messages and intrigue are not lost in the mist as many things can be read and interpreted upon (the affluence of preppy university students showcasing their snobbery through racial violence, fear of the very poor and very rich, taking advantage of innocent women).

While much of its glory comes from the themes, The Purge also complements its too realistic for science-fiction, claustrophobic narrative well with intense cinematography, graphic violence, paranoia, and slow-burner pace of frequent domestic threat. Performances are rather good too with Ethan Hawke plays a believably stuck-up security systems consultant and Lena Headey as the fearful yet resilient matriarch of the Sandin family. The soundtrack, with its clever yet unsettling use of Debussy's Claire de Lune, sets to complement a tone to the film that hints paranoia and horror with "violent peace" (oxymoronic to say the least).

From a person who hardly goes to see these so-called "horror" films (ParaNorman, The Shining, Cabin in the Woods, An American Werewolf in London, and Splice are just a few recent ones I have seen), this one can be construed as more close to horror because of the feeling that you are not safe in your own home but the thriller aspect plays into it moreover due to its realistic albeit futuristic setting. On merit, the film delivers a stronger argument about the trouble vigilantism may bring or provide good or bad and is a good enough film for older audiences to critique and question about much of the film's meaning. On that note, it is also best if you stay in for the credits too so to get the experience of knowing how many of The Annual Purge participants feel glad or feel sorrow."

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By the year 2022 the US government, led by our New Founding Fathers, has managed to crawl its way out of a triple dip recession and record crime rates. Unemployment stands at 1%, and crime is at an all time low. With one exception. Once a year, on a date designated as The Purge, for twelve hours all crime is legal. Rape, murder, theft, the entire US has a free pass to do whatever they wish and suffer no repercussions for it. In a single day thousands are murdered and millions of dollars worth of property destroyed in order to give everyday American's an outlet to vent their rage, anger, and frustrations in the hope that they will "cleanse their souls" and not be tempted to commit crimes for the rest of the year.

First of all let's put aside the fact that the premise at face value makes absolutely no sense. I'll let that slide, though I do feel it needs to be said. The premise is what it is, and as implausible as it is, I still thought it interesting enough to warrant a look. But even overlooking this, the movie has some serious flaws that I felt wasted what could have been a very intelligent film. First of all, this film is produced by the same people who brought us great horror movies like the Paranormal Activity movies, Insidious and Sinister, and while I loved those movies this film should have been different. The premise screams suspense thriller, as instead of dealing with supernatural beings like in their previous films, the main baddies in this one are a bunch of teenagers in masks and an old homeless man. To put it simply, there is nothing even remotely scary about this movie, so the fact that they filmed it like a horror movie with the typical horror movie tropes, jump scares, loud music, etc only served as a distraction both for the director and the audience from what should have been the main focus. These sort of things worked for Sinister and Insidious because of their supernatural elements, because the villains were invisible, evil forces that couldn't be talked to or reasoned with. This film doesn't have that. Instead we have some homeless guy wandering around an inexplicably enormous house for an hour while the idiot family that lives there stumbles around in the dark. Am I honestly supposed to be scared by this? The Purge is a thriller in a horror movies clothing, and ultimately in my opinion fails horribly at being either.

But what about The Purge itself? Do we get to see the streets turn into battle grounds? Is there subtle yet engaging social commentary to go along with such an interesting premise? Sadly, no. I don't know what these producers deal is with filming well off families in big houses, but this story should have really been told from the POV of someone who is poor and, thus, unable to afford protection from the roaming bands of psychotic rich kids trying to kill them. This is what should have been the focus of the film, not some boring rich family with first world problems, but the poor and downtrodden who are the real victims of this sick tradition. Imagine a film where a poor, single mother/father flees with their children from bands of killers who are not only allowed to kill at will, but encouraged to do so as well. That would have been a great movie. Instead we get boring suburban dad with boring suburban wife, and boring suburban kids. Nothing gets my heart strings strumming like privileged rich people trying to throw some poor homeless guy to the wolves. Yeah, I feel real sorry for those guys.

The Purge is a film that had a great idea but no idea how to see it through. Its boring, badly directed, and commits the cardinal sin of being a horror movie that isn't even remotely scary. If you really want to see it, wait until its on netflix and stream it. Otherwise, my suggestion is to pass. Its really not worth the effort.

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This movie is not supose to be scary. It was really good (in my opinion). It delivered what it promised to deliver. People always complain about things. It is sad how people ca never be satisfied. The idea was really creative and well built.

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For Hollywood, this was a goldmine!! With a budget of only a reported 3 million, this movie exceeded and surpassed expectations! And here is why. The acting was superb, Ethan Hawke and company did an excellent job in portraying the story. The audience felt the families plight, they were right there with them. This ultra violent horror movie actually has heart. The ending will surely suprise any veteran horror movie fan. Excellent film!!! The supporting cast, right down to the most minute part did an excellent job as well. We love love love this movie.....go see it!!!

The only issue I have is that I wish that the story was carried outside of the family, but other than that, it would have been a 5 star!!!

Christopher Berry

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The Baader Meinhof Complex (2010)

West Germany, 1967: After a disastrous engagement between the federal republic of Germany's left wing student population and parties sympathetic to the visiting Shah of Iran degenerates into street violence and results in the firebombing of a department store and an assassination attempt on the life of socialist firebrand, Rudi Dutschke, a group of increasingly disaffected German students and petty criminals begin to coalesce around the magnetic personalities of malcontent street punk, Andreas Baader, and his girlfriend, Gudrun Ensslin. Amongst those caught in their gravity is middle-class, left-wing journalist and media personality, Ulrike Meinhof. Baader and Ensslin have decided that politely protesting the policies of American and Israeli "Imperialism" with acts of civil disobedience is no longer enough and decide to engage in armed struggle against the constitutional powers of West Germany. Over the next ten years, the result of the alliance between Baader, Esselin and Meinhof, The `Red Army Faction' (aka the Baader-Meinhof Group), was to terrorise not only the FDR, but the governments and populations of countries far beyond it's borders.

Attempting to relate the tale of the rise to prominence of the RAF, much less adapt Stefan Aust's incredibly convoluted door-stopper of a book, was, I suspected, going to be nigh-on impossible but Uli Edel's film achieves this virtually impossible task with aplomb. As well as being one of the most impressive thrillers that I've seen in years, its also one of the most fascinating portraits of the corruption and degeneration of political idealism ever to make its way to screen.

Performances are for the most part excellent and Moritz Bleibtreu perfectly embodies the essence of Aust's rendering of Baader essentially a wayward, misogynistic hooligan who seemed more interested in playing with machine guns than liberating the "oppressed of the world". The yin to Bleibtreu's yang is Martina Gedeck's turn as Ulrike Meinhof: who appears to have been a cosseted champagne socialist who eventually became so misguided and so passionately committed to the struggle against "oppression and imperialism" that she was rather horrifyingly prepared to deliver her own children into a camp for Syrian orphans rather than see them raised under "the yoke of imperialism". There is a telling suggestion that the catalyst which may have precipitated the already fragile Meinhof's fall was the discovery of her husband's infidelity.

From a directorial stance, Edel manages to pull off the difficult trick of observing both sides of the conflict without favouring either. His rendering of the government in the FDR in sixties is anything but nostalgic and seems to suggest that it was inevitable that a group such as the RAF would eventually arise from the formenting crucible of social, political and governmental dissatisfaction that prevailed at the time. On the reverse side of the coin however, it cannot be argued that his sympathies lie with his revolutionary protagonists either, as he is only too willing to clinically dissect their personal failings as well as the raving hypocrisy of their objectives and opinions.

A fascinating portrait of an extreme group of misguided individuals living through the most turbulent period of the late twentieth century, "The Baader Meinhof Complex" is a fascinating study of personal obsession played out through political objectification and one of the best films that I've seen this year.

Highly recommended.

The Baader Meinhof Complex is an at once exhilarating and horrific depiction of the rise and fall of a very prominent left-wing extremist group in '70s Germany, formed from an uneasy alliance between journalist Ulrike Meinhof and the incendiary couple Andreas Baader and his girlfriend Gudrun Ensslin. The film explores the initial motivations for their radicalization, the shift from anger and rebellion to increasingly violent acts of terror, and the dissolution of the group's ideology into seeming incoherence as the personal began to overwhelm the political. While watching I wondered if the casting choices had made the characters more appealing than in real life they were all very striking young men and women but a bit of research shows it to be quite accurate. They did a remarkable job in capturing the likeness of the actual individuals depicted.

It is a complex film, that highlights the allure of the struggle, at the same time as it reveals the individuals behind it to be deeply human and imperfect, at times conflicted and at others resolute, even dogmatic, to the point of becoming what they had initially struggled against these are not the mythological figures that came to be idolized by some and hated by others. A fascinating paradox explored by the film is that in war one side inevitably takes on qualities of its enemy: to fight an underground extremist group, the state must employ its tactics, must become flexible and bend the rule of law and its protection of individual rights such as privacy; to stand up against the force of a powerful regime, the anarchic underground must increasingly become autocratic, must not tolerate dissent.

The film is beautifully shot, and edited for an ideal balance of intensity and clarity. There is the feel of a living situation characters don't have constantly to explain themselves to each other, and you feel the urgency with which they experience their own moments in time and yet, there is enough laid out that even those unfamiliar with the actual history this is based on should be able to catch up quickly and follow along. The decision to incorporate real footage from the era creates a sense of authenticity and even current relevance that is hard to shake off, emphasizing that this film cannot simply be approached as an escapist fantasy. The reception of the film in Germany at the time of its release was telling on the one hand there were those who felt that in taking both sides the film failed to capture the heroism and ideals of the leaders, who are still revered by many; and there were others who felt that the decision to tell most of the story from the point of view of the Baader Meinhof group members had the dangerous potential of creating an identification with them and of making their actions seem too glamorous.

In fact the film manages both to clarify and make vividly real the sense of a holy war or struggle that young people felt at the time, and to show that these extremists were not simply the vicious killers they had been demonized to be; but also to demonstrate that their ideals and imperfections led to horrific actions, that in many cases destroyed lives without having any clear outcome that could possibly motivate or justify such violence. I was very young at the time of these events and only remember vague hints of them, but even now going into the film I knew very little of the details. Definitely worth watching -both as a valuable history lesson, and as a spur to the kinds of discussions that we need to be having about the meaning and motivations of what we call "terrorism." As the German head of police, played in this film by the always excellent Bruno Ganz, suggests: it is easy enough to demonize the "enemy" but there can be no true or lasting victory over extremism and violence without understanding its perpetrators and their perceptions.

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I lived in Germany during the RAF era. As a military brat we were in fear of this group, as both Frankfurt and Ramstein experienced terrorist attacks by this group.

The news clips that were used in this movie are genuine. I remember that old man on the German news. The terror lasted all through the 1970s.

It was therefore haunting to see this movie again. All the actors were so believable as their actual characters they were playing. Watch the 30-minute "Making of the B-M Complex" and you will learn that the director, Uli Edel, used all genuine parts, even using the actual court hall of the prison in which the real terrorists were interviewed (and denied) parole. The prison cells were designed according to old photographs of the real prison cells, down to genuine sinks. The actors spent endless hours studying the mannerisms and speech patterns of their roles. Actor Martina Gedeck almost looks like the younger sister of Gudrun Ensslin, the "brains" behind this group of misfits.

I didn't read the book; my opinions are based on memory. The scenes in this movie are non-stop action and at times overly graphic in their violence, but this is how B-M acted. Even how the group slowly fell apart due to newer generations of this group not being in sinc with the original founders, is quite obvious. The Baader-Meinhof gang was a group of highly intellectual but badly misguided and violent group of extreme-left-leaning students whose guilt of their parents perhaps got the ball rolling.

Say what you may, "This is part of our History" said Edel, and this movie shows this history well. This movie deserved the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Read Best Reviews of The Baader Meinhof Complex (2010) Here

I enjoyed the film immensely, and found it to be an excellent study into radical/extreme leftist politics and how some groups evolved into violent terrorist groups that lost sight of a utopian ideal that perhaps never truly existed. Stefan Aust's recently updated (and well-researched) book from which the movie is based on is captured well, albeit the movie moves as a much faster pace while the book provides excellent background and description of events of the times the RAF existed. I do not think the movie portrays the RAF in a sympathetic light, but aptly demonstrates that while the RAF had a utopian ideal, the simplistic and extremist thinking of the group led them to commit horrible atrocities in the name of a "higher morality," echoing the long quoted phrase "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." While somewhat confusing and unclear at times (such as the transition of introducing the second and third generation of RAF members), it is nonetheless useful to also watch the documentary of the making of the film to clarify certain points. This would be an excellent film to use for a beginning sociology or political science class that examines extremist political groups. Also, I found nothing wrong with the size of the subtitles, unlike some people who posted earlier. Don't let that discourage you from seeing the film.

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I lived in Germany at this time and it is interesting to see that this group of misfits that held the country in the grip of uneasy fear and paranoia are largely forgotten now. What I like about the film is its depiction of how utterly vapid these "revolutionaries" were, and how much radical terrorism is really a nexus of patchwork politics married to the simple adrenaline thrills of delinquency and crime. Andreas Baader was a punk, pure and simple. His girlfriend Gudren Eisslen seems to be a middle-class brat working out her "daddy issues" through the endless prattle of revolutionary rhetoric. Ulrike Meinhof was a leftist journalist opting out of Fraudom by joining with these losers and becoming their self-justifying voice. None of this would matter, except they murdered real people and were the inspiration for other like-minded malcontents who went on to do the same. They were celebrated by the radical chic crowd of the time, and the myth surrounding them needs to be examined and debunked, as it is to some extent in this film. Then they need to be exiled to a tiny historical footnote and forgotten.

The thing often missed about radicals is that they are insufferable bores. Narrow-minded, egotistical and self-aggrandizing, dysfunctional and generally unhappy and pathetic people they create a romantic fantasy about revolution that is a perfect rationalization for psychopathy. What can you say about people who want to save the world by blowing it up? Well you can say we are living with the ultimate expression of that now with radical Islam, and ain't that fun? This pack of worthless individuals in the Germany of the 1970's were the terrorists of their day. Debated and discussed, exhalted or excoriated in the media, a source of fascination to youths disenchanted with the monotonous bourgeoise success and conformity of post-war Germany. In short, adolescents. And so much of the radicalism of that time was simply adolescent cheap thrills and a way to get laid.

The filmmakers, old leftist themselves who haven't completely come to terms with their own enrapture of that era but middleaged and reflective now, have caught the feeling of the time, and their depiction of the "banality of evil" that is the ultimate pronouncement on the meaning of the Baader-Meinhof Gang is revealing not only of this group at this time, but the current crop of radicals amongst us today. By and large they make a lot of noise, accomplish little, and you would be hard pressed to want to spend an afternoon with any of them. They themselves are forgettable, unfortunately their crimes cannot be for the suffering they inflict is all too real. Anyway, the film-making is excellent and the cast very good, so it is worth seeing.

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The Little Mermaid (Two-Disc Diamond Edition: Blu-ray / DVD in DVD Packaging) (1989)

One of the most beloved Disney films, "The Little Mermaid" returns on dvd, fully restored and remastered in an all new 2 disc set this October! Rather than talking about the film (c'mon we all know what it is all about and most of are quite familiar with its charm and beauty! Though the first "The Little mermaid" dvd released years ago was just a barebone disc with non-anamorphic transfer, this one will have everything to fulfill every mermaid fan's desire!

Here's what to look forward to in this special 2 disc set:

Fully restored with an all-new Disney Home Theatre 5.1 mix.

Backstage Disney, including an all new commentary.

Treasures Untold: The Making of The Little Mermaid.

The Story Behind The Story.

Deleted Scenes, including Backstage With Sebastian, Sebastian Lost In The Castle, Advice From Sebastian and Fight With Ursula.

Music Video "Kiss The Girl"

Games and Activities inclue The Little Mermaid Under The Sea Adventure: The Virtual Ride, Behind The Ride That Almost Was With Disney Imagineers and DisneyPedia: Life Under The Sea....

....And much more!!

"The Little Mermaid" is surely one of the finest films Disney ever produced and this long awaited platinum edition of this classic would surely be a welcome addition in any dvd collector's shelf!

Walt Disney Studio's 1989 animated adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's classic tale "The Little Mermaid" is known for being the beginning of the Disney animation renaissance of the 1990s. While no movie collection is complete without this gem of a film, wait for the October 2006 2-Disc Platinum Edition DVD release. Judging from Disney's treatment of their other classic films' transfers to Platinum Editions, Disney will do this movie the justice it deserves AND it will most likely be less expensive buying this new edition with all its extras than it will be to buy the currently available 1-Disc product from a private seller. So, if you can wait a few months for the headstrong Ariel, the charming Sebastian, and the deliciously evil Ursula, it will be more than worth the wait!

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This is no doubt a beautiful and classic disney film.

My advice: Wait for the 2-disc "Platinum Edition" to be released. It will contain the extra bonus features that the "Limited Issue" lacks. Also, if you wait you can probably find it for about 20 dollars, which is much better than buying it second hand right now for a ridiculous price. You will get more for your money if you wait! Also, you should know that Disney has decided to speed up their releases with the Platinum series (from 1 every year to 2 each year). So, Little Mermaid will be out in October of 2006. So, if you can wait a year and a half to get the better version, I would recommend it! Especially if you're into extras and bonus features (because the limited issue has NONE!)

So, if anyone is interested, Cinderella is the next Platinum DVD to come out in October of 2005, followed by Lady and the Tramp in March of 2006, and then (finally!) The Little Mermaid in October of 2006

(For 2007, the March release will be The Jungle Book and then 101 Dalmations in October)

For more information... UltimateDisney.com is a great website!

I hope you found this advice helpful, as my wish is for everyone to be able to enjoy this gorgeous Disney film!

Read Best Reviews of The Little Mermaid (Two-Disc Diamond Edition: Blu-ray / DVD in DVD Packaging) (1989) Here

People need to be VERY cautious when buying Little Mermaid. This DVD has been out of print so long that it is actually quite rare to find a truly new disc. I've actually had the misfortune of buying several Disney DVD's at auction only to find that they are counterfeit discs even though the box is shrinkwrapped. I e-mailed the seller of one of these DVD's and found out that apparently there are a lot of people who separately buy counterfeit DVD's in bulk (usually from Asia) along with packaging materials. They then assemble all the stuff together, shrinkwrap the whole thing (yes, people actually buy shrinkwrapping machines to do this!) and sell it as new on the web. This also explains all those electronic auctions where the seller makes the outrageous claim that their DVD's don't ship in a hard case but instead come in a more protective sleeve (which is BS) or they're trying to save you shipping (that's because they don't have the authentic cases to send you).

So how can you determine whether you disc is authentic or not? Well, from my experience, several things have clued me in to a particular disc being fake. First start with the packaging. Any authentic Disney (or any brand) DVD has tamper-proof stickers that must be torn or removed to get to the disc. There is always a sticker on top, but some titles also have them on the side and bottom too. Almost all (although I have seen some exceptions) Disney DVD's have shrinkwrap that are stamped with a Buena Vista logo so you can tell if the shrinkwrap was put on at the factory or done by someone else. Also, since counterfeiters frequently are putting everything together themselves look for abnormal signs of wear and tear. For example, if you see a scratch or dent on the paper cover artwork, but the case itself is physically fine, you should be suspicious as to how the artwork could have been damaged if it is supposed to be new and the case itself is undamaged. Another sign I've encountered (and rather obvious one) that a DVD is re-packaged is that the DVD itself will have scratches and/or fingerprints on it. When's the last time you picked up a brand new DVD from a store and found the disc to have scratches and/or fingerprints? That's right never.

Now the most important way of determining whether a disc is authentic or not is to check the content on the DVD, specifically the size of all the data on the DVD. For this step you'll need to put the DVD into a computer to find out the size of the DVD. For example, the fake Little Mermaid DVD I got off eBay showed up as having 3.6 GB of data. This immediately raised a flag in my head because the back of the Little Mermaid DVD packaging claims that the disc is in dual-layer format. Dual-layer format DVD's are only used for movies that have more than ~4.5 GB of data. In fact a search on the internet revealed that the authentic Little Mermaid DVD was supposed to have 5 GB of data ( The fact the data of my DVD wasn't more than a single layer's worth meant that the content of my DVD had been compressed and was a counterfeit. Furthermore, it explained why the quality of the movie was so bad. So check if the packaging says that the disc is in dual-layer format, the data takes up more than ~4.5 GB of data, or even better see if you can find the exact size of the disc from an online review.

If Disney cared about the damage these low-quality discs have on their reputation, they should clamp down on the rampant sale of counterfeits of their movies online. BTW, after discovering this new world of Disney fakes, I finally was able to find an authentic, new Little Mermaid DVD. People who are selling authentic discs usually know they are rare & valuable and typically charge more (think ~upper $20's to $40's) than the bootleggers.

BTW, to explain my rating of the DVD I would have given the movie 5 stars for the movie, but knocked off 1 star for the lack of extras. We all know Disney can put out some really high caliber releases which, unfortunately, this being one of the earlier DVD's is not one of them.

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Finally got around to watching this last night. In this review I'm not going to bother to review the movie itself. It's seventeen years old. I'm sure if you are interested in it you've seen it by now. Rather, I'm going to review the technical quality of the film and the extras provided on the DVD. One thing that feel I should point out up front is that the movie HAS been edited, but only in one scene. The infamous 'clergyman sporting an erection' that caused such a stupid flundie flap has been photoshopped. The theatrical poster artwork is not on the cover or anywhere on the disc for a similar reason. You can find out more by going to Snopes and looking in the Disney films section. I personally don't care, but some people do. Now, on to the review.

This version is widescreen, but it's 16:9 widescreen and not theatrical widescreen, but this has been the case in pretty much all the Disney movie DVDs so no surprises there. The Little Mermaid was the next to last movie Disney did using painted cels, and the film has gone through some kind of digital restoration process. There are comparison shots on the back of the DVD box that show the difference. The colors are very vibrant, and I didn't notice any problems with the encoding or animation. There is support for surround sound and audio tracks in English, French, and Spanish.

It's a two disk set. Disc one has the movie, the configuration options (subtitles, commentary, language ect), a music video of the song 'Kiss the Girl' by someone I've never heard of, a bunch of previews that will be outdated in a few months, and a preview of what's on disc 2. On the box it touts something called Fast Play, which basically means when you load it in, after the standard FBI warnings and all that, the disc gives you the option of immediately starting the movie or going to the menu with the stuff I just mentioned. If you choose to start the movie directly, it plays a bunch of previews that you can skip past using chapter forward on your remote, if you go to the menu and pick play movie, it starts right away. You're actually not forced to sit through ten minutes of BS previews with no way to skip them like on some of the previous Disney DVDs. I approve.

The majority of the extras are on disc 2. It's broken up into three major sections: Backstage Disney, Deleted Scenes, and Games. Backstage Disney is the largest section. It has scads of concept art (imagine Ursula as a lionfish or manta ray instead of an octopus), a videos on how the movie was made, and a new animated short, The Little Match Girl. A silent film with a musical background and is amazingly enough, actually true to the story. It's pretty well done, IMHO. Deleted scenes is just that, stuff that was cut. There really isn't much. Only three selections, and two of them are just pieces that were cut from scenes that did make it in. There's an expanded version of the opening song, a very short scene where Triton's daughters tell Sebastian that Ariel isn't at the recital before it starts, and an extra verse in Ursula's song. All of these were cut before the final animation was done, and so as you watch it switches back and forth between storyboard still shots and very rough sketchy animation. The games I didn't even bother with, because has there ever been a DVD player game that hasn't totally sucked? Didn't think so.

Overall, it's going to boil down to how much you like the movie, and how much you hate minor edits. If not seeing Jessica Rabbit with no underwear for three frames bothered you, then this DVD is not for you. Otherwise, it is a comprehensive look at the movie that marked the beginning of Disney's second golden age.

I give it 9 out of 10 voice containing seashells.

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Shogun Assassin (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) (1980)

Unlike what some of the other reviews have stated, this is not spliced together episodes from a Japanese tv show. Actually, it is spliced from the first two (there are six in the series) Lone Wolf and Cub movies: Sword of Vengeance and Baby Cart at the River Styx. It is also not a kung fu film because for one thing, kung fu is a martial art form from China and this movie is from Japan and is involving samurai (who don't practice kung fu).

Unfortunately, taking two movies and cutting them down to one movie half as long hurts the story of the films. In the original films, the Shogun didn't just up and decide that he was threatened by Ogami Itto and decide to kill his family. The story is more involved and the viewer has a much stronger emotional connection with the characters of the story when watching the original versions of the film in two separate parts.

Also, the Lone Wolf and Cub series has seen a recent release onto DVD by AnimEigo and the picture and sound quality on these new DVD transfers is astounding when compared to this film. It literally looks as if it is a recent release instead of a film from the 70s. Additionally, these DVD releases contain the original Japanese audio tracks (matched with the AnimEigo's superb subtitles) not a horrible English dubbing as contained in Shogun Assassin.

All this combined, it is impossible for me to recommend this film over the originals to anyone. Granted, they both still contain ridiculous blood spurting and great swordplay and you'll still have a good time watching either Shogun Assassin or the original Lone Wolf and Cub movies but Shogun Assassin is just inferior. However, if (and only if) you really hate subtitles in your movies, then Shogun Assassin might be the way to go.

The Lone Wolf and Cub films themselves are based off of a classic manga; partly released by the same name in the US by Action Comics. More recently, Dark Horse Comics released it in its entirety in a 28 vol. (8,000+ pages) series. The story is more fleshed out and much more involved in the manga and the artwork is incredible. Anyone who enjoys the Lone Wolf and Cub films would be doing themselves a favor by checking them out. It should be noted to anyone who has seen the movie series to its "conclusion", that the manga does has an appropriate ending unlike that of the film series and its conclusion is more than satisfying.

"Shogun Assassin" is a great film. Much "controversy" has arisen over the years regarding this film having been cobbled together from two other films in the Lone Wolf series. I think that what has been achieved is an extremely entertaining, fast-paced piece of action. By eliminating non-essential story lines and including a voice over narration, the action moves at break neck speed. The amount of blood spilled is so over the top as to be cartoonish, which only adds to the uniqueness of the movie. The DVD transfer is excellent and the restored picture is high quality. Some reviewers have complained about certain scenes being unrestored, it is actually only two shots totaling maybe five seconds in length. Both shots are of a castle and the excuse for not restoring them was that they were stock footage with no original element available. I do not know why the company had to place the disclaimer of this fact on the film, as I doubt anyone would have really noticed anyway. An added bonus on the DVD is the inclusion of the trailer which, I had never seen before. I can only imagine an audience seeing this trailer and somehow not wanting to see the film, it is awesome. Anyway, if you have never seen "Shogun Assassin" or have seen it a thousand times, buy this DVD, it is well worth it.

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(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)I am not usually a fan of dubbed versions of Japanese films. Most of the time, they are so poorly done I don't know why they even bother. But somehow, I find "Shogun Assassin" to be not only forgivable, but an awesome flick.

Maybe because this is more than just a dubbed version of the original film. The director, Robert Houston, spliced together the "good parts" of two films, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx into a single story. He then hired deaf lip-readers to help him create an English-language script that was synchronized to the mouth movements, and Mark Lindsay from the band Paul Revere & the Raiders to lay out a funky synthesizer track for a score. It reminds me a bit of the animated series Robotech or even Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? which both created new stories out of Japanese material.

Or maybe it is because "Shogun Assassin" is just so cool. The story is a simplified version of the original Lone Wolf and Cub series. You still have the wandering swordsman with his killer baby, but this time they are only fleeing from "The Shogun" instead of any complex story of clan rivalry. They are pursued by endless squads of "ninjas" which are handily and bloodily dispatched in grand style. That's about it. This is definitely the "good parts" version, and the fun comes from the endless swordfights and syntho soundtrack.

The violence here is over the top. There is one scene where a female ninja proves her prowess by fighting a battle with the Shogun's top fighter, and she slowly slices him to pieces, first fingers, then ears, then feet. It is a visual demonstration of the famous "To the pain" scene from The Princess Bride. All of the scenes go like that. No sword is drawn but body parts go flying. Good times indeed.

The entire series has been released by Animeigo in the Shogun Assassin: 5 Film Collector's Set. Chances are if you see the first one, you are going to want to see them all.

Read Best Reviews of Shogun Assassin (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) (1980) Here

This review is for; Shogun Assassin: 5 Film Collector's Set

I just wanted to point out some of the new special features in this new set that wasn't available in the individual releases. Besides being released in the new box that takes ups less space than the original five snap cases, audio commentary is provided by Ric Meyers (a film scholar) and Steve Watson (a martial arts expert) as well as a video interview with Scott Houle who did the audio dubbing for parts 3, 4 & 5. Note the commentary and video interview is only on part one (Shogun's Assassin). The video interview is about 31 minutes long as Scott Houle answers a series of questions about the technical aspects of film dubbing. The other four discs in the set appear to be indentical to the individual releases the were released earlier. Also, a 26-page booklet featuring an essay, making of interview, liner notes, cast bios, black & white photos as well as "where are they now" information. Any special features from the previous released discs are still in the new boxed set such as all the trailers, photo slide shows & production notes. All of the discs are stored in a five-fold cardboard insert that slides into the outer box (similiar to typical TV series DVD sets).

Great boxed disc set to have if you want the new special features on disc one only and the booklet! Otherwise it is very identical to the prior individual releases.

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My introduction to these characters was via the outstanding Lone Wolf and Cub series. I have 5 Lone Wolf films in DVD (not Blu-ray). But I have to say, those DVDs have better resolution and color than the Shogun Assassin movies in this collection. That's my technical complaint.

As for movies, any potential buyer should be aware that these movies are intended for those who love cheesy dubbed Asian action movies. There is no Japanese audio track. There are no subtitles. Shogun Assassin was a recut/reinvention of two Lone Wolf and Cub movies, made for the American audiences. We're talking B movies way way way down in the Bs. If you like samurai movies, like the Samurai Trilogy, Yojimbo, Hari Kiri, 47 Ronin, Zatoichi movies, then this collection is NOT for you!

I regret buying this collection mainly because I didn't realize what I was getting. That was my mistake. However, I am surprised at the lower quality of the film footage. One would expect a Blu-ray mastering to have better results than older DVD transfers of essentially the same footage. I suppose the SA films are already 2 or more film generations from what might be available for LWAC, so maybe this is the best they could have done. At any rate, it's very disappointing to me.

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Phenomena (1985)

PHENOMENA

(Italy 1984)

Aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Stereo

Originally edited for US consumption and released under the title CREEPERS, the full-length version of Dario Argento's masterwork reveals the method in his madness. Whereas the edited version was a fast-moving collage of half-baked themes which evoked nothing of any significance, PHENOMENA reinstates the crazy-quilt pacing, whereby dream-like passages surrender abruptly to episodes of screaming hysteria, all of which is essential to any appreciation of the film's dark ambitions.

Romano Albani's sumptuous cinematography transforms the breathtaking Swiss locations into a fairy-tale landscape where monstrous eruptions of violence disturb the illusion of tranquility, and Jennifer Connelly drifts through the narrative in a state of near-hypnotic grace, allowing herself to become ensnared by the machinations of a deformed killer and his/her equally psychotic 'guardian'. True, the longer version is bogged down at times by lengthy dialogue scenes which hold up the plot, and the involvement of Donald Pleasence's chimp is no less misguided than before (its final act of retribution crosses the line into absurdity), but the set-pieces are magnificently realised, and the final 20 minutes are as hair-raising as anything in Argento's ouevre.

Dario Argento throws in all his trademarks in this horror/fantasy extravaganza.A plain crime story mixed with dream sequences, gore, state of the art camerawork, maggots, fireflies, broken glass, running water, beautiful young girls and a brilliant soundtrack. You name it, it`s all here !

Argento has made a lot of mediocre movies the recent years, but this 1984 movie is a true classic.

The film is presented in 1.66:1 with a DD 5.1 soundtrack. Both picture and sound is good, but nothing spesial.Anchor bay has also thrown in some extras, but nothing very interesting in my opinion. There is a dull commentary with Argento and three of his collaborators in very broken english, a trailer, two music videos,a lousy behind the scenes segment, and a ridiculous Argento interview from a Joe Franklin show. And don`t be fooled to believe that the 28 minutes that is restored in this UNCUT and UNCENSORED version is gore.It is simply the full european version, and all 28 minutes are plain story and character building.No doubt that this cut is much better than the "Creepers" cut, though.

It is the feature itself that makes this disc a must-have.They simply don`t make movies like this anymore ! (Neither does Argento, unfortunately !)

Now I can hardly wait for Anchor Bay to release "Opera" and " Suspiria."

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If you are reading this, you're already familiar with this classic masterpiece.

What I didn't know before I gambled and purchased the Blu-ray version of PHENOMENA (originally titled CREEPERS), I know now and would like to share with prospective buyers:

Yes, this is the extended version (110 minutes)

Yes, it plays on my Region 1 Blu-ray player

Yes, the picture is magnificent.

If you love this film, as I do, THIS is the copy to own.

Enjoy.

Read Best Reviews of Phenomena (1985) Here

This was my second dip into the Argento pool. I had recently watched "Tenebre", one of Argento's best from what I can gather. I was worried about a let down because I enjoyed that film so much. So I prepared myself. I read some reviews and took some advice. The results of my preparation were a mixed bag; some good, some bad. So, I appropriately lowered my expectations but hoped for the best. What I learned about Argento from watching "Phenomena" was that perhaps his biggest weakness is his clumsy story telling. Let me get to the point, hopefully quicker than "Phenomena".

-IF YOU WANT TO BE IMPORTANT, YOU HAVE TO LOOK IMPORTANT.

Argento has a knack for making everything look so important that you are glued to the imagery on the screen. "Phenomena" is full of long, stylish, detailed, seemingly important scenes. Every scene has a sort of leisurely pace to it. I began to assume that if I didn't pay attention, I would miss something. Eventually, this became a chore. After about 70 minutes, there had been 4 fairly unremarkable murders and yet we were no closer to knowing who the killer was. When it was finally over, I scratched my head and thought, "Did I miss something?" So I watched it all again. It turned out that I hadn't missed a thing. Most of the movie was not nearly as important to the plot as its treatment would have you believe. The result was an overly arduous, not particularly meaningful journey for a brief and crazy end.

-SO, WHICH STORY DID YOU LIKE?

Even though most of the movie was treated with overwrought and unwarranted importance, nothing that happened could be declared useless. But there were so many things that were given importance I wondered which thread of the story was the one that mattered most. How important was the generous time spent on the entomologist's theories? What role would the girl's talent with insects play? Why is the school so important? Does the hot but nasty teacher hold any significance? Was that time spent at the bank warranted? It turned out that all of the unique threads had very convoluted and somewhat ludicrous connection to how the film ended. I was forced to invest effort into all of the deceptive threads resulting in disappointment at their ultimate lack of importance. The worst part about it was that most of it wasn't particularly exciting or interesting.

-AT LEAST THE T-SHIRT IS OK. (Content could be interpreted as spoilers)

So I went through all this effort on stuff that varied in importance because I couldn't be sure what really mattered. My reward for all of this was an ending that bordered on cheating. It turns out the murders were committed by someone we never met directly or were never given cause to suspect until they are revealed. You could not possibly have deduced who it was because no meaningful clues were ever presented. Luckily, the ending has enough wacked-out moments and lively pacing that at least some satisfaction is achieved. However, that's only when compared to the rest of the films slogging pace.

-JUST BE YOURSELF JENNIFER.

Jennifer Connelly and Donald Pleasance are the big attraction here. Jennifer is very good at acting like Jennifer; a female Harrison Ford. Donald scrapped his usually wonderful British accent for a nearly undecipherable Scottish accent. There were other actors I won't mention though they were all capable for the most part. The chimp (Yes, the chimp) was actually an interesting figure whose function is clumsily jammed into place.

-SHE'S BRUSHING HER TEETH; CUE MOTORHEAD.

The music was wildly varied in style from scene to scene and just as wildly inappropriate in its placement. We often get scenes of someone walking slowly with some crazy guitar rock grinding away in the background. I can't say this had a big impact on me because I had bigger problems than the music to worry about. It didn't help though.

-SAY IT ISN'T SO!!

Some might be disappointed that there is no nudity and limited gore in this film. I don't mind those things but it wasn't a major sticking point with me in "Phenomena". I will say that a little more gore and nudity might have distracted me from the sluggish pace of the story. Yet, I think it would have had limited affect. Of course, the frenzied ending, which could be considered gratuitous, goes a long way to keep this from being a total loss.

-VENUS FLYTRAP.

As I stated before, Argento has a talent for giving drama to the most mundane event. Up to now, I really do like the overall feel of his films. They have a very inviting visual style. However, the enticing visuals could not enhance the plodding story enough to keep me interested or entertained throughout. He almost fooled me into believing that what I was seeing was always important.

-THE FLY ON THE WALL.

The fly on the wall knows the truth. In all honestly, I didn't like the way this story was played out. It was almost as if Argento had an ending in mind and then back-loaded the story to provide him all the pieces to construct his grand finale. The grand finale was pretty compelling but the back-loaded story was clumsy and those pieces didn't always fit too well. Why Jennifer's talent with bugs is important, why the chimp matters, why we spend so much time at school or in the bank and everything else was not nearly as important as the attention it was given. No matter how visually compelling things were, the events taking place just weren't that big a deal most of the time. Though Argento's talent is evident, the decent acting and visual aspects of this film were not enough to fix the convoluted story.

Story.....2 stars

Acting...3.5 stars

Visuals...4 stars

Music....2.5 stars

Average..3 stars

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I'm a big Dario Argento fan particularly of his output starting with "Bird with a Crystal Plumage" up through the ferocious 1987 film "Opera". While his films after "Opera" in my eyes saw a increasingly depressing drop in quality that unfortunately continues to this day, those films from BWTCP up through and including Opera are all great films that are just stunning to watch purely from a craft & filmmaking standpoint. "Phenomena" was released in 1985 to lukewarm reviews as the film was just so out there from a purely stylistic standpoint that many people didn't quite know to make of it. It also didn't help that in America almost an entire half hour was cut out of the film for its release under the alternate title "Creepers". You had a 13 year old Jennifer Connelly who could communicate with insects, Donald Pleasance with a pet monkey that was also his helper and a dwarf killer running around murdering young girls at an all girl school in Switzerland where the film is set to name a few of the delightful oddities that make this film so much fun. I can't neglect to mention the heavy metal soundtrack that plays along with most of the murder scenes too. The film is also puncuated with his trademark over-the-top graphic violence throughout. While I don't think it's Dario's best film, it is my personal favorite movie of his that I come back to the most.

Prior to this blu ray release, Anchor Bay had released the 110 minute Europeran cut of the film first in non-anamorphic widescreen DVD and then with a new anamorphic transfer that also preserved the film's original 1.66:1 theatrical aspect ratio. What some people didn't realize at the time was that there was still a longer Italian cut that was close to 116 minutes in length. For the film's blu ray release, Arrow Video decided to release the full 116 minute Italian cut. Since English dialogue hadn't been recorded for these additional scenes, the film occasionally switches back to the Italian language track with English subtitles similar to what Anchor Bay had to do with their DVD/blu-ray of Dario's classic film "Deep Red". It's not nearly as as jarring as it sounds.

A lot of people have taken Arrow Video to task for their transfers used on their blu-rays of Argento's amazing 1982 film "Tenebrae" and some of Lucio Fulci's great horror titles. There was also complaints about the transfer of Phenomena too. I find all of these complaints hogwash for the most part because even with the blu-ray's imperfections visually, it still blows the old DVD's away without even trying.

The complaint about Phenomena is that digital noise reduction was used to erase some of the film grain which gives the film a cleaner look than people would like. The DNR isn't overdone though and the cast never begin to have any waxy looks like when DNR is used egregiously like the ultimate hunter edition of Predator or Fox's initial blu-ray of Patton. Would I preferred for all of the film grain to have been left in, most certainly. But there is still a ton of detail that is a massive leap both over the older DVD's and the colors really pop in a way that it's truly like seeing the film again for the first time. The difference between this blu ray and the older Anchor Bay DVD is truly like night and day.

The sound is presented in two channel stereo which sounds fine. Cool extras include a 52 minute making of featurette, a little over 6 minute discsussion on the original music by Cladio Simonetti and an almost 19 minute Q&A with Sergio Stivaletti discussing the film's creature and gore effects. None of the extras from the Anchor Bay DVD have been carried over including the commentary track so completists will want to hang onto that old DVD.

The blu-ray is region free NTSC format including all of the extras so it plays perfectly in all US blu ray players. This is well worth picking up for fans of this criminally underrated film and a great upgrade that all fans should enjoy greatly.

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Grand Hotel (2013)

The Best Picture of 1931-2 "Grand Hotel" deserved it's Oscar and deserves it's place in history as a forerunner of star-studded films to come. The cast alone is worth watching the film for. But the film stands on it's own as well and is smoothly done considering the intertwining stories of various people whose paths (and fates) cross in that posh Berlin establishment. Greta Garbo as a depressed ballerina is one reason to see this but there's John and Lionel Barrymore in great roles, Joan Crawford as an ambitious stenographer with moral issues, Wallace Beery and other recognizable actors in character roles. Warner Bros. has done a good job with the DVD print so this is definitely a collector's item. There are some amazing interior shots inside the hotel with a wonderful art deco look to them. This hotel where "nothing ever happens" is a must for vintage classic film lovers. It's a rare treasure that's been wonderfully preserved for future film lovers to enjoy. See it for a classic look at what going to the movies in the 30's used to be about.

"Grand Hotel" concerns guests staying at Berlin's Grand Hotel. There's the high strung, tempermental ballerina (Greta Garbo), the sassy vamp-like stenographer (Joan Crawford), the boorish industrialist (Wallace Beery), the stricken labourer (Lionel Barrymore)and the devilishly handsome baron (John Barrymore). These seemingly separate lives cross over some happily so, others with tragic circumstances all thoroughly absorbing and brilliantly performed. At the time of its release "Grand Hotel" was the first movie to feature more than one star above the title credits.

TRANSFER: After years of looking as though the camera negative had been fed through a meat grinder, this DVD digital remastering is a considerable improvement. Having said that, a lot of work is still needed to get this one looking up to par. Solid blacks are about the best thing on this DVD. Contrast levels appear too low in many of the scenes. There are a considerable number of age related artifacts and quite a bit of film grain present on this 70 plus year old classic. The audio has been extensively cleaned up but continues to exhibit considerable hiss. Truly, if this is a special edition it's one of the poorest I've seen.

EXTRAS: Some featurettes that round out the history if too briefly, of this classic film.

BOTTOM LINE: "Grand Hotel" is undeniably engrossing and a brilliant Oscar winner that is sure to enthrall for decades to come! For the film and NOT the transfer, this is an absolute must for your film library!!!

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Although the whole cast deserves accolades, it is the work of Lionel Barrymore that I find compelling. He plays Otto Kringelin, the regular working man who finds himself incurably ill. He decides to spend his last days in luxury at the beautiful Grand Hotel. He makes the acquaintance of a baron (his brother, John), acquires a girlfriend (Joan Crawford), and gets a chance to tell off his boss (Wallace Beery). He achieves the dream that many people have, but never realize. His acting throughout is honest and you find yourself cheering for him.

The casting of this movie shows absolute genius. Garbo is beautiful and engimatic as Grusenskaya the dancer, John Barrymore is the suave but impovrished baron masquerading as a jewel thief, Joan Crawford as Flamchen never looked more beautiful (although she appears in yet another of her stenographer roles), and Wallace Beery comes off well as the ruthless businessman. All of the personalities blend together to make this a memorable film.

The quote "Grand Hotel...people come, people go, nothing ever happens" is the opening and closing line of the movie, but don't let that fool you! A lot happens and this movie is well worth the time it takes you to see it.

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I have a particular affinity for films from the pre-code era, and "Grand Hotel" is by far my favorite of this genre. After numerous viewings, I began to understand this wonderful film as a portrayal of the tremendous struggle life must have been for Germans of the Weimar period, even for the entrepreneurial and aristocratic classes, especially in this critical year before power was handed over to Hitler. In this movie, everyone is broke except the mousy little clerk played by Lionel Barrymore, and every character is trying in his or her own way to achieve or hold on to the dream-world lifestyle they remembered from the days before the Great War. The hotel decor is very trendy (the bar seats its patrons practically above the heads of standees) and the rooms are large, plush and satiny.

The high point of "Grand Hotel", for me, is the central love scene between John Barrymore and Greta Garbo, which is probably the most gorgeous ever filmed -enchanted, poignant and steeped in doom. The actors were also demonstrably attracted to each other, adding depth and authenticity.

I have to disagree with another reviewer here: I find John Barrymore's performance quite restrained, even staid at times, and Garbo's very mannered (and -listen carefully -she says "I ouant to be alone", not "I vant..."). Barrymore did plenty of "over the top" performances, but this isn't one of them. Compare "Twentieth Century", "Midnight", or his last film, "Playmates". (Actually, "Playmates", an embarrassing stinker made the year before his death, is valuable for an amazing 30-second jewel in its center -a tearful impromptu rendering of as much of the Hamlet "To Be" soliloquy as the poor man can remember, in which he seems to grieve the own slings and arrows of his own life and to beg for release.)

Lionel is absolutely priceless, as skillful a comic actor as he is a dramatic one (it is said that comedy is much more difficult). Young Joan Crawford is breezy and delightful, with no evidence of the harridan she was to become later in her career. Wallace Beery is, as expected, wonderfully gross and heavy-handed, but the director forgot to tell him to lose the thick accent, since his character is supposed to be a native German speaker like everyone else (except, perhaps, Jean Hersholt's).

People say that this movie is dated. Of course it is! So are "It's a Wonderful Life", "Casablanca" and "The Wizard of Oz". Every movie, even a classic, carries the style and ambience -as well as the limited technology -of the era in which it was made. A film's date should not be a criticism but an invitation to a treat for latter-day viewers: time-travel into a universe their own older loved ones may have inhabited.

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MGM's 1932 all-star extravaganza, GRAND HOTEL, was the first of its kind to include several major box-office names in one production. The film utilized a wide range of filming techniques overhead crane shots, moving camera, cross cutting, artistic lighting and long takes to infuse emotion and drama into its premise which takes place entirely at a posh Berlin hotel while overlapping the individual crises of its patrons. It was a novel idea and proved extremely successful, spawning many similarly structured films such as DINNER AT EIGHT (MGM,1933), WEEKEND AT THE WALDORF (MGM,1945), THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (Warner Brothers,1954), and THE V.I.P.S (MGM, 1963), to name a few.

Based on a novel and play by Vicki Baum, GRAND HOTEL was directed by Edmund Goulding and stars Greta Garbo, John and Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford and Wallace Beery all in roles of equal importance, and each shines in what counts among their best performances. The luminous Garbo is perfect as a tired of life ballerina, her stylized acting captures just the right note of eccentricity. This is the film in which she utters her signature line, "I want (not "vant") to be alone". Crawford is radiant, chic and sensitive as a stenographer assigned to work for boorish business magnate Beery, who, despite his villainous character, manages to generate our sympathy. Beery is the only one to affect a German accent which serves to underscore his menace and alienates him from the other characters. John Barrymore displays his celebrated profile and gives a touching and ultimately tragic portrayal as a thief forced into his trade out of dire need, and Lionel Barrymore is a likeable old fellow who believes he's dying and decides to live it up during his stay at the Grand Hotel.

The hotel itself figures as one of the main characters, and its elaborate art-deco design is showcased to great advantage, consisting of a circular construction and checkered floor tiles, topped off by the main lobby desk and telephone switchboard. Everything was given top-notch treatment, resulting in a film that epitomizes the Hollywood studio system at its very finest. Quality and dignity represented the order of the day in that classical period of filmmaking, and GRAND HOTEL met every expectation both critically and publically, going on to win Best Picture of 1932. To this day it's still regarded as one of the greatest films of its decade, and has been selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

The newest Blu-ray release of GRAND HOTEL from Warners is quite grand to be sure, with a clarity and density that outdoes the previous DVD. The grain configuration is tantamount to 35mm film, and details in clothing and background elements are readily apparent. This pristine presentation of an 81 year old film makes one appreciate even more the exceptional skill of the cinematographers of that time. Of course, they also had movie stars with the kinds of fabulous faces that the camera could adore. The audio on this release is clear and crisp, with voices registering at a pleasing pitch without any distortion. All in all, it makes viewing this vintage classic a very enjoyable experience.

The extras are all taken from the DVD: "Checking Out" a making-of documentary, the Grauman's Chinese Theater premiere newsreel, "Just a Word of Warning" Theater Announcement, the Vitaphone spoof "Nothing Ever Happens", and trailers for GRAND HOTEL and WEEKEND AT THE WALDORF a 1945 semi remake. The only new feature is a well researched commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Mark Vieira which adds insight and is particularly helplful to viewers who are challenged by older movies.

Highly recommended.

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Gandhi (1982)

This movie was the realization of a lifetime dream for Sir Richard Attenborough, who finally succeeded in bringing this incredible spectacular to theatrical release in 1982. I was living outside London working for the American Forces in the greater London area at the time, so was thrilled to have the privilege to see this movie in its limited initial release in Britain, and was amazed by its scope, accuracy and integrity in bringing the quite controversial facts surrounding Gandhi's life and politically-motivated assassination to the screen. Ben Kingsley is simply magnificent as the diminutive, principled, and indefatiguable lawyer, humanitarian, and citizen of the world with an uncannily prescient feel for what was possible for a determined and energetic person as well as how to achieve his lofty otherworldly goals right here on earth.

Based on his appraoch here, Attenborough seems to have learned much from such masterful British film-makers as David Lean, for the use of scenery, topography, and natural surrounding of the characters as they wind through the more than 40 years of story line is breath-taking. His methods owe much to the kind of subtle insinuation of the local environment David Lean in particular used so memorably in movies like "Bridge Over The River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia" (see my reviews) in making the scenery more than an incidental player in the storyline. Seeing Gandhi immersed in the incredible multidimensional diversities that were (and are) India helps the viewer as we begin to understand just how incredible his efforts were to unite the country with his strange yet irresistible moral authority, an authority that all of the various factions recognized and respected as the authentic thing.

There is, of course, an immensely talented cast, including Martin Sheen as an American newspaper correspondent who becomes intrigued by Gandhi's profound and surprisingly effective non-violent approach to social change. Gandhi's approach to using reason and morality to approach issues and perspectives, and these methods become the real star of the film as it builds slowly over the scope of this very literate and intelligent script. This is a wonderful motion picture experience for anyone willing to sit through the more than three hour extravaganza, one that guarantees Attenborough's prominent place in film history, and one that leaves this reviewer smacking his lips in anticipation of whatever other wonderful effort such as this may someday appear based on Attenborough's talents, visions, and moral sensibilities. Enjoy!

It all began simple enough with the purchase of a first class train ticket by Mr. Mohandas Gandhi, Esq., recently arrived in South Africa, and unaware that as an Indian, he was required to travel third class and not entitled to such a ticket. Literally thrown off the train for his transgression, the young attorney, embodied to perfection by Ben Kingsley, spent a full night sitting on the platform, musing how best to respond to such discrimination. Shortly thereafter, and after consultations with established members of his community, he wrote his first treatises and organized his first demonstrations. And when participants of a protest assembly stood up and proclaimed their willingness to die in the fight against suppression, Gandhi once and for all formulated his doctrine of nonviolent protest: "They may torture my body, break my bones; even kill me. Then they will have my dead body not my obedience."

Shot largely on four Indian locations, Richard Attenborough's nine-time Oscar-winning biography of Gandhi is a sweeping epic that takes the viewer back to Britain's colonial past, covering all major events of Gandhi's political career from its beginnings in South Africa to the March to the Sea and India's independence, and contrasting the luxurious lifestyle of the foreign rulers with the poverty of those they governed; that India which, as Gandhi soon realized, not only the British didn't understand, but whose population also could not have cared less about the activities of the Indian Congress Party, at the time little more than a group of well-to-do city dwellers mentally and socially almost as far removed from the rest of their country as the British. Twenty years in the making, the movie is clearly reverential of Gandhi's genius, and of the man whose symbolic growth was reverse parallel to his retreat into simplicity, and who for that very reason, and because of his unfaltering commitment to nonviolence on the one hand and India's independence on the other hand, accomplished what only few people would otherwise have thought possible: to convince the world's biggest colonial power to give up the crown jewel among its colonies; and to do so in a gesture of friendship and without civil war. The one aspect of Gandhi's life that falls a bit short here is the effect that his overbearing symbolic status had on his family life, which necessarily had to suffer as a result (unable to cope with his father's fame and chosen lifestyle, Gandhi's eldest son, for example, threw himself into a life of alcoholism and prostitution). But Gandhi is not depicted as a saint, and particularly during his early years, we learn about the struggle that went into the formation of the man who later earned the title "Great Soul" (Mahatma). Even anticipating that he might be killed by an assassin's bullet, Gandhi once said that he would only deserve that title if he could accept that bullet with Rama's (God's) name on his lips: fittingly, the movie begins with his assassination and comes full circle at the end, affirming that Gandhi truly was a Great Soul throughout.

Attenborough found his perfect Gandhi in Ben Kingsley, who not so much plays but truly *is* the Mahatma; from his appearance to the inflection of his voice, attitudes and gestures. Over the year-long struggles to finance the movie, Attenborough's first choices for the role had grown too old to convincingly play the young Gandhi in South Africa, but eventually Michael Attenborough pointed his father to Kingsley, then with the Royal Shakespeare Company, who reportedly won the role by meeting Attenborough in full Gandhi makeup at their first get-together, thus instantly convincing him that he had found his man. Yet, despite his gift for mimicry and his part-Indian heritage, Kingsley nevertheless turned to his Indian costars, particularly Rohini Hattangadi, who plays Gandhi's wife Kasturba, to fine-tune his portrayal; and he recalls in an interview for the movie's DVD release that the skill he found the most difficult to master was to spin and to talk at the same time. The use of the actual British newsreels covering Gandhi's visit to England adds to the movie's sense of authenticity and emphasizes yet again Ben Kingsley's achievement in transforming himself into the Mahatma.

In fact, his awardwinning performance so overshadows every other actor in the movie that it would be easy to overlook the fine performances of his costars, all of whom contributed to the movie's unique quality to name but a few, Sir John Gielgud, whom Kingsley praises as "a national treasure" (British viceroy Lord Irwin), Roshan Seth (Pandit Nehru), Martin Sheen (NY Times reporter Vincent Walker), Candice Bergen (People Magazine's Margaret Bourke-White), Ian Charleson (Gandhi's early friend and colaborator Reverend Andrews), Edward Fox (General Dyer, the man responsible for the massacre at Amritsar, who testified at his court-martial that his intention had been to "teach a lesson that would be heard throughout India"); and Trevor Howard as Judge Broomfield, who had to sentence Gandhi to prison for his outright admission that he was guilty of the charge of advocating sedition because of his belief "that non-cooperation with evil is a duty and British rule in India is evil," and who nevertheless rose at Gandhi's entrance into the courtroom instead of making the prisoner rise for him, and commented on the sentence he had to impose that "if ... his Majesty's government should, at some later date, see fit to reduce the term, no one will be better pleased than I."

The movie ends with Gandhi's affirmation that when he despaired, he remembered that "all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers; for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of this: Always." Such a belief may be difficult to hold on to, particularly for us who are so much more fallible than the Mahatma. Yet, this movie eloquently pleads that it is, at least, worth our very best effort.

Also recommended:

Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth

The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas

Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire (Philip E. Lilienthal Book in Asian Studies)

HALFWAY TO FREEDOM In the Words and Pictures of Margaret Bourke-White

The Last Emperor Criterion Collection

Kundun

Anne Frank The Whole Story

Henry David Thoreau : Collected Essays and Poems (Library of America)

Buy Gandhi (1982) Now

I watched this movie years ago having not seen it since I was a kid. After watching it I decided to write my senior research paper about him, as I wanted an excuse to not just read and absorb him, but gush about him to someone.

Gandhi was a great man. What a tale it is, from being a reletively simple, unknown attorney to becoming one of the greatest world leaders in history. His turning point moment came when he was thrown off a train for sitting in the first class car in South Africa. He would not allow for Indians to be treated like third class citizens anymore and moved towards equality. Not only did he achieve the smaller equalities, but he overthrew the British Empire's occupation and at long last freed India.

I will spare the blow by blow of this movie, as it tells his story so well (if just glossing over just a few of his major points and good works for people). But this movie, as well as his written work, taught me how to be a better person. Despite how corny and silly that may sound of me, I learned not to complain. Even the scummiest of jobs (ex. rake and cover the latrine) you do with joy. People lash out at others when they are angry and unhappy, and yes they hurt you, but you will not be beaten down if you realize that happiness is not handed to you but earned by our own efforts. I always remember his words in my darkest hours ...

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderes, for a time they can seem invincable but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always."

If that doesn't bring tears to your eyes, then nothing will.

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Students of history and film alike can well appreciate this great piece of filmmaking about a truly great historical figure.

It took Director/Producer Richard Attenborough 20 years to put the life work of Mohandas K. Gandhi on film. The picture among it's many international awards was also winner of 9 well deserved Academy Awards. Among them, Best Picture(1982),Best Actor(Ben Kingsley),Best Cinematography,Best Screnplay, and Best Director.

The "Mahatma"(Great Soul) as Gandhi was called by his followers,devoted his life to secure freedom for the people of his country, India. From the time as a young attorney, traveling through S. Africa, where he was literally thrown off a train due to his race, until his death by assassination,he led his people with hope and strong beliefs.The British Monarch ruled the nation of India, and treated the citizens as second class. Gandhi would change all that through the means of peaceful civil disobedience, often leading to beatings, imprisoment or both for all that particapted in these demonstrations.In one particular case, even more tragic, gunfire was opened on 15,000 men women and children gathered in rally, many were killed.Gandhi's answer was not revenge however, he felt that if "every man took an eye for an eye, the whole world would be blind."

The film also depicts the famous "March to The Sea", when Gandhi led thousands, to show the British that the salt(an important commidity to them) belonged to everyone,the hunger strikes he went on, and finally the respect earned him by even the British.

Reporters from around the world eventually learned of this great man and flocked to get his story.It follows through on the time after India gained it's Independence from England, and began to have civil probelms of it's own, with conflicts arising between the Muslims, and the Hindu. Again Gandhi would go on hunger strikes to bring peace to his nation.And finally his assassination which stunned the world, that this great man of peace would have his life ended so violently.The funeral scene is a sight to behold.

The film is extraordinary. The cinematography(Filmed mostly in India), the costumes designs, the acting, will all keep you totaly involved with this story of historical importance. Performances by Ben Kingsley, Martin Sheen,Candace Bergen, Sir John Gielgud, Trevor Howard and Edward Fox were all a stroke a brillant casting.Also look for a very young Daniel Day Lewis early on in the film. The music by Ravi Shankar and George Fenton(also given a nod by the academy) encompasses the true culture of India.

The DVD enhances all of the terrific qualities of the film. The widescreen(2.35:1) is perfect. The picture quality and colors clear and vibrant. Sound and dialouge excellent as well. Columbia/Tri-Star has given this important film the treatment it deserves. There are also some great extras. Ben Kingsley talks about Ghandi and how he got into character, there is some original newsreel footage of Ghandi(watch this and you will realize what a remarkable job Kingsley has done), there's a photo montage, and several langauge subtitles(No Indian languages though,.. hmmm???).All together a great DVD.

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We are not perfect, but if we decide to do better than what has been the norm for humanity, we can. Gandhi chose to be a better man than he was and through his will power, guided but not blinded by his convictions, he embarked on a life that led him to challenge accepted notions on many aspects of our lives. He was creative, asking questions others did not ask and inventing answers others did not offer, with respect to problems we still face. And then he lived by what he discovered. He did not let his fears control him, but rather experimented with his own life to try out those answers. He sought the "truth" and tried to live by it. Above all, he tried to be honest with himself and with others. He tried not to inflict suffering, while also not allowing it to be accepted.

He was not a supreme, magical being. He was not a saint. He was one more human being. He just slowly, sequentially, and then decidedly chose to find and follow whatever the truth may be, within a path of love and acceptance for fellow human beings.

Most of us focus on the negative side of human nature. Most have no real faith in humanity. Here, though, is proof that we can do better.

There is hope for us. But hope exists only if there is willingness to steadfastly, stubbornly, but DEFINITELY NOT CLOSED-MINDEDLY work for it.

I recommend this movie for teenagers and young adults, after an introduction to the history that led to the conditions in Ganghi's India, and the ideas permeating Western politics and ethics in that era.

To anyone wishing to understand his psyche more fully, I'd recommend his autobiography:

THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH

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