Reviews

The first of the epics from David Lean,this is a classic war movie.However I must point out it is not historically about the building of the Burma railway,but uses that situation to portray the madness of war.The opening scene of down trodden British troops marching into camp whistling Colonel Bogey is absolutely marvellous.The Japanese culture doesn't recognise the Geneva Convention,Alec Guiness plays an English officer who refuses to bend to the rules of the camp commandant,and ends up in the cooler.William Holden is excellent as the cynical American,who escapes only to have to return later on.Jack Hawkins is a dedicated officer who leads a raid to destroy the bridge.The film throws up dilemmas and irony through out,the ending is classic cinema.The film was not an easy shoot according to Kevin Brownlow's biography of David Lean,it was the director against everyone else.Well the in fighting was wort it,a film you can watch again and again.The three leads are excellent,as is Sessue as the Japanese commander.The ending stays with you.Sadly younger audiences will not stick with it,a shame,but rewarding to the discerning film fan.

This film is the biopic of the life of Bobby Darrin.The film looks like a play or certainly comes across like that,when I was watching it.The film stars Bobby Darrin,directed by Kevin Spacey so you can admire him or not,depending on your point of viewed the film.The story is told using a younger Bobby Darrin acting as a guide to the older bobby,in my opinion not a very wise move.The movie seems remarkably old fashioned,with music and dance numbers all over the place.The music is good to listen to,particularly the night club sequences.Kevin Spacey is far too old for the main role,however he does his best,given good support from John Goodman and Bob Hoskins.Bobby Darrin never seemed that bigger star to me,to deserve a bio pic.The film covers the early part of his career very well,then his career stalls,and Bobby comes back as a protest singer,eventually accepted by the public at the height of the Vietnam war.Bobbys domestic life is well covered,his marriage was rocky at times but they seem to stick together.A film that fails top deliver as whole,but has the good odd moment in short a film for Bobby Darrins fans only.

The story of the British air ace Douglas Bader,an inspiring film after all these years.Douglas Bader was an extremely fit sporting young man,who at the peak of his physical prowess lost his legs in a plane crash.The first part of the film establishes his determination not to be beaten by his handicap.Golf proves away to challenge himself,he also finds a wife.Bored with his life in an office,the out break of WW2 gives him the chance to fly again.Determined to get in the RAF he has medicals and gets back in.Bader is given a squadron of disillusioned flyer's,initially they oppose him, but having seen him fly they are won round.A difficult man Bader takes short cuts to get the equipment he needs for his squadron upsetting some of his superiors.However his tactics are brilliant and before long he is in charge of five squadrons inflicting heavy losses on the German air force during the battle of Britain.On one flight his plane is shot down,Bader escapes by leaving one of his false legs behind.The RAF drops of a spare,in spite of all his difficulties he manages to escape three times .Bader never let a chance go to bait the German guards even inspecting them before heading to Colditz castle.The performance from Kenneth More in the title roll is excellent,given good support from Muriel Pavlov and Nigel Green.I would like a remake,as after all these yeatrs it could be more honest,brutal and would make a big star of the leading actor.

A story of a cop from the USA who is on a case that takes him to London,not just a cop but Brannigan played by John Wayne.The film is tailored to suit the John Wayne image,no one filled the screen like the Duke ,when he's on screen its him you watch.This is 1970s John Wayne where the image is played up to,some good dialogue,the pub fight scene and no love interest.The love interest is replaced by a fatherly attitude towards Judy Geeson a young police woman.Fans of blackadder will spot Tony Robinson getting thrown in the thames.The Duke has a double for the fight scene in the pub which might have gone un noticed at the time but shows on DVD.The film is not classic John Wayne bot passes the time entertainingly.Richard Attenborough,John Vernon and James Booth play their parts well.A film that celebrates the image of John Wayne,he had turned down Dirty Harry,as too violent for him,here the violence is non graphic appealing to the family audiences who flocked to his movies.Please put the kettle on,a few biscuits sit back and enjoy a star in the twilight of his career.Duke we miss you.God bless America.

In the sixties the historical epic was in vogue,the success of Lawrence of Arabia made General Gordon a subject worth taking a chance on.The film starts with a battle between the Mahdi's troops and a British army,a massacre a disastrous result for Britain.A hero has to be found enter General Gordon,a maverick with a good record.The film stars Charlton Heston as Gordon and Laurence Olivier as the Mahdi,the scenes they share whilst fictitious are very well done.Charlton Heston outshines Olivier ,in fact this could well be Charlton Hestons best screen performance.The supporting cast is very good,Nigel Green,Ralph Richardson,Michael Horden and Richard Johnson all play their parts very well.Directed by Basil Dean,(who sadly died in a car crash) does just enough to keep you interested,the odd lull,followed by glorious action.The battle scenes are well done.This is not the greatest epic ever made,but worth a watch every now and then,preferably on a big TV screen.

The film based on T E Lawrence book the seven pillars of wisdom,directed by David Lean,takes epic cinema to a new high seldom matched and not beaten yet.The cinematography is superb,you feel like you are transported back in time to 1917 in the Arabuian desert.Peter O toole is excellent in the lead role,in all my years watching the movie I've got to say this is the near perfect cast.Alec Guiness as the arab prince,calm,cool and calculating,Claude Raines,as a diplomat,Arthur Kennedy at his very best as a newspaper man who creates the mtyh Lawrence of Arabia.Anthony Quinn is outstanding as the the arab leader Audu and Jack Hawkins is good as Allenby.The scenes that stand out are the introduction of Omar Shariff in the simmering desert,the attack on Aquaba,the searing heat of the desert,the massacre of Turkish troops,there are lots of great scenes for the discerning viewer to watch again and a again.The film was cut for running time soon after its premiere,but was added years later and this is the version to watch.The film influenced Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorrsse.This film needs to be watched on the biggest TV available,a treat for the eyes and the brain.

Afilm that has stood the test of time.The thin red line,standing firm against overwhelming odds.Awar movie set at the peak of the British empire.The film starts with scenes of a beaten British army at Isandhlwana then tells the story of the heroic battle of Rorke's drift.The soldiers at the drift here the news that the Zulu's are on the way to attack them,whilst preparations for the defence of the drift gather pace,we are introduced to various characters.The tension builds up nicely,especially with the noise of the Zulus getting closer and closer.The British class system raises its head along with internal politics all of which is done entertainingly.The heroes include Stanley Baker as the working class hero in charge of the drift,Michael Caine as the upper class toff who finds his true character in battle,James Booth the anti hero.The cast is good with two very good performance from Nigel Green and Patrick Magee, TV viewers will spot a few faces who made it on various programmes.The only disappointment is the Jack Hawkins character,although based on a real person just doesn't seem to belong to this film.The film empathises,s the physical effects of battle and treats the Zulus fairly.The film is criticised for not being accurate but at the end of the day its an entertainment not a documentary

This movie is based on the DVD produced by criterion.The title sequence is unique,the face of a Roman warrior smashed to pieces,a symbol for Spartacus or the Roman empire?The first hour deals with Spartacus gaining his battling skills at the gladiator school and then the revolt of the slaves.The training scenes are very well filmed ,the dialogue is sparse but very effective,it shows how demanding a life of a gladiator was.The burgening romance of Spartacus and Varina is touching helped by some marvellous love theme.The film has a stellar cast including Kirk Douglas,Jean Simmons,Charles Laughton,Peter Ustinov and Tony Curtis.The Romans are shown as cold ruthless and politically ambitous.There are several scenes that stand out,Spartacus fight with Draba,Charles Laughton in the senate,the revolt of the gladiators,the battle scenes,the identification of Spartacus and the farewell at the end.Ustinov won the Oscar for his role and Woody Strode is memorable as Draba.Often called the thinking mans epic,a film that is fresh today.The extras on the DVD include dek leted scenes,a documentary on the Hollywood ten and a couple of interesting commentries.There was a sequel of sorts called the son of Spartacus starring Steve Reeves which never seems to be shown on TV.Spartacus is a film to catch up with if you have not seen it, or a rewatch if you haven,t seen it for awhile.

The first film directed by Sir Richard Attenborough tells the story of world war one,in a most unusual way,based on a stage play by Joan Littlewood.The story of the war is told through music hall songs and hymns of the period.The politics of the war all take place on Brighton pier.The film is full of the best British actors and actress's of the period Laurence Olivier,John Mills and Maggie Smith to name a few.The film introduces a mythical "Smith family" whoose males join up King and country.The trench scenes are well done,the flea bitten soldiers drinking tea,and talking,showing how comradeship can unite the men.The Christmas truce of 1915 where unofficially troops of both sides meet in no mans land exchange cigarettes and a drop of the hard stuff is touching.Memorable too is Maggie Smith encouraging volunteers to enlist is excellently done.The two scenes that stand out for me is the church service where the officers sing the right words to the hymn,"What a friend we have in Jesus" whilst a solo singer sings his own words amusing and bitter at the same time.The ending is simply overwhelming,showing the true cost of the war to end all wars.A film for the serious film fan,a gem of a film that makes you think,and tests your emotions.

This is British comedy at its best,lots of double entendres and comic characters.Rownan Atkinsons delivery is a delight.Inspecter Grims raves and rants about the boredom of his job are classic, hoping to catch a big time criminal but just not being able to do it.Mina antiwar is good as young police woman who is fancied by Kevin Goody a hopeless young policeman, who is very camp.Inspector Fowlers love life with Sgt Dawkins is the source of much amusement, as his idea of fun in the bedroom is to read a Biggles book or reminisce about meccanno. Rudolf Walker co stars as old copper full of amusing stories which always seem to side track Inspector Fowler.So do yourself a favour and watch the thin blue line

This film is part of Hollywood folklore,made at a time when there was no CSI imaging,a cast of thousands.This film is directed by the legendary Cecil B deMille, it has a few moments that are slow,but generally the film moves at a good pace.The key performer is Charlton Heston who holds the film together with an outstanding performance as Moses.Yul Brynner is a mean Pharoah,and good support is given from Edward G Robinson ,Anne Baxter,Yvvonne de Carlo ,Cedric Hardwicke and Vincent Price.Cecil B Demille explains the theme of the film at the start, it remains a visual treat especially the building of the city and the parting of the red sea.This film has worked for 51 years, and still works today.There are rumours of a remake I just hope they don't forget-why this film was a success,update the effects but keep the human story.Cecil b Demille was a great Hollywood epic directer he has not been replaced,though at times Steven Spielberg comes close.Cecils last fin his is legacy to the world thanks Cecil

A film starring Burt Lancaster and Clark Gable as two sailors on a submarine.Gable is after revenge on the Japanese navy for sinking his previous submarine,whilst Lancaster is under Gables command something which annoys him.The sub does Marius exercises to become proficient at doing bow shots which is very difficult.Gable at first struggles to win the respect of the sub crew but by his deeds at the end of the movie he has gained respect from everyone.A good solid film with good performances,Lancaster was happy co starring with older stars like Gable and Gary Cooper at this stage in his career.This film is must for fans of world war 2 stories

This classic movie now on DVD comes to life bringing the circus in your home in vivid colour.Cecil B DeMille brings all the spills and thrills of the circus in its full dramatic form.There are plenty of stars on view,Chuck Heston as the driven circus boss,Cornel Wilde as the trapeze artist with an eye for the ladies, but perhaps its the Ladies who have the best parts in particular Betty Hutton and Gloris Graeme who play their parts with gusto and charm.James Stewart and Dorothy Lamour also appear and there is a cameo from Bob and Bing but don't blink or you will miss it.The film gives circus acts from around the world a chance to perform to a global audience.As in most DeMille movies there is action and sub plats along the way,its a fun way to spend a couple of hours and still entertains after all these years.

This film tries to get into the shady world of football hooliganism, the film surprisingly succeeds very well.The main character an American played by Elijah Wood is introduced to a new world of violence by his brother in law.This world is full of guys who drink in pubs dedicated to their own teams, each of which is submerged in its own culture and all have their own songs about the clubs they support with a passion.The passion comes through really well i have been in many pubs where spontaneous singing and chanting break out, however i have never been involved in violence .The violence in this film is realistic and definitely for an adult audience, the people involved in the fights are incredibly loyal to each other and have a pecking order, and it seems the most important quality they have is a bond between them, its just a pity that they behave so negatively.A side issue is that these guys are incredibly normal for most of the week, one of the main hooligans teaches children which considering the philosophy of violence he believes in is quite shocking.It must be stressed that hooligans are a small part of English football but the problem has not gone away.

This film takes us back to the days of capital punishment an era Britain should return to as quickly as possible, in those days you could walk the streets without fear of being mugged or murdered whilst you sleep.The film is well acted and showed the strains and stresses of being an executioner, personally its a job for a person for 5 years no longer .The hangman's fee is never discussed but when people are reprieved it seems he did not get payment all the time for travelling to the prison of execution.Timothy Spall holds the film to gether very well, he tried to shun publicity , which he achieved until he hung the Nazi war criminals, his dignity shines through treating all prisoners with respect regardless of his or her crime.As normal the wife has ambition for her husband and they buy a pub ,the locals buy him drinks after every hanging, he has to hang one of his friends, although i feel this is somewhat exaggerated for the story of the film.Sadly there are few last words spoken, i would of liked one prisoner to say can you keep your trap shut.

The magic of the movies is lost forever, after this movie, the same medium that brought us Fred Astaire dancing , so gracefully as now produced this mess.At best movies can take the human condition and say something important, sadly Hostel does nothing of the kind ,we are spared no gruesome detail of mans inhumanity to man.There is a story of sorts that you can quite easily pick to pieces, there's no real good guy to root for just someone who is less marginally unpleasant than everyone else.The torture scenes are horrific, staunch churning to say the least.Movie directors such as John Ford or Hitchcock could hold an audience's attention by telling us a story about people we cared for, and building up suspense by not showing us everything.I don't object to violence when its making a necessary point and is in context with the subject matter as in Saving Private Ryan but this is an orgy of torture and is the product of a sick mind.The saddest part of all is that some people on this site say its the best film they have ever seen, I can only take that as meaning Hostel is the only movie they have seen

This a rip roaring western and i have watched it many times and it entertains on every level.However if your after the true facts about such legends as Hickcock,Cody and Calamity Jane then look elsewhere, as John Ford suggested this is the west when the truth becomes legend print the legend.The story moves with a cracking pace, and there is some great dialogue between Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur two very watchable stars who help to make this movie.The sharp eyed amongst you might just spot Gabby Hayes as an Indian scout, also there is a very young Anthony Quinn making his debut as Cayenne warrior, he actually married one of Demilles daughters in real life.Indeed its Quinns character who informs Cooper of the massacre of Custer told in flash back, the finale is well done and when the credits roll it fuses the American west with American history.So please take time out to watch this classic western.

I believe this programme is a very good story of political intrigue, murder and watered down sex, it is probably unfairr to compare it to I Claudius as the Caesars starts a lot further on into the story.The characters are the same but there behaviour is different for instance Germanicus is more politically aware than portrayed in I Claudius and Tiberias is much more empathic.The violence and sex is not so explicit as I Claudius which was made when TV was a bit more daring in the 1970s.This will please those interested in all things Roman.Ivaguely remember this programme on ITV back in my childhood, I think the Claudius story could be done again but with a more visual approach showing battle scenes possibly as a mini series or as a big screen blockbuster.

This is atop of the range Western with John Ford at his best, its 58 years since it was made so I guess its past its test as far as ability to watch and re-watch.The film has many classic scenes not just action scenes but the dialogue between the men is a treasure to behold,Victor McGaglen is excellent, when Henry Fonda orders 4 beers at the bar for the four sergeants he says I'll have the same with a whisky chaser brings a smile to my face every time.The film eradicates a warm feeling for the characters with the exception of the Fonda role, and the final scene were Wayne goes along with the matron created by the press is moving indeed, and should be on your classic quotes page.Could this be remade perhaps, but westerns like this are out of fashion yet sell on DVD and against a remake sadly there are no Fords, Fondas or Waynes about, but like the regiment they go on giving pleasure to thousands Ito those who love the west and its mythology.God Bless America

This film is simply appalling, how the talent involved made this is beyond human belief.Iguess they must have been boozing when they thought of this idea,I feel as if 2 hours of my life have been taken from me.Harvey Kietel will try and distance himself from this rubbish, it should have been a great crime movie but it develops into a gory mess of vampires.I would recommend this film to people who like to sleep through movies ,you wont miss a thing.The humour is set to appeal to the lowest common dominate, movies can uplift us and remind us that life is worth living, this film just depresses you.As DeNiro said in one movie the saddest thing in life is wasted talent this film is a perfect example of this statement.

This movie is a true classic, the first half of this film is as good as movie making gets, from any era, the second half may tail off a little bit with melodramatic moments ,but you can easily forgive this film for that after such an exhilarating first 3 hours.The true test of a classic film is could any other actors have done better in the roles and in truth no one else could.Vivien Leigh is supberb as Scarlet who you feel both anger and joy at her reactions, well Gable is Gable and is excellent.Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard flesh out the secondary leads, I hope black people can accept that there roles as servants were not intended to demean anyone but to show how things were.Hattie McDaniels is excellent and deserves her Oscar.The DVD is excellent please go out and buy.To sum up a great film and a great DVD, please find the time to watch it again.

This film based on a true story is extremely well acted, but shows the story from a very one sided point of view.The film is sympathetic to Bently who was unlucky to be hung,but what about the policeman family how did their lives alter.The correct sentence would have been to wait two years and then hang Craig and Bently at the same time, its about time the pro execution people had a movie showing there point of view.The film is atmospheric, and Tom Courtney is excellent as the tragic father and Eccleston is very good as Bentley and it is indeed moving.I accept the hanging was wrong but only because Craig should have been hung as well.The UK would be a lot safer today if the death penaly was brought back, yes its brutal but it protects everyone.

A bridge too far is essential viewing for those who love war films, it is intelligent, well written and well acted.Arnhem was a disaster for the allies, though Montgomery regarded it as a limited success, however the dignity of the soldiers fighting for their cause shines through.The Germans are shown as human beings and not cardboard cut outs.The film contains several great scenes the ones that stand out to me are the landing all the parachutes,the river crossing, the dropping of supplies, the house taken over as a hospital and the wounded soldiers singing abide with me.The stars all perform very well with Connery and Hopkins outstanding.The soundtrack is excellent, with a tune you can whistle to.The special edition of the DVD is excellent with some great extras, i recommend this film to everyone interested in world war 2

A fantastic film , that holds the attention, we are transported back and forwards in time, to a world were loyalty appears to be everything but personal ambition destroys the friendship.This film is visually stunning being brutal and beautiful at the same time, there are two rape scenes which are still shocking, the second after one of the most romantic scenes ever in movies.The violence is often bloody for these are violent men let down by the system they live in their own world and make their own rules.The film is slow and patience is required to Vi it, the length of the film is such that it needs an effort to find the time to watch but each time you watch it, your looking forward to viewing it again.The direction is excellent Sergios lasting legacy, the acting is out of this world DeNiro has never been better and James Wood is fantastic.The DVD has some interesting extras though i would have liked more, i believe there was 9 hours on film of this movie, Sergio was a genius I wished he had lived long enough for another two movies.

This film entertains it brings the considerable talents of James Cagney,Steve Cochrane and Margarert Wycherly together and makes good use of them all.James Cagney is a pushcart's killer with a mother complex, the only person in the world with some control over him , we are never let in to the full extent of their relationship so its left to the dark thoughts of our imagination.The mother character is well played by Wycherly a controlling influence some say her character is based on Ma Barker, however in the gang one member Big Ed is determined to take over and does once Ma Jarrett is out the way , but we know once Jody catches up with him there will be a dramatic shoot out.The film has one of the great scenes of all time at the end, another added to Cagneys classic last scenes.Special praise goes to Hollywood director Rauol Walsh the man who puts motion into motion pictures.Watch and enjoy.