Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

(In fact 4.5 Stars) Though 'Howl's Moving Castle' ('Hauru-no Ugoku Shiro') may not be Miyazaki's best film, it is still far more enjoyable than many other films, Japanese or American, animated or not. I for one very much enjoyed watching it, and I love the film for its interesting characters and the rich textures of the designs, especially the fantasy world itself where witchcraft and humans' mundane works can be seen side by side. And the titular six-legged castle that really walks among the wilderness is something you never see except in his films.

Miyazaki's new film is based on a book of the same title written by Diana Wynne Jones. The film's story is told from the viewpoint of a 18-year-old girl Sophie, who is working at a milliner's shop every day. But she can hear the sound of bloody battles from the distance, and it is clear that this beautiful country, where witches and wizards live among humans, is going to see another war sooner or later.

But apparently Sophie is still leading an ordianary life until her uneventful routine days are suddenly broken by one accidental meeting with wicked 'Witch of the Waste,' who turns her into an old woman with a curse. Seeking for her place to live, Sophie goes to the wilderness where, the townspeople say, a young wizard named Howl wanders. In fact, Sophie encounters Howl's Moving Castle in the foggy moutainside, and she decides to hop in. There, forbidden to talk about her curse, she starts a new life with young and handsome Howl, who speaks to her kindly like a prince, but at times acts like a spoiled child.

[MIYAZAKI'S LOVE STORY] You will be impressed with many fantastic and colorful images created by Miyazaki. You might find an anti-war message deep in the film's story, but will find the romantic relations between Sophie and Howl is the most touching and impressive part of the film. Sophie's romantic feeling towards Howl is expressed in a unique way (which I don't disclose here), and Miyazaki, as usual, is very good at drawing the character of this independent heroine. One interesting thing is, probably this is the first case in which Miyazaki attempted to show a love story in his films. And a kiss too.

I must say that not everything works in 'Howl's Moving Castle.' I haven't read the original book, but it is obvious that Miyazaki made changes. Not that I'm blaming them. But the story is sometimes told too hurriedly, and when you think something (actions or whatever) will start, it ends abruptly. Howl's character is full of contradictory traits, that's good, but his complicated personality could have been more effective and convincing with more detailed episodes about, say, his mentor magician (and politician) Madam Suliman or Witch of the Waste.

(If I am not mistaken, 'Howl's Moving Castle' is a rare case for Miyazaki who prefers to use his own stories, and this is the first time he adapts someone else's story in 15 years, last time being 'Kiki's Delivery Service. But 'Kiki's' story written by Eiko Kadono is not long -I know, I read -while 'Howl's' story is, I think, much longer. Maybe these facts have soemthing to do with my complaint.)

Greatly helped by Jo Hisaishi's beautiful score, 'Howl's Moving Castle' is full of imaginative power, with one strong heroine you can relate to (though she is 90-years-old), plus memorable supports including fire damon Calcifer, (not a bad guy at all), and ubiquitous Prince Turnip who always appears at the right moment. Flawed, to be sure, but enjoyable fantasy tale with a healthy amount of humor and lots of imagination.

The review above refers to the original Japanese version. I know the English version includes the voices of Christian Bale, Jean Simmons, and Billy Crystal, but as I have never seen the version, I did not talk about them. Still, as Mr. Miyazaki is not likely to approve any changes done to his films, I hope what I saw in Japan, you will see in your country.

Not a lot of directors would be brave enough to take on a love story between a girl-turned-old-lady and a wizard missing a vital organ. But Oscar-winning Hayao Miyazaki tackles a new fantasy realm in in "Howl's Moving Castle" -namely, that of fantasy dowager Diana Wynne Jones.

Sophie (Emily Mortimer) is a plain, unhappy young woman working in a milliner's shop -lightened only slightly by a mysterious wizard who rescues her one day. But then the evil Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall) comes into the shop, and casts a spell on her, turning her into an ancient old lady (Jean Simmons). Sophie ends up wandering into the Moving Castle, a chicken-legged chaos machine, and encountering the sexy if childish wizard Howl (Christian Bale), smart-aleck fire demon Calcifur (Billy Crystal), and preteen apprentice Markl (Josh Hutcherson).

Sophie appoints herself the cleaning lady and starts whipping the castle into shape, trying to deal with Howl's temper tantrums and the war brewing all around them, and trying to cure her peculiar curse. But when she runs an errand to a castle in Howl's place, she finds that her new boss has some sinister problems of his own -including his missing heart, and impending transformation into a monster.

Don't expect much fidelity to the novel; Miyazaki takes plenty of liberties with the story. As a result, it feels more like his story than Jones', with all the earmarks he usually has -blobby monsters, colorful rural settings, intense anti-war messages, strange machines, and a Jules-Verne atmosphere of Victorian technology. But "Howl's Moving Castle" is very different from the others Miyazaki has done, since he kept the British flavour of the original book.

It's also different because it's a love story -and a surprisingly un-cheesy one. In less skilled hands, having Howl say "I finally found something worth protecting. It's you" would seem inane, but Miyazaki keeps it brief and powerful. And even though Sophie looks elderly through most of the movie, Miyazaki never falls into trite observations about inner beauty. He just lets the story tell us that.

The animation is virtually flawless, from the chaotic absurdity Moving Castle to the breathtaking aerial battles with the bird-man Howl. Tiny details are everywhere, from painted ceiling beams to elaborate doorknobs. But there are also quiet, entertaining moments, such as Sophie attempting to houseclean the entire Moving Castle. Calcifur is the one sore point -he's not done badly, but he looks vaguely artificial. I suppose a fire demon is hard to animate.

There are a few flaws, in that the story could have used a bit more fleshing out -at times the relationships between the characters are sketchy. Not much detail, for example, is given about sorceress Suliman (Blythe Danner) and her relationship to Howl, or why she's so peeved at him. Or about the nature of Howl's increasingly dangerous magic and why he did what he did to lose his heart.

While there are the usual "howls" that the English dubbing is inferior to the original Japanese, the assorted voice actors did exceptional work in the American version. Christian Bale and Billy Crystal are the major standouts -Crystal is funny and dry as usual, while Bale is sultry, sexy, soft-spoken and deep. Except, of course, when Howl runs around the house shrieking that his hair is ruined.

"Howl's Moving Castle" moves on a little too fast in places, but it's still a breathtaking, romantic, colorful ride. A wonderful story, told by one of the few filmmakers who could do it justice.

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Probably many people find the story confusing. I felt the same thing when I saw it in the theater for the first time! The story seemed arbitrary and I couldn't connect the pieces together. But when I watch it again on the DVD, I realize the movie is probably about one thing: personal freedom.

Howl is a free person. He doesn't has a heart and even his home (which is usually characterized as a stable point in one's life) can move :-) He is disguised as different wizards in different counties, and when Sophie asks him how many identities he has, he said "Enough to guarantee my freedom". When Sophie confronts Suliman, she comments Howl as "selfish and cowardly and unpredictable, but he's straight as an arrow. He only wants to be free." But in Miyazaki's world, nothing is black and white. According to Suliman, Howl's power is too great for a person without heart, and he will eventually becomes a monster (some political figures come to my mind).

Sophie, on the other hand, is bounded by responsibilities. She is young, but her heart is old. She refuses the invitation from her friends and keep working at the hat shop. When her sister asks her "Are you going to spend your life in that shop?" She replies "It meant so much to papa. Besides, I'm the eldest.". Even her sister asks her to "look out for yourself".

When Sophie is turned to an old lady, it actually set her free because the good thing of being old is that one has "so little to lose" She becomes more adventurous and takes control of her life. She is very assertive as being the cleaning lady in Howl's castle and even tames Calcifer to cook her food. For Howl, his turning point comes when he refuses to move his castle anymore (I'll leave it to the reader as why he does that) By the end of movie, he regains his heart. He feels terrible because it is like "trapped under a stone". And Sophie says, "Yes, a heart is a heavy burden".

There are other wonderful things in the movie. For example, this is probably one of the few movies that tell me what it is really like to be old. But I do want to highlight the thread about personal freedom as it will help you to tie up the pieces of the story.

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Not a lot of directors would be brave enough to take on a love story between a girl-turned-old-lady and a wizard missing a vital organ.

But Oscar-winning director/writer Hayao Miyazaki tackles a new fantasy realm in in "Howl's Moving Castle." In this case, it's the world of fantasy dowager Diana Wynne Jones, and he wraps the storyline in humor, romance and genuine flair. No, it's not faithful. But it is fantastic.

Sophie (Emily Mortimer) is a plain, unhappy young woman working in a milliner's shop. But then the evil Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall) comes into the shop, and turns her into a hobbled old lady (Jean Simmons). Sophie ends up wandering into the Moving Castle, a chicken-legged chaos machine, and encountering the sexy, immature wizard Howl (Christian Bale), smart-aleck fire demon Calcifur (Billy Crystal), and preteen apprentice Markl (Josh Hutcherson).

Sophie appoints herself the cleaning lady and starts whipping the castle into shape, trying to deal with Howl's temper tantrums and the rapidly deepening war. And, of course, trying to de-curse herself. But when she runs an errand that Howl is too scared to deal with, she finds that her new boss has some sinister problems of his own -including a missing heart.

Don't expect much fidelity to the humorous fantasy novel. Miyazaki takes plenty of liberties with the story, leaving out characters and adjusting others. As a result, it feels more like his story than Jones', with the earmarks of his style -blobby monsters, colorful rural settings, intense anti-war messages, strange machines, and a Jules-Verne atmosphere of Victorian technology. But "Howl's Moving Castle" is very different from the others Miyazaki has done, since he kept the British flavour of the original book.

Moreover, it's a love story. Miyazaki has vaguely touched on romance in prior movies, but here it's full-blown, and surprisingly un-cheesy. In less skilled hands, having Howl say "I finally found something worth protecting. It's you" would seem inane. In Miyazaki's hands, it's not. And even though Sophie looks elderly through most of the movie, Miyazaki never falls into trite observations about inner beauty. He just lets the story show it.

Not that it's all lovey-doviness -Sophie's housecleaning and Calcifur ("Sophie, help! I'm going out!") provide plenty of amusement. And the animation is as close to flawless as you can get, from the chaotic absurdity Castle to the breathtaking aerial battles that Howl swoops in on. Tiny details are everywhere, from painted ceiling beams to elaborate doorknobs. Calcifur is the one sore point -he's not done badly, but he looks vaguely artificial.

There are a few flaws in that the story could have used a bit more fleshing out -at times the relationships between the characters are sketchy. Not much detail, for example, is given about sorceress Suliman (Blythe Danner) and her relationship to Howl, why she's so peeved at him. And it's a bit hard to comprehend why Howl's condition would turn him into a monster bird.

And while there are the usual "howls" that the English dubbing is inferior to the original Japanese vocal work, the American voice actors did exceptional work. Christian Bale and Billy Crystal are the major standouts -Crystal is funny and dry as usual, while Bale is sultry, sexy, soft-spoken and deep. Except, of course, when Howl runs around the house wailing that his hair is ruined.

"Howl's Moving Castle" moves on a little too fast in places, but it's still a breathtaking, romantic, colorful ride. A wonderful story, told by one of the few filmmakers who could do it justice.

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Well before HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, Hayao Miyazaki had established himself as the finest creator of feature length animated films in the history of cinema. So pointing out that this marvelous film isn't quite as good as his very best work really isn't very illuminative. He has done at least three or four films that are better, but that cannot be said of any other animator. This film suffers only by comparison with his own work, not with that of anyone else.

A number of Miyazaki's films have been set in non-Japanese settings, so this one's being imagined in a vaguely European locale really isn't terribly unique. In every other way, this is an exceedingly typical Miyazaki creation. There is, for instance, the preoccupation with flying, fields of non-identical flowers that wave in the breeze (each drawn separately by hand and not computer), richly detailed landscapes, and eccentrically designed rooms. There is hardly a moment in this film that isn't a delight to gaze upon.

In two ways this film stands comparison with anything that Miyazaki has done. First, he has created a host of astonishingly vivid and convincing characters. What is marvelous about them is that none of them are simple, but are wonderfully complex and often deeply flawed. Howl of the title is a powerful sorcerer, horrified by the absurd war being waged in the land, but in danger himself of turning into a giant bird of prey. He is struggling with sanity, infected by the insanity that he sees throughout the world. The central character, Sofia, begins the movie a young, simple girl who embroiders hats in a hat shop, but who is turned into an extremely old woman by a witch's spell. Through the rest of the film the spell waxes and wanes, sometimes maintaining completely the illusion of her being ancient, but sometimes in sleep restoring her completely to her youth. At times she appears a blend of old crone and young girl. There is also a extraordinarily well-conceived scarecrow that lays claim to be the finest such creation since THE WIZARD OF OZ. There is even an animal, a dog that is the utter antithesis of all the too cute, too loud sidekicks that populate the Disney films. Almost immobile, unexpressive, he can't even quite bark, but can only manage a bit of a wheeze.

The second way the film stands out is visually. With one exception, every aspect of this film is magical and unique. For instance, the scarecrow is fascinating to watch at every moment, despite the fact that except for being able to hop about on its post as if it were mounted on a pogo stick, it is incapable of facial expressions or moving either arms or hands or legs. As usual in Miyazaki, every aspect of nature is vibrant and alive, but even more than in previous films his interiors are stunning. Each room is filled with bric-a-brac and personal items that make them feel actual and lived-in unprecedented in animation.

So why does HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE fall short of Miyazaki's very best work, even while it surpasses the work of most others? There are two reasons. First, Calcifer the Fire Demon, at least in the English version (I have not seen the Japanese original), is both uninventively drawn and poorly voiced by Billy Crystal. The drawing I dislike because in contrast with everything else in the movie, Calcifer is drawn as an orange blob with eyes and mouth, a hunk of poorly differentiated color in contrast with everything else onscreen, which is carefully nuanced and hued. It is one of the least imaginatively executed characters in all of Miyazaki. I love Billy Crystal, and have thoroughly enjoyed his work way back in the days of SOAP to the present, but he just wasn't appropriate for this film. His loud, somewhat brash New York accent simply didn't mesh with all of the others. The second major problem I had the film was the last quarter of the story. At a certain point the story lost both its coherence and its pacing, and failed to maintain pace with the earlier parts of the movie. The movie did not fall apart, but neither did it remain equally marvelous throughout.

One other element in the film was both a delight and a mild disappointment: the Castle itself. Visually, this is one of the most amazing things one will see in an animated film, and the magical door that allows one to exit in any of four places suited it perfect. The only problem is that we don't get to see much of the interior. Virtually the entire action is kept inside one room in which all seem to eat and sleep. I wanted Sophie to explore!

These minor points aside, I enjoyed this film very nearly as much as I have any of Miyazaki's other films. If you are a Miyazaki fan, it is highly unlikely that you will have any reaction other than sheer delight, and if have not seen Miyazaki before and love this one, you will be delighted to learn that he has done even better.

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The Twelve Kingdoms, Part 1: Shadow of the Moon, The Sea of Shadow (2011)

This is an amazing anime that I would recommend to anyone. I already own this whole series on DVD (the original 10 individual DVD releases), but I love it so much I decided to buy it on blu-ray too. The picture and sound quality of this blu-ray release is great, so I do plan to buy the rest of the blu-ray releases for this series. I have only ever watched this series in Japanese with English subtitles (I watched this blu-ray release in Japanese DTS-HD 5.1 with English subtitles), so I cannot say what the English dub version is like. This release contains the first 14 episodes on 3 discs (there are 45 episodes total in this series), textless opening and closing, and pilot film. I know this product review is short, but I hope it helps anyone thinking of buying it!

Full disclosure: I love The Twelve Kingdoms and already own the complete DVD set.

This first set comes with the the beginning 15 episodes of the Twelve Kingdoms and perfectly end the first arc of the story, so if this is your first time watching the show it's a perfect introduction. Concerning the show, I personally love the Chinese themes from its beautiful scores to Chinese mythology on kingship that govern the fantasy world Youko enters. The blu-ray set has 5.1 audio and each disc (3 in the set) comes with a small bit of extra content. For instant comparison to the DVD release just watch the text-less opening (which is DVD quality) first, then begin to watch the show and wonder over the richness of the color and crispness of picture.

For a fan like me this was an immediate buy just as every subsequent blu-ray volume to come. However if you have yet to see this show, as someone who has watched hundreds of anime, few rival the Twelve Kingdoms for the content, attention to detail, and sheer complexity of the world. This is a show you can watch multiple times and still learn something new. A word of caution though, there are many terms for characters or sections of the world that aren't immediately explained, just trust that all the answers will come and the viewers confusion or wonder is meant to mirror Youko's as she ventures into this very different, but very relatable world. I hope you will enjoy this show as much as I have.

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If you like fast action, bright colors and cute love stories, don't watch this anime, but this anime has so much more to offer than all that. On the first set (there are two other box sets), the story begins rather slowly and the Protagonist is extremely whinny. The first time I saw this (it was a while ago, I just wanted to get the blu-ray), I almost didn't watch past the first episode; I couldn't stand the protagonist and the back story was just so much to take in while trying to figure out what exactly was going on. It's starts to pick up a storyline around episode 7 and the protagonist stops being so needy.

Needless to say, just have patience and watch the full anime; it's a great story with beautiful music and animation. I can watch it in both English and Japanese and both offer really great voice actors that help to pull your emotions in with the storyline.

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Be the first to own this in HD as an amazing story unfolds towards the destiny of a young school girl who will face many trials and challenges to be one day be known as the rightful ruler of a land corrupted by the years of emptiness at at the royal palace whom she is forced to take on the throne without even knowing the most basic things about life and her kingdom. The beautiful storytelling and the implacable quality of the actors are showing us many lessons of life that are learned as the story unravels itself and the girl becomes a woman of great character.

Out of a thousand anime series watched, this one has come through as the very best of its genre! It is on the same level of quality as Macross Frontier, Chrono Crusade and Heroic Age.

Dakaran

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It's epid yes!!!!!

it's intresting yes!!!!!

it's made for TV's from the 80's yes!!!!

so the screen is not wide screen and NO you cant change it !

Also no english dub, so you have to read and a lot.

this show is a million hours of epic fantasy, very good but very very heavy.

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Kandahar Break (2010)

This is a captivating movie offering some insight in the Taliban-ruled Afghan society and containing fascinating views on the Afghan landscape. The hero who tries to abduct his love from a sinister place is certainly an old literary pattern, but it still works.

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Arthur and the Invisibles

When I origionally saw this film in the cinema, it was great! full of action and the jokes where quite witty.

Unfortunatly this dvd version has been censored to a point where quite a few of the action sequences have been cut out and the film just dosn't flow.

The film cuts from diferent scenes, missing out sections that leave the viewer quite puzzled about how the characters got to the point they are at.

I don't understand why they would censor an animated film that is rated PG anyway.

All in All if you can get your hands on the origional version its a must!

but for the time beeing I'd stay away from it, it kind of ruins the real fun the story has.

Although this movie is quite wonderful in it's original form.

The 'Weinstein' version is disjointed, removes any of the undercurrent for the movie, and makes quite a mess of things in the process.

Save your money, demand that there be a Region 1 Unedited/Directors cut, and you'll be much happier.

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I saw this movie in a German edition first. So I bought it for my daughter in Amazon.com. But the disappointment came as soon as I saw the american version of the film. At least 10 minutes less of the original version because there are many portions which were censored by who knows who. The level of hipocresy of the americans is unbelievable. They converted a very good movie, with a lot of blinks for adults in a light version adapted for the typical stupidity and double moral of the americans. If you want to watch this movie, by the European version, not the american.

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In this great little flick, "Author," we quickly are drawn into the mode as Author's grandmother is about to lose her farm to developers and sees no help in sight since Grandpa has been missing for a long time.

Author listens to the stories that his grandmother reads to him, stories of adventures and little people that his grandfather discovered and helped. Fantacy or truth? Author feels they are true and goes on a search to find clues as to where his grandfather has gone knowing he certainly must have left to find the treasure of jewels that he knew his family would need.

It seems there is a land of tiny people living in Author's garden, a people called the Minimoys and Arthur must allow himself to be shrunk to enter this world, save his grandpa and bring the treasure home to save the farm. The adventure begins as we meet a quite charming and fiesty Princess, a kindly King and a nation of adorable little bitty people. As in any good movie there is always the 'evil one,' as is the case here and we meet Maltazard who has been holding Grandpa captive and is planning to destroy the little people. Can Arthur save the day?

This movie is cute a a button, going back and forth from normal to animated. It held all of our attention from the 8 year old to the 60 year old. It is fun, adventerous and has a happy ending. I think you will like this one.

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One of the most enchanting and delightful fables to ever hit the screen, "Arthur And The Invisibles" is an odyssey of fun, adventure, magic, and comedy that's sure to delight kids of all ages and awaken the hearts of even the crankiest cinema-goers.

A blend of live-action (about a quarter of the film) and high-tech, extremely detailed and beautiful computer animation (the other three quarters), this movie may be, in tone and spirit, the closest thing made outside of Asia to classic Studio Ghibili anime (ex. "Castle In The Sky", "Spirited Away", "My Neighbor Totoro", etc.). Arthur is a little boy who lives with his grandmother on a rambling old family farm while his parents are off in the city searching for employment during hard financial times. Arthur is fascinated with the tales of his grandfather, a currently-missing old adventurer who in his younger days travelled Africa befriending and living with various tribes and cultures, and sometimes aiding the continent through, for example, helping local farmers to introduce irrigation to drought-prone lands. There are many more fantastical adventures the grandfather claims to have had, including meeting a race of African 'wee folk' called the Minimoys. When the family farm is threatened with foreclosure due to outstanding bills, Arthur decides that he needs to locate a treasure of rubies his grandfather acquired in Africa in order to come to his family's aid, and, convinced that these Minimoys now reside on the same land he, his grandmother, and their dog live on, sets out to find these small creatures and enlist their help on his search.

Magically transported into the land of the Minimoys, Arthur finds himself transformed into one of them and, just as he needs help to save his home, finds the Minimoys in need of aid of their own. For it's a time of great strife in this magical wee land, where races other than the Minimoys live and conflict is escalating. An alliance of wonderous characters assembles to tackle their collective problems.

The Minimoys, their world, and the myriad other creatures they share it with are all exceptionally well rendered, and the voice acting is very well performed. The characters are excellent; the Minimoy King, his feisty daughter, and his accident-prone but earnest younger son are among the most instantly captivating, and there's also a little mole with a much smaller role I found absolutely endearing. There's enough "Shrek"/"Toy Story" style humor to appeal greatly to fans of these movies (although in my opinion "Arthur And The Invisibles" is a significantly better movie) and fans of "Spirited Away"-style Japanese anime, "Fairy Tale: A True Story", "E.T.", and "Lilo & Stitch" should all see this as soon as posible. A brilliant movie with room for one or more sequels; few movies have ever debuted which are so ripe for expansion into a full saga. 10/10

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

In a film of beautiful nuance, Richard Attenborough captures the horrors or war and the dignity of those who must endure, soldiers and civilians alike. The stellar cast of "A Bridge Too Far" (a veritable who's who of acting greats) sets this film apart. Sean Connery leaves behind the cool assuredness of Bond and faces futility with a mug of tea while Anthony Hopkins, a proper Englishman in Hell, surrenders with dignity, only reluctantly accepting chocolate from the enemy. James Caan is a particular standout. With true American grit, he bends all the rules and makes good on a pledge. The scale of the film could have wrought disasters on par with the campaign it portrays. Fortunately, the immensity of the Market-Garden campaign, which historically met its Waterloo at Arnhem, doesn't swallow up the stories of individual characters, of the Brit with umbrella for instance or the Dutch resisters who spy for the Allies.

Few World War II flicks showcase the absolute beauty of the European countryside. In "A Bridge Too Far," the landscape, made all the more picturesque in its contrast to the gore and destruction, is certainly an additional star and supports the wisdom of shooting this expensive epic in the Netherlands. The wide-angle approach, as well as the moving score, give balm to eyes and ears now accustomed to the tortorous naturalism of "Saving Private Ryan." Attenborough pulls back, thankfully. In its final scene, "A Bridge Too Far" achieves poignance without dialogue, without bluster, and without the common contrivance of summoning tears with half-baked, insipid bathos. Sir Lawrence Olivier and Liv Ullman stare straight ahead, the fresh graves of British paratroopers lining their path from an elegance destroyed, from an order and faith utterly shattered. The scene is perfection. And the film itself is close to it.

Cornelius Ryan's nonfiction saga is masterfully told in the film adaptation. MARKET GARDEN, hoped to be one of the death blows to the German Reich, was daring and ambitious, but failed to bounce the Rhine and bring the war to conclusion. Locations in the Netherlands included the actual Nijmegen Bridge, drop zones outside of Oosterbeek (which is next to Arnhem), the Deventer Bridge closely doubling as the bridge at Arnhem, and many scenes filmed at the Dutch Infantry training center at nearby Harskamp. Producer Joseph E. Levine and Director Richard Attenborough drew equipment from numerous nations, including quite a few museum relics, to create this film. What they did not have, special effects and props departments created in order to create a realistic and mostly historically accurate rendition of this September 1944 battle in Holland. Where the film deviates from the book is that the movie tends to paint the Allied planners as blind to the possible flaws in the operation and German Field Marshal Model is portrayed as a cowardly fool. In reality, Model's immediate actions, though based on incorrect assumptions, greatly contributed to the containment of the Airhead north of the Neder Rijn. A BRIDGE TO FAR ranks highly with films like THE LONGEST DAY and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN in terms of intensity and historical accuracy.

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Great movie, but I was extremely disappointed with the quality of this Blu-ray version. So my rating is not for the movie itself which I would give between 4 and 5 stars. I give it two stars on the technical quality. The video quality was no better than the standard DVD, which I already own, and the audio might even be worse than the standard DVD. All in All a very poor transfer to Blu-ray, do not waste your money on this version.

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The acting and photography was great. The blu-ray version at $10.99 is much better than the the dvds there are no artifacts and video is sharp. The dvds are grainy. Of course the opening scenes cut from old sources are grainy, etc. But once you get to the movie itself the sound and picture are great. The story is excellent as others have said. I wish other blu-ray versions were just as good. For example, French Connection II blu-ray was a bit disappointing because the video was grainy.

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"A Bridge Too Far" reminds me of an Irwin Allen film. Allen, if you're not familiar with his work, made a bunch of epic disaster films in the 1970s packed to the rafters with big name stars. His "The Swarm" is a schlock classic that every lover of bad cinema should add to their must see list. In the case of "A Bridge Too Far," we're still seeing an all star cast disaster film, but this disaster took place during World War II when the Allies decided to stage a daring paratroop drop behind enemy lines. The idea was to knock Germany out of the war quickly by seizing several key bridges in Holland in quick succession and then send Allied forces directly into the Ruhr Valley, the heart of Germany's industrial base. If everything went according to plan, the Allies felt confident that the war would end by Christmas 1944. It was an audacious plan that ultimately failed due to a number of reasons--including bad weather and a failure to take into account the quality of German troops--and cost thousands of British and American lives. Richard Attenborough decided to make a film about the failed operation in the 1970s; the result is this nearly three hour film. Some people refer to this film as "A Movie Too Long," which I must admit is painfully true in some respects. A recent viewing exposed a number of flaws I missed when I watched this twenty years ago.

Operation Market Garden, the military name for this daring plan formulated by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, sent in the American 82nd and 101st airborne divisions along with the British XXX and 1st airborne to accomplish this complicated task. Unfortunately, military forces were unable to reach the bridge at Arnhem, the bridge too far, that would have led them into Germany. They bogged down instead thanks to a mass of German panzers that prevented British resupply and reinforcements. After nine days the remnants of the British forces pulled out and the operation ended. American troops took heavy casualties as well in their attempts to take a couple of other bridges. This is a short meatball summary of what occurred in Operation Market Garden that I pulled off the Internet in about five minutes. In reality, it's complicated stuff for the layperson to understand, and the movie doesn't make it very easy to follow along once the bullets start flying and the shells start exploding. Yet the film has its compelling points. Just the idea of attempting to recreate such a massive operation is so ambitious as to exhaust anyone even thinking about putting it on film. But Attenborough gives it the old college try. We should admire him for his efforts.

Think about all of the egos Sir Richard had to massage on the various sets. You've got Dirk Bogarde in the role of Lt. General Frederick Browning, the man in charge of setting up the massive operation. Sean Connery pops up as Maj. General Roy Urquhart, and we all know Connery isn't the easiest chap to work with. Edward Fox delivers a "win one for the Gipper" type speech to the troops as Lt. General Brian Horrocks, Elliot Gould overacts as Major Julian Cook, and Jimmy Caan orders a doctor to look at his wounded buddy in a way that would make Alan Alda weep with sympathy. Anthony Hopkins turns in a solid performance as Lt. Colonel John Frost, Laurence Olivier plays Dutch physician Jan Spaander, Robert Redford paddles up a river while taking heavy fire as Major Julian Cook, Michael Caine is Lt. Colonel Joe Vandeleur, and Ryan O'Neal is American Brigadier General James Gavin. My favorite performance comes from Gene Hackman in the role of Polish General Stanislaw Sosabowski. I groaned when I learned about his role beforehand, but Hackman does a great job playing a Pole. He's one of the few guys involved in the operation actually questioning the wisdom of what's going on. And his men eventually take casualties too when they attempt a night crossing over a river. Irwin Allen, eat your heart out!

"A Bridge Too Far" has some excellent battle reenactments. I have several favorites. The exchange between German tank and artillery placements with the Allies on the road to Arnhem is fantastic. They even send in a few planes to drop some bombs! When you listen to this on DVD with a great sound system, prepare to stuff some cotton in your ears. The British attempts to repulse the German tanks rolling in over that bridge look pretty darn good as well. I sure as heck wouldn't want to be that chap strolling across the bridge armed with an umbrella. That scene where the British soldier runs out to retrieve a supply pod dropped by a plane only to fall when struck by a sniper's bullet is one of many scenes that helps keep the film from losing emotional perspective. Aside from the combat sequences, I also appreciated the film's portrayal of the German side of the campaign. Instead of falling back on the old cinematic standby of showing any German in World War II as a raging megalomaniac, the movie tries to present a fair picture of how they countered the Allied attack.

Hmmm. Looking back at what I've written, I guess I have to say I enjoyed the film more than I thought. I'm still going to deduct a star for what I feel was a failure on the part of Attenborough to tighten the film through rigorous editing. I suspect he worried endlessly about what to leave in and what to leave on the cutting room floor since the omission of even one or two scenes could have thrown the whole film into confusion. But some stuff should have gone out the window. Too bad we only get a trailer as an extra...

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Gentleman's Agreement (2013)

Gregory Peck plays a magazine writer who is asked to write a series of articles on anti-Semitism. He struggles to find an angle that hasn't been done before, then realizes the only way he can write it is to live it first. He pretends to be Jewish and encounters some outspoken biased feelings from some, and even worse a politeness from others who smugly hide their prejudices but still restrict hom from joining others. This sudden "truth" about him affects his relationship with the woman he loves...and his happy son is suddenly picked on by classmates who call him derogatory Jewish slurs.

It is still a powerful piece, though dated, of course. But prejudice still exists for people of all nationalities and religions. We've seen enough of that in the news to know that hate never disappears. Gregory Peck is excellent as the writer, and Dorothy McGuire turns in a good performance. Exceptional in the cast are John Garfield as the writer's best friend (who happens to be Jewish), Anne Revere as Peck's mother, and Celeste Holm, who develops a crush on him. Garfield is best known for his angry young man performances, but except for one brief moment of a fight in this film, he displays a touching inner dignity throughout the picture. Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap) is excellent as Peck's son.

The film was a difficult one to get made. It was a best-selling novel, but most of the studio heads wouldn't option the screen rights because they were Jewish and they didn't want to draw attention to themselves by making this story. Maverick producer Darryl F. Zanuck, who wasn't Jewish, was the head of the 20th Century-Fox studio at the time, bought the rights. And after it was filmed, the other studio heads offered to buy the film from him, in order to shelve it. He wouldn't sell out...and the film went on to win the Best Picture Oscar for 1947.

Many of the people in front of the cameras and behind had to face the House Un-American Activities Committee. John Garfield died a few years later of a heart attack due to the hounding by HUAC.

Video quality is exceptional, with definite grain.

Audio is also good.

Extras are carried over from the DVD: A Hollywood Backstory about the making of the movie (25 min.), a trailer, two Movietone clips, and a dry-as-dust commentary by Richard Schickel with tiny bits interjected with film stars Cleste Holm and June Havoc.

Highly recommended.

GREAT BLU RAY QUALITY SO GOOD THEY ARE PUTTING THESE CLASSICS ON BLU RAY FOR THE OLDER AND YOUNGER GENERATION TO RE LIVE AND CAPTURE FOR THE FIRST TIME . ALL THE WAY TO AUSTRALIA HAS FOUND A GOOD HOME MANY THANKS TO AMAZON

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This classic is a must for every forward thinking adult. It gives younger Americans an idea of what post WW2 life was like for young Jewish Americans. It should be counted among the best in teaching tolerance with respect to all predjudice in modern America (with the added addition of fine acting and directing.

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Studio heads were so skittish around developing any film project based on Laura Z. Hobson's stinging indictment of anti-Semitism coming just after the war during peace time, for fear of, "rocking the boat", within the Hollywood community, that all except one, Darryl F Zanuck at 20th Century Fox, had the proverbial fortitude, or guts, if you will, to actually make the film a reality. His efforts paid off handsomely Oscar night when the film won the coveted award, among others, for Best Picture of 1947.

Want Gentleman's Agreement (2013) Discount?

This film was made in 1947. It is a brilliant expose of how deep prejudice and bigotry were and still are. Gregory Peck is brilliant and Elia Kazan was perfect in this portrayal of such taboo subjects.

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Dead Sushi

I really didn't think this movie was gonna be any good. In fact, when I saw the trailer I wasn't very impressed. But I said what the hell & ordered it. Turns out I freaking LOVED this movie! Great humor, action & lots of blood! Truly one of a kind. If you love corky comedy horror, get it!

A mid-level entry to the Tokyo Shock genre which tries to rely on a stupidly clever premise. It's alright, I guess. But the premise doesn't carry it along as well as the writers hoped. I'd only recommend this for devout fans of Tokyo Shock.

Keiko (Rina Takeda; Ninja Girl, Karate Girl, High-Kick Girl) is training under her father (Jiji Bû; Tokyo Gore Police, Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl) to become a sushi chef, which evidently involves some ninja kind of crazy martial arts whose choreography smacks of classic kung fu theater. However, the training and the demands of her father are too much for her. So she runs away and finds work at Yumi's (Asami; Helldriver, Mutant Girl Squad, The Machine Girl) hotel, where some executives have decided to go on a corporate escape.

It takes longer than normal (for movies of this genre) for the wackiness to get started. This happens when Yamada (Kentarô Shimazu; Tokyo Gore Police, The Machine Girl, Alien vs Ninja) injects a reanimating, contagious disease-bearing serum into a flying squid to exact his revenge on the executives that had him fired. Once the infected squid comes into contact with some of the hotel's freshly served sushi, the sushi itself turns into miniature flying killers.

Now, when I think Tokyo Shock I think crazy gore and exploitative tactics. Director/writer Noboru Iguchi's (The Machine Girl, RoboGeisha, The ABC's of Death "F" is for Fart) flick includes decapitation, making out with a severed head, squid-stabbing, the sloppiest sounding kisses ever, provocative sushi eating, man-face to man-crotch, finger to butt, tongue biting, eyeballs popping out of their sockets, sloppy raw egg-exchanging kisses, face-peeling, cannibalism, a naked woman showering in blood, rice zombies (that's not meant to sound racist), piranha-like sushi swarms, fire-breathing sushi, a guy turns into an over-sized axe-wielding fish monster, tandem vomiting, petrified sushi nunchucks, zombies copping feels and a few entertaining mutilated face prosthetics.

The effects behind the killer sushi is pretty cheap, but perfectly serviceable in a movie like this. It reminds me of the flying orb effects from Phantasm (1979). Some other CGI effects are truly awful and inferior even to ScyFy Network movie-of-the-week quality.

Comedic elements include farcical lessons in sushi preparation and connoisseurship, shy singing sushi that is friendly and supportive, cute jiggling giggling evil sushi monsters, sushi monsters mating and a sushi roll battleship. Like the effects and the pace of the story, the humor of this Tokyo Shocklet a noticeably not as good as I would expect from the genre.

That's not to say that the movie isn't without its moments. Like when Chef Tsuchida (Kanji Tsuda; Helldriver, Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl) cries out: "When a sushi chef's pride is on the line the next course he serves in death!" Or when Yamada becomes infected by his own serum: "And now I have been reborn as a mighty tuna!"

I'd only recommend this for devout fans of Tokyo Shock. Tokyo Gore Police (2008), Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl (2009) and Helldriver (2010) all do a much better job of delivering weirdly clever monsters/opponents and disturbingly creative gore, deaths and mutations.

Buy Dead Sushi Now

This movie is preposterous and disgustingly bloody and hilarious. I enjoyed every minute of it and went to my favorite sushi bar, Hashigo in 5 Points in Huntington Beach, the very next day, just to take revenge.

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4.5 stars

Almost everything about this classic B-movie cracked me up, from the acting to the wacked-out effects to the hilarious dialogue. I'll bet that if I knew Japanese culture better this would be even funnier. Imagine Monty Python on laughing gas and you'll get the feel of Dead Sushi.

Writer/director Iguchi penned a very silly satire of a script and just when you think it can't get goofier, it does. And then more so. I love surreal and absurd when it works, and it really does here, because this film NEVER takes itself seriously, except when it comes to delivering fun.

With one fine exception: the scene where our heroine (the excellent Rina Takeda) discusses how to create top-notch sushi is actually very accurate advice about making sushi properly. It's a suddenly almost serious moment, made funny by what's all around it, but you get the feeling that Iguchi really does take good sushi seriously. Watch that scene for one of the best tips you'll ever get in making real gourmet sushi.

The over-the-top effects and ideas here combine with the wisely underplayed performances to make a unique comedy unlike any I've ever seen. If you like weird and wild, get some Dead Sushi.

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I gave it a 4 stars cuz she my favorite actress in Japan. She's not the best actress but her Karate are top notch worldwide women Champion. Her acting are improving in after 3 years with average movies. It's funny horror comedy about sushi. It's kinda slightly less quality than Kung fu hustle. There's some nice scenes, a bit funny, I watched 2+ times! Sexy scenes are very nice of the girls. Rina Takeda dressed her prettiest in those pink kimono of best style in Japan.

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