1 Actor turned director Bill Paxton follows up his promising debut, the Gothic-horror "Frailty", with this family

friendly sports drama about the 1913 U.S. Open where a young American caddy rises from his humble
background to play against his Bristish idol in what was dubbed as "The Greatest Game Ever Played." I'm no
fan of golf, and these scrappy underdog sports flicks are a dime a dozen (most recently done to grand effect
with "Miracle" and "Cinderella Man"), but some how this film was enthralling all the same.<br /><br />The
film starts with some creative opening credits (imagine a Disneyfied version of the animated opening credits
of HBO's "Carnivale" and "Rome"), but lumbers along slowly for its first by-the-numbers hour. Once the action
moves to the U.S. Open things pick up very well. Paxton does a nice job and shows a knack for effective
directorial flourishes (I loved the rain-soaked montage of the action on day two of the open) that propel the
plot further or add some unexpected psychological depth to the proceedings. There's some compelling
character development when the British Harry Vardon is haunted by images of the aristocrats in black suits
and top hats who destroyed his family cottage as a child to make way for a golf course. He also does a good
job of visually depicting what goes on in the players' heads under pressure. Golf, a painfully boring sport, is
brought vividly alive here. Credit should also be given the set designers and costume department for creating
an engaging period-piece atmosphere of London and Boston at the beginning of the twentieth century.<br
/><br />You know how this is going to end not only because it's based on a true story but also because films
in this genre follow the same template over and over, but Paxton puts on a better than average show and
perhaps indicates more talent behind the camera than he ever had in front of it. Despite the formulaic nature,
this is a nice and easy film to root for that deserves to find an audience.
Brilliant over-acting by Lesley Ann Warren. Best dramatic hobo lady I have ever seen, and love scenes in
clothes warehouse are second to none. The corn on face is a classic, as good as anything in Blazing Saddles.
The take on lawyers is also superb. After being accused of being a turncoat, selling out his boss, and being
dishonest the lawyer of Pepto Bolt shrugs indifferently "I'm a lawyer" he says. Three funny words. Jeffrey
Tambor, a favorite from the later Larry Sanders show, is fantastic here too as a mad millionaire who wants to
crush the ghetto. His character is more malevolent than usual. The hospital scene, and the scene where the
homeless invade a demolition site, are all-time classics. Look for the legs scene and the two big diggers
fighting (one bleeds). This movie gets better each time I see it (which is quite often).
1 As a recreational golfer with some knowledge of the sport's history, I was pleased with Disney's sensitivity
to the issues of class in golf in the early twentieth century. The movie depicted well the psychological battles
that Harry Vardon fought within himself, from his childhood trauma of being evicted to his own inability to
break that glass ceiling that prevents him from being accepted as an equal in English golf society. Likewise, the
young Ouimet goes through his own class struggles, being a mere caddie in the eyes of the upper crust
Americans who scoff at his attempts to rise above his standing. <br /><br />What I loved best, however, is
how this theme of class is manifested in the characters of Ouimet's parents. His father is a working-class
drone who sees the value of hard work but is intimidated by the upper class; his mother, however, recognizes
her son's talent and desire and encourages him to pursue his dream of competing against those who think he
is inferior.<br /><br />Finally, the golf scenes are well photographed. Although the course used in the movie
was not the actual site of the historical tournament, the little liberties taken by Disney do not detract from
the beauty of the film. There's one little Disney moment at the pool table; otherwise, the viewer does not
really think Disney. The ending, as in "Miracle," is not some Disney creation, but one that only human history
could have written.
This is easily the most underrated film inn the Brooks cannon. Sure, its flawed. It does not give a realistic view
of homelessness (unlike, say, how Citizen Kane gave a realistic view of lounge singers, or Titanic gave a
realistic view of Italians YOU IDIOTS). Many of the jokes fall flat. But still, this film is very lovable in a way
many comedies are not, and to pull that off in a story about some of the most traditionally reviled members
of society is truly impressive. Its not The Fisher King, but its not crap, either. My only complaint is that Brooks
should have cast someone else in the lead (I love Mel as a Director and Writer, not so much as a lead).
1 I saw this film in a sneak preview, and it is delightful. The cinematography is unusually creative, the acting is
good, and the story is fabulous. If this movie does not do well, it won't be because it doesn't deserve to.
Before this film, I didn't realize how charming Shia Lebouf could be. He does a marvelous, self-contained, job
as the lead. There's something incredibly sweet about him, and it makes the movie even better. The other
actors do a good job as well, and the film contains moments of really high suspense, more than one might
expect from a movie about golf. Sports movies are a dime a dozen, but this one stands out. <br /><br />This is
one I'd recommend to anyone.
This is not the typical Mel Brooks film. It was much less slapstick than most of his movies and actually had a
plot that was followable. Leslie Ann Warren made the movie, she is such a fantastic, under-rated actress.
There were some moments that could have been fleshed out a bit more, and some scenes that could
probably have been cut to make the room to do so, but all in all, this is worth the price to rent and see it. The
acting was good overall, Brooks himself did a good job without his characteristic speaking to directly to the
audience. Again, Warren was the best actor in the movie, but "Fume" and "Sailor" both played their parts
well.
1 Bill Paxton has taken the true story of the 1913 US golf open and made a film that is about much more than
an extra-ordinary game of golf. The film also deals directly with the class tensions of the early twentieth
century and touches upon the profound anti-Catholic prejudices of both the British and American
establishments. But at heart the film is about that perennial favourite of triumph against the odds.<br
/><br />The acting is exemplary throughout. Stephen Dillane is excellent as usual, but the revelation of the
movie is Shia LaBoeuf who delivers a disciplined, dignified and highly sympathetic performance as a working
class Franco-Irish kid fighting his way through the prejudices of the New England WASP establishment. For
those who are only familiar with his slap-stick performances in "Even Stevens" this demonstration of his
maturity is a delightful surprise. And Josh Flitter as the ten year old caddy threatens to steal every scene in
which he appears.<br /><br />A old fashioned movie in the best sense of the word: fine acting, clear directing
and a great story that grips to the end - the final scene an affectionate nod to Casablanca is just one of the
many pleasures that fill a great movie.
This isn't the comedic Robin Williams, nor is it the quirky/insane Robin Williams of recent thriller fame. This is
a hybrid of the classic drama without over-dramatization, mixed with Robin's new love of the thriller. But this
isn't a thriller, per se. This is more a mystery/suspense vehicle through which Williams attempts to locate a
sick boy and his keeper.<br /><br />Also starring Sandra Oh and Rory Culkin, this Suspense Drama plays pretty
much like a news report, until William's character gets close to achieving his goal.<br /><br />I must say that I
was highly entertained, though this movie fails to teach, guide, inspect, or amuse. It felt more like I was
watching a guy (Williams), as he was actually performing the actions, from a third person perspective. In
other words, it felt real, and I was able to subscribe to the premise of the story.<br /><br />All in all, it's worth
a watch, though it's definitely not Friday/Saturday night fare.<br /><br />It rates a 7.7/10 from...<br /><br
/>the Fiend :.
1 I saw this film on September 1st, 2005 in Indianapolis. I am one of the judges for the Heartland Film Festival
that screens films for their Truly Moving Picture Award. A Truly Moving Picture "...explores the human journey
by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life." Heartland gave that award to this
film.<br /><br />This is a story of golf in the early part of the 20th century. At that time, it was the game of
upper class and rich "gentlemen", and working people could only participate by being caddies at country
clubs. With this backdrop, this based-on-a-true-story unfolds with a young, working class boy who takes on
the golf establishment and the greatest golfer in the world, Harry Vardon.<br /><br />And the story is
inspirational. Against all odds, Francis Ouimet (played by Shia LaBeouf of "Holes") gets to compete against the
greatest golfers of the U.S. and Great Britain at the 1913 U.S. Open. Francis is ill-prepared, and has a child for
a caddy. (The caddy is hilarious and motivational and steals every scene he appears in.) But despite these
handicaps, Francis displays courage, spirit, heroism, and humility at this world class event.<br /><br />And,
we learn a lot about the early years of golf; for example, the use of small wooden clubs, the layout of the
short holes, the manual scoreboard, the golfers swinging with pipes in their mouths, the terrible conditions of
the greens and fairways, and the play not being canceled even in torrential rain.<br /><br />This film has
stunning cinematography and art direction and editing. And with no big movie stars, the story is somehow
more believable.<br /><br />This adds to the inventory of great sports movies in the vein of "Miracle" and
"Remember the Titans."<br /><br />FYI - There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of
past winners going back 70 years.
Yes its an art... to successfully make a slow paced thriller.<br /><br />The story unfolds in nice volumes while
you don't even notice it happening.<br /><br />Fine performance by Robin Williams. The sexuality angles in
the film can seem unnecessary and can probably affect how much you enjoy the film. However, the core plot
is very engaging. The movie doesn't rush onto you and still grips you enough to keep you wondering. The
direction is good. Use of lights to achieve desired affects of suspense and unexpectedness is good.<br
/><br />Very nice 1 time watch if you are looking to lay back and hear a thrilling short story!
1 Maybe I'm reading into this too much, but I wonder how much of a hand Hongsheng had in developing the
film. I mean, when a story is told casting the main character as himself, I would think he would be a heavy
hand in writing, documenting, etc. and that would make it a little biased.<br /><br />But...his family and
friends also may have had a hand in getting the actual details about Hongsheng's life. I think the best view
would have been told from Hongsheng's family and friends' perspectives. They saw his transformation and
weren't so messed up on drugs that they remember everything.<br /><br />As for Hongsheng being full of
himself, the consistencies of the Jesus Christ pose make him appear as a martyr who sacrificed his life
(metaphorically, of course, he's obviously still alive as he was cast as himself) for his family's happiness. Huh?
<br /><br />The viewer sees him at his lowest points while still maintaining a superiority complex. He lies on
the grass coming down from (during?) a high by himself and with his father, he contemplates life and has
visions of dragons at his window, he celebrates his freedom on a bicycle all while outstretching his arms, his
head cocked to the side.<br /><br />It's fabulous that he's off of drugs now, but he's no hero. He went from a
high point in his career in acting to his most vulnerable point while on drugs to come back somewhere in the
middle.<br /><br />This same device is used in Ted Demme's "Blow" where the audience empathizes with the
main character who is shown as a flawed hero.<br /><br />However, "Quitting" ("Zuotian") is a film that is
recommended, mostly for its haunting soundtrack, superb acting, and landscapes. But, the best part is the
feeling that one gets when what we presume to be the house of Jia Hongsheng is actually a stage setting for a
play. It makes the viewer feel as if Hongsheng's life was merely a play told in many difficult parts.
In this "critically acclaimed psychological thriller based on true events, Gabriel (Robin Williams), a celebrated
writer and late-night talk show host, becomes captivated by the harrowing story of a young listener and his
adoptive mother (Toni Collette). When troubling questions arise about this boy's (story), however, Gabriel
finds himself drawn into a widening mystery that hides a deadly secret " according to film's official
synopsis.<br /><br />You really should STOP reading these comments, and watch the film NOW...<br /><br
/>The "How did he lose his leg?" ending, with Ms. Collette planning her new life, should be chopped off, and
sent to "deleted scenes" land. It's overkill. The true nature of her physical and mental ailments should be
obvious, by the time Mr. Williams returns to New York. Possibly, her blindness could be in question - but a
revelation could have be made certain in either the "highway" or "video tape" scenes. The film would benefit
from a re-editing - how about a "director's cut"? <br /><br />Williams and Bobby Cannavale (as Jess) don't
seem, initially, believable as a couple. A scene or two establishing their relationship might have helped set the
stage. Otherwise, the cast is exemplary. Williams offers an exceptionally strong characterization, and not a
"gay impersonation". Sandra Oh (as Anna), Joe Morton (as Ashe), and Rory Culkin (Pete Logand) are all
perfect.<br /><br />Best of all, Collette's "Donna" belongs in the creepy hall of fame. Ms. Oh is correct in
saying Collette might be, "you know, like that guy from 'Psycho'." There have been several years when
organizations giving acting awards seemed to reach for women, due to a slighter dispersion of roles; certainly,
they could have noticed Collette with some award consideration. She is that good. And, director Patrick
Stettner definitely evokes Hitchcock - he even makes getting a sandwich from a vending machine
suspenseful.<br /><br />Finally, writers Stettner, Armistead Maupin, and Terry Anderson deserve gratitude
from flight attendants everywhere.<br /><br />******* The Night Listener (1/21/06) Patrick Stettner ~ Robin
Williams, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, Rory Culkin
1 I felt this film did have many good qualities. The cinematography was certainly different exposing the stage
aspect of the set and story. The original characters as actors was certainly an achievement and I felt most
played quite convincingly, of course they are playing themselves, but definitely unique. The cultural aspects
may leave many disappointed as a familiarity with the Chinese and Oriental culture will answer a lot of
questions regarding parent/child relationships and the stigma that goes with any drug use. I found the Jia
Hongsheng story interesting. On a down note, the story is in Beijing and some of the fashion and music reek
of early 90s even though this was made in 2001, so it's really cheesy sometimes (the Beatles crap, etc).
Whatever, not a top ten or twenty but if it's on the television, check it out.
THE NIGHT LISTENER (2006) **1/2 Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Bobby Cannavale, Rory Culkin, Joe Morton,
Sandra Oh, John Cullum, Lisa Emery, Becky Ann Baker. (Dir: Patrick Stettner) <br /><br />Hitchcockian
suspenser gives Williams a stand-out low-key performance.<br /><br />What is it about celebrities and fans?
What is the near paranoia one associates with the other and why is it almost the norm? <br /><br />In the
latest derange fan scenario, based on true events no less, Williams stars as a talk-radio personality named
Gabriel No one, who reads stories he's penned over the airwaves and has accumulated an interesting fan in
the form of a young boy named Pete Logand (Culkin) who has submitted a manuscript about the travails of his
troubled youth to No one's editor Ashe (Morton) who gives it to No one to read for himself. <br /><br />No
one is naturally disturbed but ultimately intrigued about the nightmarish existence of Pete being abducted
and sexually abused for years until he was finally rescued by a nurse named Donna (Collette giving an
excellent performance) who has adopted the boy but her correspondence with No one reveals that Pete is
dying from AIDS. Naturally No one wants to meet the fans but is suddenly in doubt to their possibly devious
ulterior motives when the seed is planted by his estranged lover Jess (Cannavale) whose sudden departure
from their New York City apartment has No one in an emotional tailspin that has only now grown into a
tempest in a teacup when he decides to do some investigating into Donna and Pete's backgrounds
discovering some truths that he didn't anticipate.<br /><br />Written by Armistead Maupin (who co-wrote
the screenplay with his former lover Terry Anderson and the film's novice director Stettner) and based on a
true story about a fan's hoax found out has some Hitchcockian moments that run on full tilt like any good old
fashioned pot-boiler does. It helps that Williams gives a stand-out, low-key performance as the conflicted
good-hearted personality who genuinely wants to believe that his number one fan is in fact real and does love
him (the one thing that has escaped his own reality) and has some unsettling dreadful moments with the
creepy Collette whose one physical trait I will leave unmentioned but underlines the desperation of her
character that can rattle you to the core.<br /><br />However the film runs out of gas and eventually
becomes a bit repetitive and predictable despite a finely directed piece of hoodwink and mystery by Stettner,
it pays to listen to your own inner voice: be careful of what you hope for.
1 This movie is amazing because the fact that the real people portray themselves and their real life
experience and do such a good job it's like they're almost living the past over again. Jia Hongsheng plays
himself an actor who quit everything except music and drugs struggling with depression and searching for the
meaning of life while being angry at everyone especially the people who care for him most. There's moments
in the movie that will make you wanna cry because the family especially the father did such a good job.
However, this movie is not for everyone. Many people who suffer from depression will understand
Hongsheng's problem and why he does the things he does for example keep himself shut in a dark room or go
for walks or bike rides by himself. Others might see the movie as boring because it's just so real that its almost
like a documentary. Overall this movie is great and Hongsheng deserved an Oscar for this movie so did his
Dad.
You know, Robin Williams, God bless him, is constantly shooting himself in the foot lately with all these dumb
comedies he has done this decade (with perhaps the exception of "Death To Smoochy", which bombed when
it came out but is now a cult classic). The dramas he has made lately have been fantastic, especially
"Insomnia" and "One Hour Photo". "The Night Listener", despite mediocre reviews and a quick DVD release, is
among his best work, period.<br /><br />This is a very chilling story, even though it doesn't include a serial
killer or anyone that physically dangerous for that matter. The concept of the film is based on an actual case
of fraud that still has yet to be officially confirmed. In high school, I read an autobiography by a child named
Anthony Godby Johnson, who suffered horrific abuse and eventually contracted AIDS as a result. I was moved
by the story until I read reports online that Johnson may not actually exist. When I saw this movie, the
confused feelings that Robin Williams so brilliantly portrayed resurfaced in my mind.<br /><br />Toni Collette
probably gives her best dramatic performance too as the ultimately sociopathic "caretaker". Her role was a far
cry from those she had in movies like "Little Miss Sunshine". There were even times she looked into the
camera where I thought she was staring right at me. It takes a good actress to play that sort of role, and it's
this understated (yet well reviewed) role that makes Toni Collette probably one of the best actresses of this
generation not to have even been nominated for an Academy Award (as of 2008). It's incredible that there is
at least one woman in this world who is like this, and it's scary too.<br /><br />This is a good, dark film that I
highly recommend. Be prepared to be unsettled, though, because this movie leaves you with a strange feeling
at the end.
1 "Quitting" may be as much about exiting a pre-ordained identity as about drug withdrawal. As a rural guy
coming to Beijing, class and success must have struck this young artist face on as an appeal to separate from
his roots and far surpass his peasant parents' acting success. Troubles arise, however, when the new man is
too new, when it demands too big a departure from family, history, nature, and personal identity. The ensuing
splits, and confusion between the imaginary and the real and the dissonance between the ordinary and the
heroic are the stuff of a gut check on the one hand or a complete escape from self on the other. Hongshen
slips into the latter and his long and lonely road back to self can be grim.<br /><br />But what an
exceptionally convincing particularity, honesty, and sensuousness director Zhang Yang, and his actors, bring to
this journey. No clichés, no stereotypes, no rigid gender roles, no requisite sex, romance or violence scenes,
no requisite street language and, to boot, no assumed money to float character acts and whims. <br /><br
/>Hongshen Jia is in his mid-twenties. He's a talented actor, impressionable, vain, idealistic, and perhaps
emotionally starved. The perfect recipe for his enablers. Soon he's the "cool" actor, idolized by youth. "He was
hot in the early nineties." "He always had to be the most fashionable." He needs extremes, and goes in for
heavy metal, adopts earrings and a scarf. His acting means the arts, friends--and roles, But not the kind that
offer any personal challenge or input. And his self-criticism, dulled by the immediacy of success, opens the
doors to an irrational self-doubt, self-hatred-- "I didn't know how to act" "I felt like a phony"--and to readily
available drugs to counter them. He says "I had to get high to do what director wanted." So, his shallow
identity as an actor becomes, via drugs, an escape from identity. <br /><br />Hongshen's disengagement from
drugs and his false life is very gradual, intermittent--and doggedly his own. Solitude, space, meditative
thinking, speech refusal, replace therapy. The abstract is out. And a great deal of his change occurs
outdoors---not in idealized locations but mainly on green patches under the freeways, bridges, and high-rises
of Beijing. The physicality is almost romantic, but is not. The bike rides to Ritan Park, the long spontaneous
walks, the drenching sun and rain, grassy picnics, the sky patterns and kites that absorb his musing are very
specific. He drifts in order to arrive, all the while picking up cues to a more real and realistic identity. "I started
to open up" he says of this period in retrospect. And the contact seems to start with his lanky body which
projects a kind of dancer's positioning (clumsy, graceful, humorous, telling) in a current circumstance. If mind
or spirit is lacking, his legs can compel him to walk all night. <br /><br />Central to his comeback is the
rejection of set roles. To punctuate his end to acting and his determination to a new identity, he smashes his
videos and TV, and bangs his head till bloody against his "John Lennon Forever" poster. He has let down his
iconic anti-establishment artist---but he's the only viable guide he knows. He even imagines himself as John's
son (Yoko Ono), and adopts his "Mother Mary" as an intercessor in his "hour of darkness" and "time of
trouble." (the wrenching, shaking pain in the park--hallucinatory and skitzoid ordeals) "Music is so much more
real than acting" he says. And speaks of Lennon's influence as "showing me a new way." In the mental
institute, the life-saving apples (resistance, nourishment) reflect Lennon's presence, as does Hongshen's need
to re-hang his hero's poster in his redecorated room.<br /><br />If Lennon's influence is spiriting, Hongshen's
father's influence is grounding. Although father and son are both actors and users (drugs and drink), it is
Fegsen's differences from his son that underwrites his change. For the father is more secure in himself: he
accepts that he's Chinese, a peasant in a line of peasants, a rural theater director. And he exercises control
over both his habit and his emotions. It's this recognizable identity that drives Hongshen to treat him like a
sounding board, sometimes with anger and rage, sometimes with humor (the blue jeans, Beatles) and
passivity. In his most crazed, and violent exchange with his father in which he accuses him of being a liar, and
a fake, he exposes more of himself than his father: "all the acts I acted before were bullshit... life is bullshit."
And to Hongshen's emphatic "you are NOT my father," he softly replies, "why can't a peasant be your father?"
<br /><br />Under these two teachers and with much additional help from his mother, sister, friends, inmates
at the rehab inst., he makes some tangible connection to a real (not whole) self. As the long term drug effects
recede, so does his old identity. Indebtedness replaces pride, trust distrust. Integrity banishes his black cloud.
All his edges soften. "You are just a human being" he repeats endlessly after being released from the strap-
down incurred for refusing medicine. Back home, lard peasant soap is fine with him now. And his once "rare
and true friendships" begin again as is so evident in the back to poignant back-to-back fence scene with his
musician buddy. Hongshen says of this movie: "it's a good chance to think about my life." And I might add,
become a New Actor, one bound to art and life. Like Lennon, he has gained success without a loss of identity.
When I first read Armistead Maupins story I was taken in by the human drama displayed by Gabriel No one
and those he cares about and loves. That being said, we have now been given the film version of an excellent
story and are expected to see past the gloss of Hollywood...<br /><br />Writer Armistead Maupin and
director Patrick Stettner have truly succeeded! <br /><br />With just the right amount of restraint Robin
Williams captures the fragile essence of Gabriel and lets us see his struggle with issues of trust both in his
personnel life(Jess) and the world around him(Donna).<br /><br />As we are introduced to the players in this
drama we are reminded that nothing is ever as it seems and that the smallest event can change our lives
irrevocably. The request to review a book written by a young man turns into a life changing event that helps
Gabriel find the strength within himself to carry on and move forward.<br /><br />It's to bad that most
people will avoid this film. I only say that because the average American will probably think "Robin Williams in
a serious role? That didn't work before!" PLEASE GIVE THIS MOVIE A CHANCE! Robin Williams touches the
darkness we all must find and go through in ourselves to be better people. Like his movie One Hour Photo he
has stepped up as an actor and made another quality piece of art.<br /><br />Oh and before I forget, I believe
Bobby Cannavale as Jess steals every scene he is in. He has the 1940's leading man looks and screen
presence. It's this hacks opinion he could carry his own movie right now!!<br /><br />S~
1 I loved this movie from beginning to end.I am a musician and i let drugs get in the way of my some of the
things i used to love(skateboarding,drawing) but my friends were always there for me.Music was like my
rehab,life support,and my drug.It changed my life.I can totally relate to this movie and i wish there was more i
could say.This movie left me speechless to be honest.I just saw it on the Ifc channel.I usually hate having
satellite but this was a perk of having satellite.The ifc channel shows some really great movies and without it I
never would have found this movie.Im not a big fan of the international films because i find that a lot of the
don't do a very good job on translating lines.I mean the obvious language barrier leaves you to just believe
thats what they are saying but its not that big of a deal i guess.I almost never got to see this AMAZING
movie.Good thing i stayed up for it instead of going to bed..well earlier than usual.lol.I hope you all enjoy the
hell of this movie and Love this movie just as much as i did.I wish i could type this all in caps but its again the
rules i guess thats shouting but it would really show my excitement for the film.I Give It Three Thumbs Way
Up!<br /><br />This Movie Blew ME AWAY!
I liked the film. Some of the action scenes were very interesting, tense and well done. I especially liked the
opening scene which had a semi truck in it. A very tense action scene that seemed well done.<br /><br
/>Some of the transitional scenes were filmed in interesting ways such as time lapse photography, unusual
colors, or interesting angles. Also the film is funny is several parts. I also liked how the evil guy was portrayed
too. I'd give the film an 8 out of 10.
1 I was fortunate to attend the London premier of this film. While I am not at all a fan of British drama, I did
find myself deeply moved by the characters and the BAD CHOICES they made. I was in tears by the end of the
film. Every scene was mesmerizing. The attention to detail and the excellent acting was quite
impressive.<br /><br />I would have to agree with some of the other comments here which question why all
these women were throwing themselves at such a despicable character.<br /><br />*******SPOLIER
ALERT******** I was also hoping that Dylan would have been killed by William when he had the chance!
****END SPOILER*****<br /><br />Keira Knightley did a great job and radiate beauty and innocence from
the screen, but it was Sienna Miller's performance that was truly Oscar worthy.<br /><br />I am sure this
production will be nominated for other awards.
There are many illnesses born in the mind of man which have been given life in modern times. Constant
vigilance or accrued information in the realm of Pyschosis, have kept psychologists, counselors and
psychiatrists busy with enough work to last them decades. Occasionally, some of these mental phenomenon
are discover by those with no knowledge of their remedy or even of their existence. That is the premise of the
film entitled " The Night Listner." It tells the story of a popular radio host called Gabriel Noon (Robin Williams)
who spends his evenings enthralling his audiences with vivid stories about Gay lifestyles. Perhaps its because
his show is losing it's authentic veneer which causes Noon to admit he is no longer himself. Feeling
abandoned by both his lover Jess (Bobby Cannavale) and his and best friend (Joe Morton), he seeks shelter in
his deepening despair and isolation. It is here, a mysterious voice in the night asks him for help. Noon needs
to feel useful and reaches out to the desperate voice which belongs to a 14 year old boy called Peter (Rory
Culkin). In reading the boy's harrowing manuscript which depicts the early life and sexual abuse at the hands
of his brutal parents, Noon is captivated and wants to help. However, things are not what they seem and
Noon soon finds himself en-wrapped in an elusive and bizarre tale torn right out of a medical nightmare. This
movie is pure Robin Williams and were it not for Toni Collette who plays Donna D. Logand, Sandra Oh as Anna
and John Cullum as pop, this might be comical. Instead, this may prove to be one of William's more serious
performances. ***
1 I first saw this movie on IFC. Which is a great network by the way to see underground films. I watched this
movie and was thinking it was going to be pure drama and a story line that doesn't hold water. But it really
was a worth while watch. The main character is in such rough shape, and you hate to see him deny help, but
no matter what you just can't hate him. His devotion to The Beatles and John Lennon is a great metaphor for
his life and the helplessness he feels. <br /><br />The atmosphere of the film is also great. At times, you feel
like you can see what he sees, feel what he feels in some situations. This movie does not leave you wanting to
know more, or disliking a loophole in the plot. There are NO loopholes (in my opinion). I have always been a
fan of foreign films, especially now with movies being made so poorly in America. I really enjoy the foreign
settings because I feel it can take you on a trip, and sometimes understand a different culture. This movie did
all those things to me and more. Please watch this movie and if you're new to foreign films, this is a great
start.
I enjoyed The Night Listener very much. It's one of the better movies of the summer.<br /><br />Robin
Williams gives one of his best performances. In fact, the entire cast was very good. All played just the right
notes for their characters - not too much and not too little. Sandra Oh adds a wonderful comic touch. Toni
Collette is great as the Mom, and never goes over the top. Everyone is very believable.<br /><br />It's a short
movie, just under an hour and a half. I noticed the general release version is nine minutes shorter than the
Sundance version. I wonder if some of the more disturbing images were cut from the movie.<br /><br />The
director told a story and did it in straightforward fashion, which is a refreshing change from many directors
these days who seem to think their job is to impress the audience rather than tell a story and tell it well.<br
/><br />Do not be sucker punched by the previews and ads. It is not a Hitchcockian thriller. See The Night
Listener because you want to see a good story told well. If you go expecting Hitchcock you will be
disappointed.<br /><br />My only complaint with the movie was the ending. The director could have left a
little more to the audience's imagination, but this is a minor quibble.
1 I must say, every time I see this movie, I am deeply touched, not only by the most painful four years of
Hongsheng's life, but also by how his family deals with his drug addiction. It is also true that getting addicted
to anything, such as drugs, alcohol, or pornography, cannot only hurt you, but also hurt your most important
people in the world: your family. Since family is the #1 priority in the Asian culture, it takes guts for the circle
to gather together and show one person how much the family loves him/her. this is actually the first Chinese
movie that I actually enjoy, not for the fun of it, but the elements surrounding it (superb acting, touching
story, great direction) make this movie worth watching. What stands out the most is that Hongsheng and his
family act out the story themselves instead of having some B-movie actor trying to imitate the real person. It
shows the genuineness of the movie.
The Night Listener is probably not one of William's best roles, but he makes a very interesting character in a
somewhat odd but very different movie. I can guarantee you that you have never seen this kind of movie
before. Some people maybe won't like the slow pacing of this movie, but I think it's the great plus of the
movie. It is definitely one of the top movies that have come out the year 2006. It has a intriguing performance
in a movie with a great content, dramatic feeling. This is no americanized movie. Neither is it a predictable
movie. You just feel that it is a movie that has secrets which you have a hard time to determine what the
outcome of it may be. This is no excellent movie that has everything, but hell, it's a damn good and very
original movie.
0 My wife is a mental health therapist and we watched it from beginning to end. I am the typical man and can
not stand chick flicks, but this movie is unbelievable. If you want to see what it is like for someone who is
going through these type of struggles, this is the movie for you. As I watched it I found myself feeling sorry for
him and others like him. <br /><br />***Spoiler*** Plus the fact that all the individuals in the movie including
the people in the mental institution were the actual people in real life made it that more real.<br /><br />A
must see for someone in the mental health profession!
Like one of the previous commenters said, this had the foundations of a great movie but something happened
on the way to delivery. Such a waste because Collette's performance was eerie and Williams was believable. I
just kept waiting for it to get better. I don't think it was bad editing or needed another director, it could have
just been the film. It came across as a Canadian movie, something like the first few seasons of X-Files. Not
cheap, just hokey. Also, it needed a little more suspense. Something that makes you jump off your seat. The
movie reached that moment then faded away; kind of like a false climax. I can see how being too suspenseful
would have taken away from the "reality" of the story but I thought that part was reached when Gabriel was
in the hospital looking for the boy. This movie needs to have a Director's cut that tries to fix these problems.
1 I saw this film at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2002. This seemed to be one of the less popular
films on the festival, however, as it turned out, all the more interesting.<br /><br />The story, of an actor
trying to come to grips with himself and his environment after withdrawing from a drug addiction, is based on
actual facts. Moreover, the characters playing in the film are the real people living this experience over again,
this time for the film, which is partly set up as a stage play. Not only do they all happen to be good actors, Jia
Hongsheng's parents are actors in real life as well, the methods used in highlighting their relationship towards
Jia are very effective.<br /><br />Jia Hongsheng is the actor of some Chinese action films late eighties start
nineties. Later you can see him in great films such as Frozen and Suzhou River. In between these two career
paths Jia becomes a drug addict and looses all drive to act or even do anything productive, except for making
somewhat futile attempts at becoming a guitar virtuoso.<br /><br />I like the way the writer of the scenario
choose to emphasize on his behavior after withdrawal more than on the horror of drugs. We really feel the
pain and struggle Jia is in. At the same time we hate him for the way he treats those around him.<br /><br
/>The film draws the viewer into a tiring pattern Jia seems to be caught in, dragging with him his parents and
sister who try to take care of him. Because there are personal 'interviews' with the characters we feel like we
are getting to know Jia not only through himself but through others as well.<br /><br />The film has a heavy
feel, but scenes of Jia cycling through Bejing and partying with his friends lighten the tone. So does the bitter
humor in a lot of events throughout the film. The music is beautiful and stayed with me for a while after. This
is a film that might not easily appeal to many people but for those interested in the more serious and modern
Chinese film this is a strong recommendation.
The Night Listener held my attention, with Robin Williams shining as a New York City radio host who becomes
enamored with his friendship with a 14 year old boy (Rory Culkin) who is very ill. Williams has never met the
boy in person, as they have only been in contact by talking on the telephone. However, Williams' ex-boyfriend
(nice job from Bobby Cannavale) raises doubt about the boy, which prompts Williams to arrange a meeting
with him in person. What follows makes a permanent impact on Williams in a way he does not expect. I will
leave it at that. Toni Collette also stars.<br /><br />I enjoyed this film, with Toni Collette giving a memorable
portrayal of Culkin's adoptive mother. Sandra Oh also starred as Williams' friend. The Night Listener is inspired
by actual events, and it has a somber, almost creepy silence throughout. At times it is predictable, no thanks
to some of the reviews I read before seeing the movie and just due to logic, but I liked it anyway. I enjoy
Williams in roles like this, more so than his comedic characters so that was an added bonus for me.
Recommended. 8/10
1 "Night of the Hunted" stars French porn star Brigitte Lahaie.In fact,many of the cast members in this slow-
moving production were porn actors at the time of its frantic filming.This film is certainly different than
Rollin's usual lesbian vampire flicks,but it's not as memorable as for example "Lips of Blood" or
"Fascination".Lahaie plays an amnesiac hitchhiker who can't remember who she is or where she came
from.Most of the film takes place in a modern apartment complex,where Lahaie is being held by some kind of
medical group that's treating a number of people with a similar condition.Anyway,she escapes from the
monolithic office tower where the affected people are held.On a highway outside of town,she meets a young
man,who stops and picks her up."Night of the Hunted" offers plenty of nudity,unfortunately the pace is
extremely slow.The atmosphere is horribly sad and the relationship between Brigitte Lahaie and another
asylum inmate Dominique Journet is well-developed.Still "Night of the Hunted" is too dull to be completely
enjoyable.Give it a look only if you are a fan of Jean Rollin's works.7 out of 10 and that's being kind.
Popular radio storyteller Gabriel No one(Robin Williams,scraggy and speaking in hushed,hypnotic tones)
becomes acquainted and friends with a fourteen-year-old boy from Wisconsin named Pete Logand(Rory
Culkin),who has written a book detailing sexual abuse from his parents. To boot,Pete has AIDS and this
compels Gabriel further still,since his partner Jess(Bobby Cannavale,good)happens to be a survivor of HIV
himself. <br /><br />He also acquaints himself with Pete's guardian,a woman named Donna(Toni
Collette,brilliant!)and when Gabriel decides he wants to meet and talk to the two of them in person and goes
to Wisconsin,he discovers some secrets he was(naturally)not prepared to find.<br /><br />Based on real
events that happened to Armistead Maupin(who co-wrote the screenplay with Terry Anderson)and directed
by Patrick Stetner,this film moves a lot faster(90 min.,maybe a few minutes longer)than one might think a
movie of this genre would run. That's good in that it keeps the action and storyline lean and clear. It's bad in
that it leaves various holes in the plot and doesn't sew-up any of the plot openings or back-story. I'd rather
not go into any great detail except to say that,if you are not familiar with Mr.Maupin's works or his personal
story,you feel a little bit out of the loop here. Still,the performances by Williams( I would've loved to heard
more of his narration,personally),Collette,Cannavale,Culkin and much of the supporting cast(the Waitress at
the restaurant Collete's Donna frequents does a great job with what small part she has!)are top-notch and
the mood established here--namely,the chilly,lonely dark exteriors of Wisconsin and New York--give a terrific
framing for this story. It may have ends that don't tie together particularly well,but it's still a compelling
enough story to stick with.
1 Even if you're a fan of Jean Rollin's idiosyncratic body of work, you will be caught off guard by this
exceptional foray into science fiction territory. For once, there's not a single diaphanously gowned vampire
girl in sight ! True to tradition, the budget proved way too tight to realize the director's vision entirely. Yet this
is largely compensated by his obvious love of genre cinema, dedication to his craft and sheer ingenuity. Jean-
Claude Couty's atmospheric cinematography makes the most of the foreboding locations and Philippe Bréjean
(a/k/a "Gary Sandeur") contributes a startling soundtrack that fortunately doesn't resemble any of the sappy
stuff he composed for hardcore.<br /><br />Shot in and around a Paris office block before and after working
hours, the film was largely cast with porn regulars Rollin was already quite familiar with from his "Michel
Gentil" cash-gathering XXX efforts, most notably French f*ck film royalty Brigitte Lahaie in the demanding
lead. Playing Elisabeth (rather well, I might add), she's picked up wandering a nearby highway one night by
Robert (Vincent Gardère), driving home at the end of a long work day. Barely able to piece together the string
of events that got her there, Elisabeth seems to lose her memories mere moments after events occur, even
forgetting Robert's name and heroic savior role before their night flight comes to an end at his apartment.
Prior to making love, she rightfully describes herself as a virgin (further credit to Brigitte's thespian skills that
she can handle the line so convincingly, being after all one of the more active adult actresses of the '70s)
because she cannot recall a single touch preceding his. Because of this nifty bit of context, the relatively long
sex scene that follows totally eschews the gratuity of other "commercial" interludes Rollin has had to include
in other works to assure funding.<br /><br />When Robert leaves for work, he's inevitably erased from
Elisabeth's feeble mind. A mysterious doctor (comedian Bernard Papineau effectively cast against type) and
his menacing assistant Solange (striking porn starlet Rachel Mhas) move in on her during her protector's
absence and take her back to the place she turns out to have escaped from. Here we get one of the movie's
strongest scenes as she's re-introduced to her roommate Catherine (the late Cathérine Greiner a/k/a
hardcore performer "Cathy Stewart" in a quietly devastating turn), both girls desperately supplying fictitious
shared "memories" for one another in a bid to outrun their inevitable fate. That deterioration is not solely
limited to the mind becomes painfully clear when they are served lunch and Catherine's unable to control her
movements in trying to eat a spoonful of soup. It's also Catherine who gets to voice the filmmaker's
compromise with the demands of commerce as she urges Elisabeth to get naked and hold her because sex is
all they have left now that both mind and physical faculties have deserted them.<br /><br />Several rather
explicit - if not quite hardcore - sex scenes make up the movie's mid-section and French porn aficionados
should recognize the likes of Alain Plumey (a/k/a "Cyril Val"), Jacques Gateau and Elodie Delage, along with a
blink and miss bit from future porno princess Marilyn Jess whose rape at the hands, mouth and member of
Plumey was only present in the film's rarely screened XXX version FILLES TRAQUEES. The pivotal part of
Véronique, a girl Elisabeth almost seems to remember and whom she seeks to escape anew with, is
beautifully handled by the exquisite Dominique Journet - in her unforgettable debut - who would go on to
play a sizable supporting role in Franco Zeffirelli's LA TRAVIATA. The six feet under ending reveals the
deteriorating condition to be the result of a nuclear spill, the quarantined "patients" ultimately leaving a
barely breathing empty shell, unceremoniously disposed off in a fiery furnace. The final shot offers a
particularly heartbreaking variation on that of Chaplin's MODERN TIMES as Elisabeth, approaching complete
meltdown by now, and a wounded Robert stumble along the railroad bridge, clumsily clasping each other's
outstretched hands.
If there is one thing to recommend about this film is that it is intriguing. The premise certainly draws the
audience in because it is a mystery, and throughout the film there are hints that there is something dark
lurking about. However, there is not much tension, and Williams' mild mannered portrayal doesn't do much
to makes us relate to his obsession with the boy.<br /><br />Collete fares much better as the woman whose
true nature and intentions are not very clear. The production felt rushed and holes are apparent. It certainly
feels like a preview for a much more complete and better effort. The book is probably better.<br /><br />One
thing is certain: Taupin must have written something truly good to have inspired at least one commendable
effort.
1 I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. Sure it is a bit slow moving in parts, but what else would one
expect from Rollin? Also there is plenty of nudity, nothing wrong with that, particularly as it includes lots of
the gorgeous, Brigitte Lahaie. There are also some spectacularly eroticised female dead, bit more dodgey,
perhaps, but most effective. There is also a sci-fi like storyline with a brief explanation at the end, but I
wouldn't bother too much with that. No, here we have a most interesting exploration of memory and the
effect of memory loss and to just what extent one is still 'alive' without memory. My DVD sleeve mentions
David Cronenberg and whilst this is perhaps not quite as good as his best films, there is some similarity here,
particularly with the great use of seemingly menacing architecture and the effective and creepy use of inside
space. As I have tried to indicate this is by no means a rip roaring thriller, it is a captivating, nightmare like
movie that makes the very most of its locations, including a stunning railway setting at the end.
I absolutely LOVED this film! I do not at all relate to all the other comments I have read about it. I was
COMPLETELY enthralled through every second! <br /><br />I found the story gripping, the acting intense, and
the direction spot-on. I would literally jump every time the phone would ring close to the end of the movie.
Even though there was nothing "scary" about the story itself, I was soundly on edge through the whole movie
- and for the rest of my evening. <br /><br />I found that there were so many perfect choices made...the
casting, the script, the little bits of humor sprinkled in it. There were so many points where the film could've
gone for the cheap thrill, but it never did, and that for me put this movie above so many of the mediocre
thrillers that have come out lately...and for the last number of years.
1 I went into "Night of the Hunted" not knowing what to expect at all. I was really impressed.<br /><br />It is
essentially a mystery/thriller where this girl who can't remember anything gets 'rescued' by a guy who
happens to be driving past. The two become fast friends and lovers and together, they try to figure out what
is going on with her. Through some vague flashbacks and grim memories, they eventually get to the bottom of
it and the ending is pretty cool.<br /><br />I really liked the setting of this one: a desolate, post-modern Paris
is the backdrop with lots of gray skies and tall buildings. Very metropolitan. Groovy soundtrack and lots of
nudity.<br /><br />Surprising it was made in 1980; seems somewhat ahead of it's time.<br /><br />8 out of
10, kids.
This Night Listener is better than people are generally saying. It has weaknesses, and it seems to be having a
genre identity crisis, no doubt, but I think its creepy atmosphere and intriguing performances make up for
this. The whole thing feels like one of those fireside "this happened to a friend of a friend of mine" ghost
stories. One big complaint about the movie is the pacing: but the slow and sometimes awkward pacing is
deliberate. Everything that unfolds in this movie is kept well within the realm of possibility, and real life just
sort of plods along—no? So there are no flashy endings or earth-shattering revelations, no "showdown"
scenes. Thank Heaven. You have to get into the zone when watching this movie, forget your reservations and
your expectations of what makes a (conventionally)good movie. Williams isn't terrific, but he easily meets the
needs of the story, plus his character is supposed to be somewhat generic ("No One") as he is the Everyman,
the avatar by which we ourselves enter the story. Toni Collette's performance should be nominated for an
Oscar (even if she maybe shouldn't win it). Give it a shot. For quality and content alone, The Night Listener is
surely in the top twenty percent of movies coming out these days.
1 I have certainly not seen all of Jean Rollin's films, but they mostly seem to be bloody vampire naked women
fests, which if you like that sort of thing is not bad, but this is a major departure and could almost be
Cronenberg minus the bio-mechanical nightmarish stuff. Except it's in French with subtitles of course. A man
driving on the road at night comes across a woman that is in her slippers and bathrobe and picks her up,
while in the background yet another woman lingers, wearing nothing. As they drive along it's obvious that
there is something not right about the woman, in that she forgets things almost as quickly as they happen.
Still though, that doesn't prevent the man from having sex with her once they return to Paris & his apartment.
The man leaves for work and some strangers show up at his place and take the woman away to this 'tower
block', a huge apartment building referred to as the Black Tower, where others of her kind (for whom the 'no
memory' things seems to be the least of their problems) are being held for some reason. Time and events
march by in the movie, which involve mostly trying to find what's going on and get out of the building for this
woman, and she does manage to call Robert, the guy that picked her up in the first place, to come rescue her.
The revelation as to what's going on comes in the last few moments of the movie, which has a rather strange
yet touching end to it. In avoiding what seemed to be his "typical" formula, Rollin created, in this, what I feel
is his most fascinating and disturbing film. I like this one a lot, check it out. 8 out of 10.
When it comes to movies I can be pretty picky, and I'll complain about anything and everything that is done
wrong. While every movie has its flaws, The Night Listener had an exceptionally low count.<br /><br />If you
read the last review (it was hard, since half of it was written in caps and it contained no actual information
about the movie), you may have been led to believe that this movie was not too well done. Unfortunately, if
you read more than 3 lines into that same review, you discovered the poster's reason for disdain: he/she does
not like the fact that the director is gay (or that the production team smokes crack...apparently).<br /><br
/>So, despite the fact that I have never written a review before, I thought this movie deserved one based on
its merits, not the sexual orientation of its director. Let's go over a quick checklist first: 1. Great plot?
Absolutely. I won't give a shred of it away, but the plot is highly compelling and definitely not what one would
expect based on the commercials. This is a thriller, not a horror, and it should be approached as such. The
story really will amaze you, even more so because it's true (and the plot did stay quite faithful to the actual
events).<br /><br />2. Wonderful Acting? Oh Yes. Robin Williams long ago broke free from the chains of the
comedy type-cast, and he has since flourished in serious roles for which many people would have wrote him
off just a decade ago. He once again achieves high form in his role in The Night Listener, playing a radio host
who becomes increasingly troubled by and entangled in a case of...well, I'll let you see for yourself.<br
/><br />3. Excellent direction? Certainly. Now, unlike the other poster to which I referred, I actually know
something about direction. I've been sutdying the art of direction at school now for 3 years. Of course I really
don't think that makes a lick of difference (the only thing that matters is if YOU like the direction), but I
thought I should simply establish once again that I'm basing my opinions here on something both substantial
and relevant...for example: not the sexual orientation of the director (or the alleged drug habits of the
production team, LOL).<br /><br />Patrick Stettner's direction was moody and dark, and he allowed the
angles and lighting to help create those so-sought-after feelings of "tension and release" rather than the
messy, fast-paced camera-work and quick cuts we're so often subjected to today. Some people can truly show
you a story through their camera, while other's feel as if they have to make the story with the camera. I really
appreciate when someone these days has the courage to just use the camera as its supposed to be utilized,
which is as an eyeball through which we all see.<br /><br />4. Lighting, cinematography, and editing? Great all
around. I've already wrote so much, and I could go on about these last three things for another ten
paragraphs, so I'll just wrap it up.<br /><br />In short, go see this movie. Don't listen to people who have
alterior motives for trashing it, especially if they're so stupid that they unknowingly reveal that motive 1/4 of
the way through their post. Enjoy the show! -Ben
1 Since this cartoon was made in the old days, Felix talks using cartoon bubbles and the animation style is
very crude when compared to today. However, compared to its contemporaries, it's a pretty good cartoon and
still holds up well. That's because despite its age, the cartoon is very creative and funny.<br /><br />Felix
meets a guy whose shoe business is folding because he can't sell any shoes. Well, Felix needs money so he
can go to Hollywood, so he tells the guy at the shop he'll get every shoe sold. Felix spreads chewing gum all
over town and soon people are stuck and leave their shoes--rushing to buy new ones from the shoe store. In
gratitude, the guy gives Felix $500! However, Felix's owner wants to take the money and go alone, so Felix
figures out a way to sneak along.<br /><br />Once there, Felix barges into a studio and makes a bit of a
nuisance of himself. Along the way, he meets cartoon versions of comics Ben Turpin and Charlie Chaplin. In
the end, though, through luck, Felix is discovered and offered a movie contract. Hurray!
Somewhat funny and well-paced action thriller that has Jamie Foxx as a hapless, fast-talking hoodlum who is
chosen by an overly demanding U.S. Treasury Agent (David Morse) to be released on the streets of New York
to find a picky computer thief/hacker (Doug Hutchinson), who stole forty-two million dollars from the
treasury and left two guards shot dead.<br /><br />"Bait" marks the sophomore feature for Antoine Fuqua
("The Replacement Killers") and he handles the task fairly well even though it doesn't top his first movie.
What the two films have in common is the action sequences, which are flat-out excellent.<br /><br />Foxx is
pretty good here although his character is annoying in the beginning, but throughout the film, I began to
catch on. Hutchinson is marvelous as the mastermind who can be ruthless as John Malkovich and patient as
the late Laurence Olivier was in "Marathon Man". Morse is okay as the agent who comes up with the
ingenious plan to get whoever did it at all cost.
1 Despite the title and unlike some other stories about love and war, this film isn't too sticky and pink,
because love is as a rose: With thorns, that is. The four leading actors set their characters realistic and with a
good sense and balance between the tragic and the down-to-earth. <br /><br />The music and lyrics of the
cabaret/chanson-esquire songs (sung b Keira Knightley herself) drag the viewer deeper and deeper in the
film, from one place to another, between the brutal war and amongst the peaceful love. Some people may
find it too much a biopic, but it ís mostly a romantic story, even though it consequently follows the life of
Dylan Thomas and the triangular relationship which is steeped by joy and jealousy. <br /><br />London gets
visualized from another angle for once, the bohemian life of Dylan during the bombings of the Germans is set
in a floating atmosphere of small bedrooms, pubs and bars. The independent women, the soldier and the
charismatic poet are constantly swept in both feelings of love and anger. <br /><br />Maybe the end is too
twisted and hangs somewhat loosely to the rest of the film, but all in all this is a great romantic story.
The legendary Boris Karloff ended his illustrious career by making four cheapie fright flick clunkers in Mexico.
This is the token moody period Gothic horror entry from the bunch. Karloff gives a typically spry and dignified
performance as Matthias Morteval, an elderly eccentric patriarch who invites several of his petty, greedy and
backbiting no-count relatives to his creepy rundown castle for the reading of a will. Pretty soon the hateful
guests are getting bumped off by lethal life-sized toy people who populate the place. Onetime Mexican sex
symbol Andres Garcia of "Tintorera" infamy portrays the dashing police officer hero and Julissa looks
absolutely ravishing as the sole likable female character. The clunky, plodding (non)direction, trite by-the-
numbers script, ugly, washed-out cinematography, ridiculous murder set pieces (a gross fat slob gets blasted
right in the face by a miniature cannon!), overwrought string score, morbid gloom-doom atmosphere, largely
lousy acting (Karloff notably excepted), cheesy mild gore, poor dubbing and rousing fiery conclusion all lend
this enjoyably awful lemon a certain endearingly cruddy and hence oddly amusing ratty charm. A real campy
hoot.
1 Felix in Hollywood is a great film. The version I viewed was very well restored, which is sometimes a
problem with these silent era animated films. It has some of Hollywood's most famous stars making cameo
animated appearances. A must for any silent film or animation enthusiast.
This tale based on two Edgar Allen Poe pieces ("The Fall of the House of Usher", "Dance of Death" (poem) ) is
actually quite creepy from beginning to end. It is similar to some of the old black-and-white movies about
people that meet in an old decrepit house (for example, "The Cat and the Canary", "The Old Dark House",
"Night of Terror" and so on). Boris Karloff plays a demented inventor of life-size dolls that terrorize the guests.
He dies early in the film (or does he ? ) and the residents of the house are subjected to a number of terrifying
experiences. I won't go into too much detail here, but it is definitely a must-see for fans of old dark house
mysteries.<br /><br />Watch it with plenty of popcorn and soda in a darkened room.<br /><br />Dan
Basinger 8/10
1 A gem of a cartoon from the silent era---it was re-discovered by CARTOON NETWORK, and was broadcast for
likely the first time in decades, if ever.<br /><br />What makes this so enjoyable are the varied
cameos...Douglas Fairbanks is attacked by giant mosquitos; Will Hays pays a visit as 'boss' of Static Studios; as
well as appearances by Chaplin, Keaton, and William S. Hart. The image of chewing gum decimating the shoes
of the populace (a money-making idea for Felix's near-bankrupt shoe-=salesman boss) cannot be described--it
must be viewed. A terrific cultural gem.
Aro Tolbukhin burnt alive seven people in a Mission in Guatemala in the 70's. Also he declared that he had
murdered another 16 people (he used to kill pregnant women, and then he set them on fire).<br /><br />This
movie is a documentary that portraits the personality of Aro through several interviews with people that got
to know him and through some scenes played by actors based on real facts.<br /><br />"Aro Tolbukhin" is a
serious work, so analytical, it's not morbid at all. Such a horrifying testimony about how some childhood
trauma can turn a man into a monster.<br /><br />*My rate: 7/10
1 This short is one of the best of all time and is proof (just like most of Charlie Chaplin's work) that sound and
color are not requirements for quality work. In fact, this cartoon uses (and may have started) some of the
gags and devices that became standard in animation in later years, like caricatures of celebrities (including the
afore-mentioned Chaplin. While the characters are silent, they do "speak", by use of word balloons, just like in
the comics. Given that Felix started out in newspapers as a comic strip, this device is a natural. The
atmosphere and style of the short is completely harmonious with that of the comic strip while adding another
dimension (literally and figuratively) and makes this short a delight to watch. Well worth taking the time and
effort to get. Most highly recommended.
After seeing several movies of Villaronga, I had a pretty clear opinion about him -- he concentrates too much
on the personal aspect of the characters, forgetting about a rhythm of the movie. That is why, though having
good critics, his movies never caught the broad audience attention. In ARo he follows the same line, but really
improved on the rhythm, especially in the end of the movie. Frankly speaking, I slept through the first part,
cause though the first part gives necessary information, it is really slow. Nevertheless the second part is
absolutely marvelous and makes the whole movie the best movie ever made by Villaronga.<br /><br
/>Recommended.
1 Felix is watching an actor rehearse his lines: "A ham, A ham! My kingdom for a ham sandwich!!!" The
dramatic guy that tells Felix he'll "have to sacrifice my art and go into the movies." He's in tears. Felix just
looks at him like he's nuts, and shrugs his shoulders. The old guy tells Felix to "go ye forth" and find money to
finance a trip to Hollywood. Felix thinks, "How does he expect me to get the money?"<br /><br />In minutes,
of course (this is a cartoon), he spots a shoe business owner putting up a "bankrupt" sale on his store. Felix
comes up with a plan to bail him out and the man promises the cat $500 if it works.<br /><br />Well, it does
but the man wants to go alone and leave Felix at home. In an outrageous scene, Felix transforms himself into
a briefcase and that's how he gets to Hollywood, transforming himself back to cat when they get there.<br
/><br />We then witness Felix's attempts at getting into show business. His audition scenes are very funny,
especially with his imitation of Charlie Chaplin. In addition there are caricatures of some famous silent film
stars and executives. In all, quite a bit of material is in this 9.5- minute cartoon. It's amazing how much more
you can get in an extra 2.5 minutes, assuming most animated shorts are seven minutes in length.<br /><br
/>At any rate, there were a number of laughs in here and more zany things you could only see in a cartoon,
like Felix have a sword duel with giant mosquitoes! Crazy stuff.
There's so many things to fall for in Aro Tolbukhin. En la mente del asesino (Inside the killer's mind), that it's
very hard to talk about it without giving any kind of warning. Let's just say that this movie is like an exercise in
cinema but really, really great done. It´s made with super 8, black and white shots, 35 milimeters, color,
interviews, flashbacks. Aro Tolbukhin it´s like a movie made a documental or viceversa, which most peculiar
aspect relays on the doubt that leaves you wondering, did he really ever existed? The movie follows the later
life of an hungarian sailor that arrived in Guatemala, worked in a religious mission and then killed some
people. An act for which he got caught and death penalty sentenced. The movie starts because some french
documentalists got interested in this character so they interview him prior to his death. Nowadays, some
more people got involved and make a deeper research of the character. The one we are witness of -the
movie.<br /><br />For the main part in the history we are guided by a semi slow phase to go look inside Aro´s
mind, mainly in order to decode why he did what he has done. Nevertheless, the important thing is that the
filmmakers never gives us a sided point of view; they left the judging for all of us and even as we may
understand his actions, we clearly never justify them. So, the first half is based upon recollecting information;
later things turn into Aro's childhood, giving the movie such an incredible new force (even tough never got
weak or boring).<br /><br />I don't mean -and don't want- to spoil anything; so the only thing left to say is
that if by any chance you get this movie near you, believe me, the trip to see it is more than worthy.
0 While I can't say whether or not Larry Hama ever saw any of the old cartoons, I would think that writing said
cartoons, file cards, and some of the comics would count for something.<br /><br />For fans of the old
cartoon, this is pretty much a continuation of the same, except with a few new characters - and a more insane
Cobra Commander.<br /><br />We still have all the old favorites too, but on a personal note, one thing that
always irritated me was this "Duke in charge" stuff, when there are tons of other *officers* around
instead.<br /><br />The battle sequences are similar to the old series as well; the main trick here seems to be
the CGI. It's overall pretty good, if not a little over-the-top.
This has got to be a unique twists of two genres of ever seen. The giant monster movie genre with the living
mummy movie genre. This unique blend makes for a unique and compelling story. The casts is outstanding,
including TOM BOSLEY who as far as I know never has been in a horror movie before, ever. The effects are
impressive and the idea of a giant mummy filled with smaller mummies is a cool one. My one complaint, I just
wish we saw more of the giant mummy, but other then that I think they did a great job. The dialog, the
characters and the story was perfect. The acting was wonderful. This has got to be the best movie to come
out of the sci-fi channel. You heard me, the best movie to come out of the sci-fi channel. I give THE FALLEN
ONES 9 OUT OF 10.
1 Errol Flynn's roguish charm really shines through in this entertaining and exciting, but historically bankrupt
biopic of the famous (and some would say infamous) General Custer, that follows his career from his first day
at West Point, through the Civil War and out west to the battle at The Little Big Horn, all the while butting
heads with rival Arthur Kennedy and romancing pretty Olivia de Havilland.<br /><br />Some might say that
Flynn, who delivers a great, flamboyant performance as the general, is basically playing himself playing
Custer!<br /><br />A lavish production (that should have been in Technicolor) well directed by Raoul Walsh,
They Died With Their Boots On features some truly well-staged battle sequences. Also, it's a real treat to see
Anthony Quinn playing Crazy Horse.<br /><br />The previous year, Flynn played Jeb Stuart opposite Ronald
Reagan's George Custer in Santa Fe Trail (also with de Havilland), another action-packed Warner Brothers
production designed to make you fail history class!
Without Kirsten Miller this project needn't have been completed. However with the awe inspiring beauty and
talent that is Miss Miller I would definitely recommend it. It looked as if the other actors were only playing to
her strong performance. Wagner's dismal attempt to honor this film was a bit disappointing, but his few
scenes didn't detract from being entertained. Mostly my criticisms are with the writing and plot line, the
group of talent assembled did a heroic job of salvaging what should have been a disaster. The charismatic
Miller delivery and timing were impeccable and believable. She plays that fine line between assertive and
bossy but never offensive she is in fact the structural engineer she claims to be. I wish I had seen this on the
big screen but alas I was fortunate to rent it before it was lost.
1 Warner Brothers tampered considerably with American history in "Big Trail" director Raoul Walsh's first-rate
western "They Died with Their Boots On," a somewhat inaccurate but wholly exhilarating biography of cavalry
officer George Armstrong Custer. The film chronicles Custer from the moment that he arrives at West Point
Academy until the Indians massacre him at the Little Big Horn. This is one of Errol Flynn's signature roles and
one of Raoul Walsh's greatest epics. Walsh and Flynn teamed in quite often afterward, and "They Died with
Their Boots On" reunited Olivia de Havilland as Flynn's romantic interest for the last time. They appeared as a
couple in seven previous films. This 140-minute, black & white oater is nothing short of brilliant with dynamic
action sequences, humorous romantic scenes, and stern dramatic confrontations between our hero and his
adversaries. One of the notorious errors involves Colonel Philip Sheridan who is shown as the commandant at
West Point before the Civil War. Indeed, Sheridan was a lieutenant at this point. In fact, the commandant was
Robert E. Lee as the earlier Flynn film "Santa Fe Trail" showed. Another historical lapse concerns Lieutenant
General Whitfield Scott; Scott was not the commander of Union troops throughout the Civil War. Warner
Brothers presented Custer as a drinker (probably because Flynn had a reputation for drinking), but in real life
Custer neither drank nor smoked. Nevertheless, these as well as other historical goofs do not detract from a
truly splendid film.<br /><br />"They Died with Their Boots On" opens with Custer riding into West Point
Military Academy arrayed in a fancy dress uniform with an African-American carrying his luggage and tending
his dogs. After the sergeant of the guard realizes that he has turned out a honor guard for a future plebe
instead of a high-ranking foreign general, the sergeant turns Custer over to a ranking cadet Ned Sharp (Arthur
Kennedy of "City for Conquest") to take charge of him. Sharp plays a practical job on Custer by installing him
in the quarters of Major Romulus Taipe (Stanley Ridges of "Task Force") who promptly runs Custer out.
Naturally, the volatile Custer attacks Sharp in a public brawl. General Phil Sheridan (John Litel of "The Sons of
Katie Elder") is prepared to dismiss Custer from West Point for conduct unbecoming. As it turns out, Sheridan
cannot expel Custer because Custer has not enrolled. Once he enrolls, Custer establishes a mediocre
academic reputation with alacrity to fight and accumulate demerits galore. When the American Civil War
erupts, West Point graduates cadets who have not completed their education and rushes them into combat.
One of the last cadets hustled off to war is Custer. Avid as he is to get into the fight, Custer encounters his
future wife, Elizabeth 'Libby' Bacon (Olivia de Havilland of "Santa Fe Trail"), and they pledge themselves to
each other, despite Mr. Bacon (Gene Lockhart of "Carousel") who detests the sight of Custer. It seems that
Bacon ran across Custer at a saloon and insulted one of Custer's friends and our hero reprimanded
Bacon.<br /><br />Meanwhile, back in Washington, Custer desperately seeks a transfer to a regiment, but
Major Taipe has him cooling his heels. Custer befriends rotund Lieutenant General Winfield Scott (Sidney
Greenstreet of "The Maltese Falcon") and they share an appetite for creamed Bermuda onions that becomes
one of Custer's characteristics. Not only does Scott see to it that Taipe assigns Custer to the Second Cavalry,
but also Custer appropriates Taipe's horse to get to his command. During the Battle of Bull Run, 21 July 1861,
Custer disobeys orders from none other than Sharp, strikes his superior officer and holds a bridge so the
infantry can cross it. Wounded in the shoulder and sent to the hospital, Custer receives a medal rather than a
court-martial. When Confederate General Jeb Stuart threatens the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg, in
Pennsylvania, Scott is shocked by the chance that the South may triumph. When a brigadier general cannot be
found, Scott goads Taipe into promoting the first available officer. A mistake is made and Custer is promoted.
Incredulous at first, Custer embraces the moment and cracks Stuart's advance. After the war, Custer idles
down and starts boozing it up with the boys at the local saloons. Sharp shows up as a crooked railroad
promoter and with his father they try to enlist Custer to serve as the president of their railway so that they
can obtain funds. Eventually, Libby intercedes on his behalf with General Sheridan, who was in command of
the army, and gets him back on active duty as the commander of the 7th Cavalry. When he takes command,
Custer finds the 7th cavalry a drunken lot and is not surprised that Sharp commands the liquor at the fort.
Meanwhile, Custer has his first run in with Crazy Horse (Anthony Quinn of "The Guns of Navarone") and takes
him into custody. Of course, Crazy Horse escapes, becomes Custer's adversary, and they fight.<br /><br
/>Once Custer has quelled Crazy Horse and the Indians, Sharp with Taipe as a government agent conspire to
destroy a peace treaty with the Sioux and other Indian nations. They also see to it that Custer is brought up
on charges for striking Taipe in a saloon brawl. On his way to Washington, Custer discovers the perfidy of
Sharp and Taipe who have drummed up a gold strike in the sacred Black Hills. Settlers rampage in and the
Indians hit the warpath. Custer sacrifices himself and his 600 men at the Little Big Horn in a slam-bang
showdown against 6000 redskins. "Stagecoach" lenser Bert Glennon captures both the grit and the glory. The
long shot of the 7th Cavalry leaving the fort at dawn is spectacular. As an added premonition of Custer's
imminent demise, Libby faints after he leaves their quarters for the Little Big Horn. "They Died with Their
Boots On" benefits from a top-notch Max Steiner score that incorporates the regimental tune "Gary Owen."
Sure, Titanic was a good movie, the first time you see it, but you really should see it a second time and your
opinion of the film will definetly change. The first time you see the movie you see the underlying love-story
and think: ooh, how romantic. The second time (and I am not the only one to think this) it is just annoying
and you just sit there watching the movie thinking, When is this d**n ship going to sink??? And even this is
not as impressive when you see it several times. The acting in this film is not bad, but definetly not great
either. Was I glad DiCaprio did not win an oscar for that film, I mean who does he think he is, Anthony
Hopkins or Denzel Washington? He does 1 half-good movie and won't do a film for less than $20 million. And
then everyone is suprised that there are hardly any films with him in it. But enough about, in my eyes, the
worst character of the film. Kate Winslet's performance on the other hand was wonderful. I also tink that the
director is very talented to put a film of such a magnitude together. There is one lesson to be learned about
this movie: there are too many love-stories as it is, filmmakers shouldn't try to add a crummy romance in to
every single movie!!! Out of a possible 100% I give this film a mere 71%.
1 If you keep rigid historical perspective out of it, this film is actually quite entertaining. It's got action,
adventure and romance, and one of the premiere casting match-ups of the era with Errol Flynn and Olivia de
Havilland in the lead roles. As evident on this board, the picture doesn't pass muster with purists who look for
one hundred percent accuracy in their story telling. To get beyond that, one need only put aside the history
book, and enjoy the story as if it were a work of fiction. I know, I know, that's hard to do when you consider
Custer's Last Stand at the Little Big Horn and it's prominence in the history of post Civil War America. So I
guess there's an unresolved quandary with the picture, no matter how you look at it.<br /><br />There's a lot
to take in here though for the picture's two hour plus run time. Custer's arrival at West Point is probably the
first head scratcher, riding up as he does in full military regalia. The practical joke by Sharp (Arthur Kennedy)
putting him up in the Major's headquarters probably should have gotten them both in trouble.<br /><br
/>Ironically, a lot of scenes in this military film play for comedy, as in Custer's first meeting with Libby Bacon,
and subsequent encounters that include tea reader Callie (Hattie McDaniel). I hadn't noticed it before in other
films, but McDaniel reminded me an awful lot of another favorite character actor of mine from the Forties,
Mantan Moreland. So much so that in one scene it looked like it might have been Moreland hamming it up in
a dress. With that in mind, the owl scene was a hoot too.<br /><br />As for Flynn, it's interesting to note that
a year earlier, he portrayed J.E.B. Stuart opposite Ronald Reagan's depiction of General Custer in "Santa Fe
Trail", both vying for the attention of none other than Olivia de Havilland. In that film, Reagan put none of the
arrogance and flamboyance into the character of Custer that history remembers, while in Flynn's portrayal
here it's more than evident. But it doesn't come close to that of Richard Mulligan's take on the military hero
in 1970's "Little Big Man". Let's just say that one was a bit over the top.<br /><br />The better take away the
picture had for me was the manner in which Custer persevered to maintain his good name and not gamble it
away on a risky business venture. That and his loyalty to the men he led in battle along with the discipline he
developed over the course of the story. Most poignant was that final confrontation with arch rival Sharp just
before riding into the Little Big Horn, in which he declared that hell or glory was entirely dependent on one's
point of view. Earlier, a similar remark might have given us the best insight of all into Custer's character, when
he stated - "You take glory with you when it's your time to go".
When I saw this movie I was stunned by what a great movie it was. This is the only movie I think I would ever
give a 10 star rating. I am sure this movie will always be in my top 5.<br /><br />The acting is superb.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett are at their best. I don't think anyone could have a better job than Kate.
<br /><br />If it is a rainy day and you can't decide what to rent, well, this is the one. You will love all the
acting, special effects, and much much more.<br /><br />If you have not seen this movie go rent or buy it
now!!! You won't regret it.<br /><br />
1 After working on 7 movies with director Mickael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood are their best
achievement), Errol Flynn got tired of his dictatorial direction and decided to work with the great Raoul
Walsh. This reunion is a happy thing for cinematography. THE DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON is their first and
best film together. Raoul Walsh portrays the General George Armstrong Custer (Errol Flynn) from his debuts at
West Point, to the Civil War and finally at the battle of Little Big Horn. It's true the film shows a too heroic
portrait of Custer, but that's not important. What is important, is the fact that we are transported with the
passion and glory carried by the characters. Who can forget California Joe, the great "Queen's Own Buttler"
with his song "Garryowen", the touching Mrs Custer (Olivia de Havilland), the diabolic Sharp well played by
Arthur Kennedy ?<br /><br />An eternal blow remains on this epic and tragic freso.
Why do people bitch about this movie and not about awful movies like The Godfather. Titanic is the greatest
movie of the 21st Century.With great acting,directing,effects,music and generally everything. This movie is
always dumped by all because one day some one said they didn't like it any more so most of the world
decided to agree. There is nothing wrong with this movie. All I can say is that this movie, not only being the
most heavily Oscar Awarded movie of all time, the most money ever made ever and sadly one of the most
underrated movies I've ever seen. Apart from that it is truly the best movie of all time. The only movies that
come close to being like all the Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings trilogy or anything by the masters
Hitchcock or Spielberg or Tim Burton. These are all good movies and directors but none match up to James
Cameron's Masterpiece TITANIC.
1 I first viewed "They Died With There Boots On",about 1970 and though it has been many years since,this
film and its impression remain.the cast was good to excellent and the lead man was truly heroic.When I first
saw this film I knew the wisest as well as the only real position to have was to enjoy this film as a rousing bit
of entertainment and then some.I felt then as I even feel now that the Silver Screen does not as such provide
for a true depiction of much of anything let alone The Life of George Armstrong Custer,however the Director
Raoul Walsh was to contribute to the real value represented in this film when I watched a semi-documentary
with other great directors like Vincent Mennelli wherein these central figures talked about there
accomplishments with valuable comments providing a glimpse into the Hollywood mind set.This is what I
considered something of interest and where all of this became terribly interesting and very enjoyable.Yet,
there have been so much made of all the problems with the silver screen and its story telling ability that some
of the enjoyment has been lost and perhaps you would find that to be true here as well.Custer ranked 34 in a
graduating class of...34.Much has been made of Custer's final class ranking,but of the 68 cadets who entered
the Military Academy with him in 1857,half of them had already flunked out or quit by graduation day,June
24,1861.It is suggested in the movie as the various instructors are determining if a soldier is fit for command
and then they come upon the name of George Armstrong Custer and there is to be certain an exchange
between the two sides and here is where the Sargeant on Duty says in almost a low tone even to suggest as if
that came out by accident"His squadron would follow him to hell,"Your at attention Sargeant,reprimands
Tape.If Iam not mistaken when Flynn shows up at a initial battlefield it acknowledged that Custer did not see
action right away and indeed he was doing work as a reliable attaché to not only Sheridan,but Hancocks
forces as well only to end up for a time with the Army of The Potomac under General George McClellan.There
is some truth to the audacity attributed to Custers battlefield heroics as was illustrated when in a
counterattack ,"young Custer spurred his horse to the lead and boldly plunged in among the stunned
Confederates.As a lone Union Soldier surrounded by rebels,Custers audacity shone through.He accepted the
surrender of several enemy soldiers,including a rebel captain.Yet most outstanding was that in this action he
personally captured the very first Confederate battle flag taken by the Army of the Potomac.This notable act
of courage marked him as an officer of great battlefield promise."Robert L.Bateman-Armchair General.There
is a problem here and that is the telling of the story and the truth as to George Armstrong Custer,the story is
good Hollywood entertainment perhaps even great entertainment but for whatever reasons all that could be
told was changed for entertainment purposes.Though this maybe jumping the gun it might be well to know
that Tom Custer was to lose his life at the "Little Big Horn" only a few feet from where George Custer was to
die as well.They were brothers and Tom Custer to this very day holds a honorable distinction of being amongst
a very small group perhaps only 3 others to have been awarded the Medal of Honor twice in his military
career.The list of engagements that the motion picture shows indicate that Custers indeed was an active
young officer.He was not with Union forces at either Chancellorsville or for that matter Fredericksburg
however he was with them at the Battle of Antietam and at that point in time he was actually promoted to
Captain by General McClellan but that was not to last as McClellan was soon to be replaced due to the
historical fact that The Army of The Potomac had the means,and the information(discovered wrapped around
some cigars was General Lee's plans to split his forces)and yet he failed to act for some 17 hours.It can be
speculated that the war could of been over then and there had that occurred but when McClellan failed to act
President Lincoln replaced him permanently and the promotion was lost as a result. Custers greatest victory
may of in fact come at Gettysburg,Pa.His forces which occupied an area called cemetery ridge at the field at
Gettysburg in the summer of 1863 were able to defeat a Jeb Stuart Led Cavalry of some 6,000 rebels with but
a force of 2,300.I Think the heroics at Gettysburg by Custer are worth some discussion.There is speculation
had in the movie that Custers appointment was a blunder, well you better guess again because not only did
Custer have men in his corner but he established a petition to present to the Governor of the State of
Michigan which by the way was relatively new to the Union Cause and where preparing to form Cavalry
regiments.Though Custer was severely admonished for that kind of shenanigan when he showed up in all that
Gold Braid it was not by accident as you would be led to believe.The truth be told Custers defense at
Gettysburg prohibited Jeb Stuart from having lunch at the Unions rear stores and vitally protected that
flank.This action by the way occurred and it was timed to coincide with Picketts Charge so to make for the
greatest likelihood of success.It was a critical victory and Custer was at his bravest and best.His men did follow
him to hell and lived to tell about it.
Just two comments....SEVEN years apart? Hardly evidence of the film's relentless pulling-power! As has been
mentioned, the low-budget telemovie status of 13 GANTRY ROW is a mitigating factor in its limited appeal.
Having said that however the thing is not without merit - either as entertainment or as a fright outing per
se.<br /><br />True, the plot at its most basic is a re-working of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR - only without
much horror. More a case of intrigue! Gibney might have made a more worthwhile impression if she had
played Halifax -investigating a couple of seemingly unconnected murders with the "house" as the main
suspect. The script is better than average and the production overall of a high standard. It just fails to engage
the viewer particularly at key moments.<br /><br />Having picked the DVD up for a mere $3.95 last week at
my regular video store, I cannot begrudge the expenditure. $10.95 would be an acceptable price for the film.
Just don't expect fireworks!
1 I was fortunate to attend the London premier of this film. While I am not at all a fan of British drama, I did
find myself deeply moved by the characters and the BAD CHOICES they made. I was in tears by the end of the
film. Every scene was mesmerizing. The attention to detail and the excellent acting was quite
impressive.<br /><br />I would have to agree with some of the other comments here which question why all
these women were throwing themselves at such a despicable character.<br /><br />*******SPOLIER
ALERT******** I was also hoping that Dylan would have been killed by William when he had the chance!
****END SPOILER*****<br /><br />Keira Knightley did a great job and radiate beauty and innocence from
the screen, but it was Sienna Miller's performance that was truly Oscar worthy.<br /><br />I am sure this
production will be nominated for other awards.
What's inexplicable? Firstly, the hatred towards this movie. It may not be the greatest movie of all time, but
gimme a break, it got 11 oscars for a reason, it made EIGHTEEN HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS for a reason. It's
a damn good movie. Which brings to the other inexplicable aspect of it. I have no idea whatsoever why this
movie left such an impression on me when I saw it in theaters. I've rewatched it on TV and video, and it had
none of the impact it had when I saw it on the big screen (twice, or maybe three times, actually). But that
might be it, the appeal of it. It's a Movie, yes, capital M there, it's an Epic, it's a spectacle in the order of Gone
With the Wind or Ben Hur. Now, Ben Hur and Gone With the Wind seem kinda hokey to me, with the hammy
acting and excessive melodrama. Not that Titanic has none of that. Well, the acting was actually very good.
The melodrama was quite heavy-handed at times.<br /><br />But the reason Titanic works is that it's such an
emotional ride. I usually enjoy movies that stimulate the mind, or give me a visual thrill. This movie isn't
exactly dumb, but it's not cerebral at all. The visual thrills are simply means to an end, to fuel the emotions of
the audience. I didn't cry when Bambi's mom died, I don't react to tearjerkers. But this is a tearjerker to the
power of ten million, an emotional rollercoaster that, if it were a regular one, would make Buzz Aldrin scream
like a little girl. And I'm sure that if you see it on video and have decided that you hate it, and have a ready
supply of cynicism, then you can thoroughly dislike this movie. But if you let that disbelief suspend just a bit, if
you give this epic melodrama the benefit of the doubt, you'll enjoy it completely. And look at the top ten
grossing films of all time. Is a single one of them bad? Is a single one of them worth a score of 1 out of 10?
No, not even The Phantom Menace. And this movie made 1.8 BILLION DOLLARS worldwide. It can't be bad.
Not possible. 10/10.<br /><br />p.s. how can anyone even consider comparing this to spiderman? spiderman
was a fun movie, but it was a total 9/11 kneejerk that caused it to gross as much as it did. it simply wasn't
anything all that special. no one will remember it in 50 years. but i'm pretty sure Titanic will be remembered.
0 I blame "Birth of a Nation" myself - for commencing the long-running tradition of Hollywood travesties of
history, of which there can be few greater examples than this. Apart from getting the names of Custer and his
7th Cavalry, Crazy Horse and the Sioux and President Grant spelt right, the geography correct and the fact that
Custer and his men were indeed wiped out to a man, the rest just takes hyperbole and invention to ludicrous
limits. Throw in some downright hackneyed scenes of the purest exposition, (try Custer and his wife's learning
of the phony "Gold Rush" to excuse the invasion of the Sioux territory, Custer's testimony in front of Congress
pleading the rights of the Red Indians and to top it all, Custer's storming into the president's office to beg to
return to his post), honestly there's plenty more of the same, some of these scenes almost comical in their
corniness... ...And yet, and yet, it's still a great actioner with Flynn as dashing as ever, DeHavilland as beguiling
as ever, the young Anthony Quinn getting a start as Crazy Horse and director Walsh as barnstorming as ever in
his depiction of crowd scenes and of course the tumultuous action sequences. Ford taught us in "Liberty
Valance" to believe the legend before the truth. Here I think we're closer to the legend of the legend but hey,
it's only a movie and a rollicking, wonderfully enjoyable classic Hollywood movie at that!
Previously, I wrote that I loved "Titanic", cried at its ending (many times over), and I'm a guy in his 60's. I also
wondered about why this great movie, which won so many awards and was applauded by so many critics,
was given only a 7.0 rating by imdb.com users.<br /><br />Well, I looked at the breakdown of the user ratings.
While 29.0% of all votes gave it a 10 rating, 10.7% gave it a 1 rating. These 10.7% of these irrational imdb
users, in effect, pulled the overall rating down to 7.0. <br /><br />In my previous comments, I blamed this
very unusual voting pattern (a sudden surge in 1 ratings, with a high 10 rating, dropping only gradually and
then suddenly reversing course and jumping at the 1 rating level) on only one thing: hatred for Leonardo
DiCaprio. Believe me, I've tuned into enough chat rooms to see the banter by young people (young men,
mostly), who defame him left and right. They absolutely hate the man, and they will have no part in giving
him any credit in "Titanic". (To answer one other user: I am NOT talking about someone who just really
doesn't like the movie that much, and gave it a 5 or a 6, etc. Everyone has, and is entitled to, his/her own
taste. But no one can convince me that the imdb rating of only 7.0 overall for "Titanic", pulled to that level by
an inordinate number of ridiculous 1 ratings, is a fair reflection of the overall motion picture.)<br /><br />Let
me demonstrate my point by comparing the imdb user voting pattern of "Titanic" to 5 randomly chosen box
office and critical "bombs" (there are many more, but these 5 will prove my point). "Heaven's Gate" (1980)
was pulled from the theaters quickly after a very poor box office showing, and imdb voters' ratings were:
23.2% 10 ratings and 9.2% 1 ratings (overall rating of 6.1). "Big Top Pee-wee" (1988) got 4.3% 10 ratings and
9.9% 1 ratings (overall rating of 4.5). "Cat People" (1982) got 6.1% 10 ratings and 2.6% 1 ratings (overall rating
of 5.8). "Blind Date" (1987) got 3.0% 10 ratings and 2.8% 1 ratings (overall rating of 5.3). "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
(1986) got 4.4% 10 ratings and 3.7% 1 ratings (overall rating of 5.2). WHAT DO ALL OF THESE FILMS HAVE IN
COMMON WITH "TITANIC"? ALL OF THE PERCENTAGES OF THEIR 1 RATINGS ARE LOWER !!!! THAN "TITANIC",
AND NONE OF THESE STINKERS EVER WAS NOMINATED FOR A SINGLE AWARD. Again, "Titanic" got 10.7% 1
ratings! Compare that to the other 5 movies I just mentioned.<br /><br />Can there be any explanation other
than the hatred of Leo factor?<br /><br />
1 BEING Warner Brothers' second historical drama featuring Civil War and Battle of the Little Big Horn,
General George Armstrong Custer, THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON (Warner Brothers, 1941) was the far
more accurate of the two; especially when contrasted with SANTA FE TRAIL (Warner Brothers, 1940), which
really didn't set the bar very high.<br /><br />ALTHOUGH both pictures were starring vehicles for Errol Flynn,
there was a change in the casting the part of General Custer. Whereas it was "Dutch", himself, Ronald Reagan
portraying the flamboyant, egomaniacal Cavalryman in the earlier picture, with Mr. Flynn playing Virginian
and later Confederate Hero General, J.E.B. (or Jeb) Stuart; Errol took on the Custer part for THEY DIED WITH
THEIR BOOTS ON.<br /><br />ONCE again, the Warner Brothers' propensity for using a large number of
reliable character actors from the "Warner's Repertory Company" are employed in giving the film a sort of
authenticity, and all is really happening right before our very own eyes. Major roles are taken by some better
known actors and actresses, such as: Elizabeth Bacon/Mrs. Custer (co-star Olivia de Havilland), Ned Sharpe
(Arthur Kennedy), Samuel Bacon (Gene Lockhart), Chief Crazy Horse (Anthony Quinn), "Californy" (Charlie
Grapwin), Major Taipe (Stanley Ridges), General Phillip Sheridan (John Litel), Callie (the Bacon's Maid, Hattie
McDaniel). <br /><br />THE rest of the cast is just chock full of uncredited, though skilled players such as: Joe
Sawyer, Eleanor Parker, Minor Watson, Tod Andrews, Irving Bacon, Roy Barcroft, Lane Chandler, Spencer
Charters, Frank Ferguson, Francis Ford, William Forrest, George Eldridge, Russell Hicks, William Hopper,
Hoppity Hooper, Eddie Keane, Fred Kelsey, Sam McDaniel, Patrick McVey, Frank Orth, Eddie Parker, Addison
Richards, Ray Teal, Jim Thorpe (All-American, himself), Minerva Urecal, Dick Wessel, Gig Young and many,
many more.<br /><br />THE film moves very quickly, particularly in the early goings; then sort of slows down
out of necessity as the story moves along to the Post Civil War years, the assignment of Custer as a Colonel in
the 7th Cavalry and the ultimate destiny at the Little Big Horn, in Montana. Under the guidance of Director,
Griffith Veteran, Raoul Walsh, the film hits a greatly varied array of emotions; from the very serious, exciting
battle scenes and convincing historical scenes; looking as if they were Matthew Brady Civil War Photos. As
with most any of Mr. Walsh's films, he punctuates and expedites the end of many a scene with a little humor;
but not going overboard and thus risking the chance of turning the film into a comedy (farce, actually).<br
/><br />AS previously mentioned, this is much more factual than its predecessor, SANTA FE TRAIL (last time
we'll mention it, honest Schultz, Scout's Honor!). However, that is not to say that it wasn't without a few little
bits of "Artistic and Literary License; as indeed, just about any Biopic will have. It would be impossible to make
any similar type of film if indeed every fact and incident were to be tried to be included in the screenplay.
Perhaps the most erroneous inclusion as well as the most obvious invocation of Literary License is that
business about Custer's being accidentally promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. It just didn't happen
that way, yet the "gag" both helped the film to move along; while it underscored the whole light, carefree
feeling that permeated the early part of the film.<br /><br />DIRECTOR Walsh and Mr. Flynn collaborated in
giving us what would seem to be a characterization of this legendary Civil War Hero that was very close to the
real life man. And they did this on top of the recreation of an incident, being the Massacre by the Lakota
Sioux, the Cheyenne and the Fukowi of Custer and his 7th Cavalry at the Little Big Horn. At the time of its
occurrence, June 25, 1876, "Custer's Last Stand" was as big an incident and shock to the Americans' National
Psyche as were the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) or the Atrocities perpetrated by the
Islamic Fascists to New York's Twin Trade Towers and the United States' Armed Forces' Headquarters in the
Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia on September 11, 2002.<br /><br />JUST as so many films of that period of
WORLD WAR II (and the years immediately before), there were so many incidents in it that were, if not
intentionally done, were demonstrations of virtues that would be needed in time of another Global Conflict,
such as we were in by the time of THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON was finishing up its original Theatrical
release period.<br /><br />POODLE SCHNITZ!!
I loved this movie since I was 7 and I saw it on the opening day. It was so touching and beautiful. I strongly
recommend seeing for all. It's a movie to watch with your family by far.<br /><br />My MPAA rating: PG-13 for
thematic elements, prolonged scenes of disastor, nudity/sexuality and some language.
1 When one stops to recollect upon the frequent on screen teaming of Errol Flynn and Olivia DeHavilland,
"They Died With Their Boots On" (1941) is most likely the film remembered best. It is the sweeping saga of
General Custer (Flynn) - told from the time he enters West Point military academy and falls for the luscious
Elizabeth Bacon (DeHavilland), through his tenure during the American Civil War, and finally with his death at
Little Big Horn. Director, Raoul Walsh mounts his historical epic on the laurels of highly questionable recanting
of historical texts, rewritten by screen writers Wally Kline and Aeneas MacKenzie, until truth and fiction are
warped all out of proportion. Hence, the battle against Chief Crazy Horse (Anthony Quinn) is portrayed as a
crooked deal between politicians - California Joe (Charley Grapewin) and a spuriously absent corporation
which wants to reclaim the land Custer gave to the Indians through the systematic genocide of the Nation's
first peoples. <br /><br />Flynn, who cleverly plays Custer as though he is one part Arnold Schwartzenegger to
two parts Albert Schweitzer, has never been more ignoble. He literally oozes charm and sex appeal from every
pore that easily melts the heart of his loyal heroine. Resident Warner stock players, Arthur Kennedy and
Sidney Greenstreet deliver marvelous cameos that appear to have far more depth and character than is
actually written into the material for them.<br /><br />Overall, then, despite its loose rendering of history in
favor of a good romantic yarn, "They Died With Their Boots On" is ample film fodder for a Saturday matinée
or Sunday night cooing with one's sweetheart. Warner's DVD is pretty nice looking. Although film grain is
often obvious, the gray scale has been very nicely rendered with deep, solid blacks and very clean whites.
Some fading is obvious during scene transitions. The audio has been very nicely cleaned up and is presented
at an adequate listening level.
The movie Titanic makes it much more then just a "night to remember." It re writes a tragic history event that
will always be talked about and will never been forgotten. Why so criticised? I have no idea. Could/will they
ever make a movie like Titanic that is so moving and touching every time you watch it. Could they ever
replace such an epic masterpiece. It will be almost impossible.<br /><br />The director no doubt had the
major impact on the film. A simple disaster film (boring to watch) converted to an unbelievable romance. Yes
I'm not the Romance type either, but that should not bother you, because you will never see a romance like
this. Guaranteed! Everything to the amazing effects, to the music, to the sublime acting. <br /><br />The
movie creates an amazing visual and a wonderful feeling. Everything looks very real and live. The legend
herself "TITANIC" is shown brilliantly in all classes, too looks, too accommodation. The acting was the real
effect. Dicaprio and Winslet are simply the best at playing there roles. No one could have done better. They
are partly the reason why the film is so great. <br /><br />I guess it's not too much to talk about. The plot is
simple, The acting is brilliant, based on a true story, Probably more then half of the consumers that watch the
film will share tears, thanks to un imaginable ending which can never be forgotten. Well if you haven't seen
this film your missing out on something Hesterical, and a film to idolise for Hollywood. Could it get better?
No. Not at all. The most moving film of all time, don't listen to people, see for yourself then you will
understand. A landmark. (don't be surprised if you cry too)
1 The historical inaccuracies of this film have been well documented. It was never intended to be serious
history but an entertaining saga and there it succeeds. Errol Flynn was never better as this role was tailored
for him. Olivia DeHavilland was never more beautiful. Arthur Kennedy never more villainous. Anthony Quinn
never more noble than as Crazy Horse. It had much humor and pathos and held your interest throughout. The
one historical aspect I found most glaringly inaccurate was the final "Last Stand" which occurred on the banks
of the Little Big Horn. The film version was filmed in a desert with no river in sight. However, I still consider it
marvelous entertainment typical of Hollywood's golden age.
I had few problems with this film, and I have heard a lot of criticisms saying it is overlong and overrated. True,
it is over three hours long, but I was amazed that it goes by so quickly. I don't think it is overrated at all, I think
the IMDb rating is perfectly decent. The film looks sumptuous, with gorgeous costumes and excellent effects,
and the direction from James Cameron rarely slips from focus. Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of his best
performances as Jack, and Kate Winslet is lovely as Rose. David Warner, a great actor, steals every scene he's
in. The story is very rich in detail, and is hot on character development, obvious with the love story which is
very moving when it needs to be, though in the first bit of the movie it is a little slow. The last hour is
extremely riveting, and I will confess that I was on the edge of my seat, when the Titanic sank. I will also say
that the last five minutes were very moving. The music score by James Horner was lovely, though I never was
a huge fan of the song My Heart will Go On. The 1996 miniseries was good, but suffered from undeveloped
scenarios and some historical inaccuracies. Overall, I give Titanic an 8.5/10. Bethany Cox.
1 It's true that "They Died With Their Boots On" gives a highly fictionalized account of George Armstrong
Custer's (Errol Flynn) life and career, but a remarkable one, especially with regard to the Battle of the Little Big
Horn. Because it is not a given that a 1941 movie tries to portray both the US-American cavalryman and
Native American leader Chief Crazy Horse (Anthony Quinn) in a favorable light. I'm almost tempted to say that
"Little Big Man" in its unqualified anti-Custer stance seems unbalanced by comparison. Further, one should
not be mislead by the title of the picture – this isn't just a movie about the Battle of the Little Big Horn, it's a
movie about that shows the unreliable West Point cadet, the famed Civil War hero, the Indian fighter, and,
last but not least, the husband.<br /><br />The movie begins with Custer's time at the West Point military
academy, where his recalcitrance and insubordinate behavior lead to frequent demerits. During a punitive
military exercise, he meets his future wife, Elizabeth Bacon (Olivia de Havilland), who, like Custer himself, is a
native of Monroe, Michigan. Custer intends to court her, but the outbreak of the Civil War calls him away.
Custer's legendary bravery is shown in a sequence of battle scenes, the greatest of which is devoted to his
engagement with legendary Southern cavalry general Jeb Stuart during the Battle of Gettysburg. While on
leave, he travels to Monroe and courts Elizabeth, who promises him her hand in matrimony. Immediately
after the war, Custer and Elizabeth Bacon are married.<br /><br />With the Civil War over, Custer is demoted,
doesn't get a real command, and has to go through the painstakingly slow process of promotion in the small,
professional American army. As he starts to drink, his wife intervenes in his behalf with former general-in-
chief Winfield Scott. Custer is given the command of the US 7th Cavalry, which he trains to be an elite unit.
Neither Custer nor Crazy Horse are desirous of battle, but greedy businessmen and corrupt politicians decide
to build a railroad through Indian lands in clear violation to earlier treaties. Custer explicitly acknowledges the
justice of Crazy Horse's cause, but rides into battle to do his duty as a soldier, exposing the conspiracy of the
moneyed interests in a letter he writes on the eve of battle.<br /><br />"They Died With Their Boots On,"
though short on historical accuracy, is as good as war movies and Westerns in the 1940s got: Both Custer and
Crazy Horse are played by major actors, neither the Indians nor the Southern Confederacy are denigrated, and
the courtship scenes with beautiful Livvy de Havilland are just charming. The only minus, and that's why I
can't give this picture a full 10, is the undercurrent of racism in the portrayal of African American servants;
Elizabeth's servant Callie is the stereotypical, overweight, good-natured, superstitious black mammy.<br /><br
/>It is also interesting that the movie does not find fault with either Custer or Crazy Horse, but with the greed
of the railroad companies pressuring Washington politicians with semi-criminal methods into breaking
assurances they had given to the Native Americans. Just a couple of years later, the insinuation that American
entrepreneurs could even think of doing anything remotely questionable would probably have been taken as
a hint that the film makers were communist sympathizers.<br /><br />Needless to say that "They Died With
Their Boots On" omits the fact that Custer's overly aggressive tactics often bordered on the foolhardy, greatly
overstates the importance of his engagement with Stuart, and doesn't mention the lack of reconnaissance
prior to the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Nevertheless, Custer was seen as a war hero by his contemporaries
and had some spectacular exploits to point to in the Battles of Brandy Station, Gettysburg, Trevilian Station
and others, though his feats of arms were not as decisive for the Civil War as "They Died With Their Boots On"
suggests.<br /><br />In any event, "They Died With Their Boots On" is a well-made war movie with Western
elements, three outstanding performers (Flynn, Quinn, and de Havilland), and offers a positive view of Native
Americans as well as a negative one on big money, which wouldn't be seen in major Hollywood productions
for decades to come. It would deserve a 10 if it weren't for the racist minstrelization of African Americans.
I think James Cameron might be becoming my favorite director because this is my second review of his
movies. Anyway, everyone remembers the RMS Titanic. It was big, fast, and "unsinkable"... until April 1912. It
was all over the news and one of the biggest tragedies ever. Well James Cameron decided to make a movie
out of it but star two fictional characters to be in the spotlight instead of the ship. Well, onto the main review
but let me remind you that this is all opinion and zero fact and the only fact that will be present is an event
from the film.<br /><br />So our two main characters are Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet).
They're not annoying too much but watch this and you'll find out why they could become annoying (
http://tinyurl.com/ojhoyn ). The main villain I guess is bad luck, fate, hand of God (no blasphemy intended),
or just plain Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane). Combine all of the above and what do you get?! Oh yes! We get a
love story on a sinking boat. The supporting characters are the following: My personal favorite, Mr. Andrews
(Victor Garber)(idk he was so nice), Lovejoy(David Warner), Murdoch(Ewan Stewart), Lightoller (Jonathan
Phillips), Captain Smith(Bernard Hill), Molly Brown(Kathy Bates), and many more. We also got the present day
treasure hunter, Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton). They add something to the story, something good. The action in
here is awesome, especially in the second half, the drama as also good. In the end you can have your eyes
dropping rainstorms or silent tears. The story is simple and it works. A treasure hunter seeks the Heart of the
Ocean and instead finds a drawing of a woman wearing the said diamond. She calls and tells her tale on the
RMS Titanic. Two lovers separated by social class and ultimately, the fate of the ship. Everything about the
story works and there are very few flaws. I give Titanic, an 86% awesome
1 The film is excellent. One of the most noteworthy things about it is that Flynn's performance is superb. This
is worth stressing, as he was often derided as an actor by Bette Davis et al.<br /><br />I remember the scene
where Flynn gets Arthur Kennedy drunk in order to take him to his doom at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
The cold, calculating look on Flynn's face as he does so is extraordinary - much better than the much vaunted
Spencer Tracy or many other stars could have done.<br /><br />The other thing to note is the excellent
performance by George P. Huntley Jr as Lt "Queen's Own" Butler. It is baffling why he stopped making films
shortly afterwards - one would have thought that he would have been set up for years after as a character
actor.
Titanic is a long but well made tragic adventure love story that takes place during the ill-fated voyage on the
unsinkable ship. Writer/Director James Cameron has done a great job of making this movie about a fictional
love story between two very different people and combining that with the real event of the Titanic that sunk
after hitting an iceberg on April 15, 1912 claiming thousands of lives who perished in the icy freeing waters of
the North Atlantic. The two leads in the film are great in their roles including Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate
Winslet. They make for a good on-screen couple. DiCpario and Winslet also had genuine chemistry together
which made the romance that eventually blossoms between them that much more believable. They both
showed real talent when this one came out and both of them have continued to show just that in their most
recently films as well. The rest of the supporting cast including Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher,
Jonathan Hyde, and Bill Paxton in a small role are equally impressive as their characters who help bring them
to life in this film. The love story, the action, suspense, and the special effects are magnificent done especially
for that time. The horror of the situation the characters were in felt so real because it really happened making
you want most of them to survive this life and death situation. The pacing was a little slow at times and it was
a little long but the rest of the movie made up for it's few flaws. Titanic makes for a great date movie which is
sure to make some girls cry almost every time they watch it. The fact that this really happened definitely
added to the movie making you feel sorry for all the lives lost when the Titanic sunk into the Atlantic after
hitting an iceberg. Overall Titanic is a tragic heartbreaking story about two people who fall in love while on
the ill-fated ship thats brought to life by the exceptional performances from the cast especially DiCaprio and
Winslet who definitely make this movie worth the time to watch.
1 Now this is more like it!One of the best movies I have ever seen!Despite it made very well on all aspects,this
movie was put down solely for not being too historically accurate.Loosen up!There are tons of historical
movies out there that were forgiven for not being too historically accurate and many of them do not even
come close to how grand,how entertaining and how captivating this movie was!Now this is what a movie
ticket is all about!You will get exacty what you want from this movie's genre and all naysayers are those with
the anti-Flynn syndrome.This conservative rooted syndrome is very closely related to the anti-Elvis,anti-
Ali,anti-Clinton,anti-Kennedy syndromes,usually caused by fear of charming individuals who have
unconventional beliefs.If the viewer of this movie is open minded and has the ability to separate politics from
art,you will find this movie not only one of the best classics,but also one of the best movies of all time.I rate it
the second best western ever, right behind Wayne's The Cowboys........
The ship may have sunk but the movie didn't!!! Director, James Cameron, from 'The Terminator' did it again
with this amazing picture. One of my favorite scenes is 'The Dinner table' scene, in which Rose's family and
friends meet Jack after he saves her. Rose has a look on her face that every woman should have when you
meet 'THE ONE'...I hope I have that look when I am in the room with my future husband.<br /><br />Jack and
Rose have a connection that is 'MOVIE STUFF' but it's good movie stuff. We have the greedy mom and all her
elite stuck up associates who live off of their husbands wealth. Rose almost commits suicide but the Gilbert
Grape star rescues her. I really liked the hanging over the boat scene. It was a good risk.<br /><br />The movie
is long but it's fantastic!!! Good story, good flow, good actors!!! Go see it twice if you want, Its worth it!!!
1 This movie is good for entertainment purposes, but it is not historically reliable. If you are looking for a
movie and thinking to yourself `Oh I want to learn more about Custer's life and his last stand', do not rent
`They Died with Their Boots On'. But, if you would like to watch a movie for the enjoyment of an older
western film, with a little bit of romance and just for a good story, this is a fun movie to watch.<br /><br
/>The story starts out with Custer's (Errol Flynn) first day at West Point. Everyone loves his charming
personality which allows him to get away with most everything. The movie follows his career from West Point
and his many battles, including his battle in the Civil War. The movie ends with his last stand at Little Big Horn.
In between the battle scenes, he finds love and marriage with Libby (Olivia De Havilland).<br /><br />Errol
Flynn portrays the arrogant, but suave George Armstrong Custer well. Olivia De Havilland plays the cute,
sweet Libby very well, especially in the flirting scene that Custer and Libby first meet. Their chemistry on
screen made you believe in their romance. The acting in general was impressive, especially the comedic role
( although stereotypical) of Callie played by Hattie McDaniel. Her character will definitely make you
laugh.<br /><br />The heroic war music brought out the excitement of the battle scenes. The beautiful
costumes set the tone of the era. The script, at times, was corny, although the movie was still enjoyable to
watch. The director's portrayal of Custer was as a hero and history shows this is debatable. Some will watch
this movie and see Custer as a hero. Others will watch this movie and learn hate him.<br /><br />I give it a
thumbs up for this 1942 western film.
Titanic has to be one of my all-time favorite movies. It has its problems (what movies don't) but still, it's
enjoyable.<br /><br />When I stumble across someone who asks me why I like Titanic, I suppose my first
reaction is "wait a minute, you don't?" I know so many people who don't like this movie, and I'm not saying I
don't see why. "The love story is too cheesy" well, yes but isn't it enjoyable and moving? All right, the love
story between Jack and Rose is very unrealistic, everyone knows that love like this doesn't actually exist. But
this is a movie, doesn't everyone enjoy watching a beautiful story that lets us slip slightly into fantasy for a
while? The next complaint, DiCaprio and Winslet are terrible actors. Well, OK, in this movie, I agree that they
do not perform to their full potentials. However I think it's unfair to say that they are terrible actors. I
personally think they are both very talented actors who unfortunately are very famous for a movie that they
are not amazing in. But the roles they are given are simple, and the characters seem real enough that you can
care about them quite a bit, but I agree with many people that they did not do as well as could have been
expected.<br /><br />And finally, if one is going to complain that they don't like this movie because they hate
romance, or because they hate history, or tragic movies, then I'm sorry but why on earth did they go and see
a movie that is so clearly all of these things. It's like people who complain The Dark Knight is a bad movie
because they hate action movies. Simply for being a movie, not because you dislike the genre, this IS a good
movie.<br /><br />Well deserving of its Oscars, in particular, Best Cinematography, which I find to be the best
I've ever seen in a movie save maybe the Lord of the Rings trilogy.<br /><br />I know some of the writing fails,
such as the constant screaming of each other's names throughout the movie. The flashback portion of the
story can be quite weak at times, but overall it's an amazing achievement in making the Titanic look so real,
and the sinking feel so epic.<br /><br />I understand why a lot of people dislike this movie, but for the most
part it boils down to them disliking the fundamental idea, such as it being a love story, rather than them
thinking the movie in and of itself is poorly constructed.<br /><br />I can tell you that I have read more than
five books about the Titanic, including memoirs form the day it happened, and this movie is extremely
historically accurate save just a few faults. The only main ones I can find is that the piping should be threaded
copper, not steel, and the iceberg looks fairly unrealistic as is the scene where they hit it.<br /><br />I give
this movie 10/10, not because I like romance movies, but simply because it's an outstanding cinematic
achievement, that leaves one feeling horrified by the realistic adaptation of events.
0 Naturally, along with everyone else, I was primed to expect a lot of Hollywood fantasy revisionism in THEY
DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON over the legend of Custer. Just having someone like Errol Flynn play Custer is
enough of a clue that the legend has precedence over the truth in this production. And for the most part my
expectations were fulfilled (in an admittedly rousing and entertaining way).<br /><br />Yet even in this
obviously biased (and much criticized) retelling of the Custer story, I was struck by some of the points made in
this movie that, sometimes subtly but nevertheless solidly, seemed to counter the typical clichés of manifest
destiny and unvarnished heroism usually found in Westerns of the early 20th century.<br /><br />For
instance, even while this film attempted to whitewash it's hero, certain scenes still suggested the more flawed
and foolish character of the real-life Custer: <br /><br />1) His initial entrance at the West Point front gate, in
which his arrogance and pompousness is a clear aspect of his character.<br /><br />2) His miserable record at
West Point, which seems to be attributed as much to Custer's cluelessness about the demands of military
service as any other factor; there are moments in the way Flynn plays Custer at West Point where he seems
downright stupid.<br /><br />3) Custer's promotion to General is not only presented as a ridiculous mistake,
but it plays out as slapstick comedy. I half-expected to see the Marx Brothers or Abbott and Costello wander
into the scene.<br /><br />4) Custer's stand against Jeb Stuart at Gettysburg is not whitewashed as brilliant
military tactical leadership, but is presented as reckless and wildly lucky.<br /><br />5) Custer's drinking
problem is certainly not ignored.<br /><br />And although the music and some of the ways the Indians were
shown in this film were certainly reinforcements of the racist stereotype of the ignorant savage, it still came
as a surprise to me that the movie actually went into some detail as to why the Indians were justified in
attacking the whites who were moving into their land, and fairly explicitly laid the blame for the battles in the
Black Hills squarely at the foot of the white man. In fact, no one can argue that the clear villain of the piece is
not Anthony Quinn as Sitting Bull, but Arthur Kennedy & Co. as the white devils making the false claim of gold
in the Black Hills. Sure, that part of the story is true, but I didn't expect to see it portrayed quite so
unequivically in a movie like this.<br /><br />And one other thing: usually in these films it is the Indians who
are portrayed en masse as drunken animals seemingly incapable of the basic common sense to avoid getting
falling down drunk any time they get near alcohol. In this movie, it is actually the troops of the 7th Cavalry,
and not the Indians, who in at least two scenes are portrayed this way.<br /><br />All in all, this movie slips in
some surprising moments in the midst of the Hollywood bunk.
Titanic is a classic. I was really surprised that this movie didn't have a solid ten, overall in the IMDb user
rankings. Maybe, it's just cool to not give Titanic credit nowadays, but when it was first made it was really
something. When the movie came out people flocked to the theaters. When it came out on video my sister
and i would watch it twice a day for a month. It was safe to say we were obsessed and for good reason. Some
of the disaster scenes were hard to forgot, like the frozen baby, or the guy who committed suicide after killing
someone in the unruly crowd. Many people died on that ship, and to convey that on film with the immediacy
and emotion it needed is a hard challenge that James Cameron stepped up to. And let's not forget the
amazing romance between Jack and Rose. Whether or not their relationship was a figment of someone's
imagination it was lovely. They barely knew each other, but they would die for each other. They trusted each
other. They sure as hell are giving Romeo and Juliet a run for their money. "I'll never let go, Jack." Titanic is a
great film down to it's very core. It is a powerful story told through brilliant acting, excellent cinematography,
beautiful music, and a crew full of hard and dedicated workers. It really blows my mind when someone says
they hate this movie.
1 As a history of Custer, this insn't even close (Custer dies to help the indians? I am sure the other members of
the 7th Cav weren't consulted in THAT decision.) But as a western, this is fun. Flynn looks, and acts, the part
of the dashing cavalier. And the "Garry Owen" is always nice to hear!
Another Aussie masterpiece, this delves into the world of the unknown and the supernatural, and it does very
well. It doesn't resort to the big special effects overkill like American flicks, it focuses more on emotional
impact. A relatively simple plot that Rebecca Gibney & Co. bring to life. It follows the story of a couple who
buy an old house that was supposedly home to a very old woman who never went outside, and whose
husband disappeared in mysterious circumstances a century ago. Strange things begin to happen in the
house, and John Adam begins to turn into the man who disappeared, who was actually a mass murderer.
Highly recommended. 8/10
1 So keira knightly is in it...So automatically we compare this film to attonement. Aside rom the fact that this
film is also wartime and her appearance is uncanning, these films are totally different.<br /><br />The Actors
work well, i think one good thing is there is no memorable person, they are a team.<br /><br />If you want a
film where things happen, then id advise another as the story of this film is about human interaction and their
physche's damaged by their experiences and how their lives are intertwined.<br /><br />This film have
genuine interaction, perfect pause moments that make you hold your breath. No its not exciting, but it is
gripping if you can empathise with these characters. At moments i wondered if this film may have been better
as a theatrical play rather than a movie. We expect a lot from movies as everything is possible, and yet with
theatre we allow for interaction and rely on belief.<br /><br />There are things wrong with it if your looking
for a blockbuster, if you look for nothing and allow the film to take you in, move you, allow yourself to forget
these stars, and not to judge them as actors but let them become people, you will truly ind yourself
moved.<br /><br />GO ON!! give it a go!
For me personally this film goes down in my top four of all time. No exceptions. James Cameron has proved
himself time and time again that he is a master storyteller. Through films such as Aliens, The Abyss and both
Terminators it is clear that he was a brilliant and confidant director as far as action and science-fiction goes.
He sees a story and adds a strange quality to the film. But Titanic is so much different to his other strokes of
brilliance. The film is exceptionally moving and allows room for surprises, plot development and interesting
character developments in a story that everyone knows. The story of the famed voyager sinking on her
maiden voyage is legend so the challenge was for Cameron to make a truthful, interesting and entertaining
film about it. The acting is wonderful as Leonardo DiCaprio who plays Jack and Kate Winslet who plays Rose
became superstars overnight with the release of this film and in most films I get annoyed when the
supporting characters aren't given a lot to do but in this film it is more purposeful because as an elderly Rose
(Gloria Stuart) tells her story it is quickly apparent that it is Rose's and Jack's story alone, no one else.
Emotionally it is entirely satisfying and can leave no dry eye in a theater or home. The music has become
iconic and legendary. It is composer James Horner's finest soundtrack ever and evokes so much from the film
and the audience. The song after so long has become annoying but I still appreciate it for the phenomenon it
is and this film is. Only one problem, the usual James Cameron problem, is the dialogue which is memorable
but in a bad way as in how cheesy it is at points but all that aside. James Cameron has delivered a
masterpiece and a romantic epic that sweeps you away on a journey of a lifetime. My heart won't go on from
this one.
1 Although "They Died with their Boots On" is not entirely historically accurate it is a very entertaining
western. Not only is Flynn the perfect Custer, the character actors are superb. Besides the action portion of
the movie Flynn and DeHavilland's love scenes are very touching and believable.(Flynn and DeHavilland were
very fond of each other in real life). Flynn was always so tormented for being not taken seriously if only he
knew that there were very few actors who could play the characters he played and play them well!
Back in 1997, do I remember that year: Clinton bans cloning research, the unfortunate death of Princess
Diana, the Marlins won the world series and a woman gave birth to septuplets. This was also the big year in
the release of Titanic, one of the biggest films of all time: a tale about the ship of dreams, about a boy and a
girl who fall in love but are torn apart by their social class and at the height of their emotional commitment
the ship meets with disaster. I don't think anybody could have expected Titanic to be as HUGE as it was, the
movie was bigger than life and had millions of fans, 85% of them being teenage girls, I was 12 years old at the
time, and of course saw the movie multiple times. It was the film that made me believe that the love that Jack
and Rose shared was so real and beautiful. At the time I felt that Titanic could do no wrong, of course I grew
up and didn't watch the film since I was 14, a couple years ago I saw the film on DVD for 5.99 and figured that
it was a good price and to see what I thought about the movie now. Was it worth the hype? Was it really the
best movie of all time? Was that Leonardo's real nose? OK, I know that's silly to say, but I did re-watch the
film. Being completely honest here, Titanic is a great movie, best movie of all time, no, just depends on your
idea of a good movie, but Titanic delivered in romance, humor, disaster, emotions and never let us go on this
maiden voyage.<br /><br />The film starts with Brock Lovett and his team exploring the wreck of the RMS
Titanic, searching for a necklace set with a valuable blue diamond called the Heart of the Ocean.
Unsuccessful, they instead discover a drawing of a young woman reclining nude, wearing the Heart of the
Ocean, dated the day the Titanic sank. 101-year-old Rose Dawson Calvert learns of the drawing, and contacts
Lovett to inform him she is the woman in the drawing. She and her granddaughter Elizabeth "Lizzy" Calvert
visit Lovett and his skeptical team on his salvage ship. When asked if she knew the whereabouts of the
necklace, Rose Calvert recalls her memories aboard the Titanic, revealing for the first time that she was Rose
DeWitt Bukater. In 1912, the upper-class 17-year-old Rose boards the ship with her fiancé, Cal Hockley and
her mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater, both of whom stress the importance of Rose's engagement to Cal since the
marriage will mean the eradication of the Dewitt-Bukater debts: while they have the outward appearance of
the upper-class, Rose and her mother are financially broke. Distraught and frustrated by her engagement to
the controlling Cal and the pressure her mother is putting on her to go through with the marriage, Rose
attempts suicide by jumping from the stern. Before she leaps, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson
intervenes. Jack and Rose strike up a tentative friendship as she thanks him for saving her life, and he shares
stories of his adventures traveling and sketching; their bond deepens when they leave a stuffy first-class
formal dinner of the rapport-building wealthy for a much livelier gathering of Irish dance, music and beer in
third-class. But after Cal's servant informs him of Rose's whereabouts', Rose is forbidden from seeing Jack
again. However, after witnessing a woman encouraging her seven-year-old daughter to behave like a "proper
lady" at tea, Rose defies him and her mother, asking Jack to sketch her nude and wearing only the Heart of
the Ocean, an engagement present from Cal. After a beautiful moment together in the very first backseat fun
time, they go to the deck of the ship.<br /><br />They then witness the ship's fatal collision with an iceberg.
After overhearing the ship's lookouts discussing how serious the collision is, Rose tells Jack they should warn
her mother and Cal. Meanwhile, Cal discovers Rose's nude drawing and her taunting note in his safe, so he
frames Jack for stealing the Heart of the Ocean by having Lovejoy plant it in Jack's pocket. Upon learning Cal
intends to leave Jack to die below deck, Rose runs away from him and her mother to rescue him. Jack and
Rose return to the top deck. Cal and Jack, though enemies, both want Rose safe, so they persuade her to
board a lifeboat. But after realizing that she cannot leave Jack, Rose jumps back on the ship and reunites with
Jack in the ship's first class staircase. Jack and Rose return to the top deck, the lifeboats have gone, and the
ship finally goes down into the freezing Atlantic taking Jack and Rose down.<br /><br />So does Titanic live up
to it's hype? I still say that this is a great movie to watch, I think that there were and still are quite a few haters
that for some reason just want to trash the movie because it had won a ton of awards and everyone was in
love with the movie. But it has great acting, amazing effects, a well-written story and still looks flawless. Love
it or hate it, you have to admit this movie didn't get a lot of hype just because of Leo's baby face or Kate's
amazing ability to cry on sight, this film is something special. It will always hold a special place in my heart, it
has too seeing that I saw this film 8 times in the theater when it was released. But all that aside, I do
recommend this movie, it's a great one and sure to go down in the classics one day.<br /><br />10/10
1 Errol Flynn at his best as Robin Hood of the West, fighting military red tape, confederates , indians and
carpetbagger business crooks singlehanded to his great and final heroic end. Not to forget the ever reliable O.
de Havilland as Lady Mary of the west. Never try to link this story to the facts and the real persons, it doesn't
work out. Just enjoy it, because nobody ever claimed to make documentaries when Raoul Walsh and Errol
Flynn co-worked.
James Cameron's 'Titanic' is essentially a romantic adventure with visual grandeur and magnificence, a
timeless tragic love story set against the background of this major historical event... It's an astonishing movie
that exemplifies hope, love and humanity... <br /><br />Leonardo DiCaprio is terrific on screen with big
charisma... Conveying passion, trust, insouciance and ingenuity, he's a free-spirited wanderer with artistic
pretensions, and a zest for life... <br /><br />Kate Winslet is absolutely lovely as the confused upper-class
teen engaged to a nasty rich guy who finds herself, one night, plunged to the depths of despair...<br /><br
/>Billy Zane is an arrogant racist, abusive and ultra rich who would lie, cheat, steal, bribe with money or even
use an innocent young child to escape defeat... He keeps a 56 carat blue diamond worn by Louis XVI...<br
/><br />Kathy Bates is the legendary unsinkable Molly Brown, the richest woman in Denver, who is a lot less
uptight than the other rich folk on the ship...<br /><br />Frances Fisheris is the impecunious cold snobbish
mother who, deathly afraid of losing her social stature, forces her daughter to become engaged to marry a
rich, supercilious snob...<br /><br />Victor Garber is the master shipbuilder, the real-life character who
attempts to fix time, to measure it, in a sense, to make it into history... <br /><br />Jonathan Hyde is the
White Star Chairman who wants the Titanic to break the Trans-Atlantic speed record, in spite of warnings that
icebergs may have floated into the hazardous northern crossing...<br /><br />Bill Paxton is the opportunistic
undersea explorer in search for a very rare diamond called the "Heart of the Ocean." <br /><br />Gloria Stuart
is the 101-year old woman who reveals a never-before told love story... The nightmare, the horror and the
shock are imprinted upon her deeply lined face... <br /><br />'Titanic' is loaded with luminous photography
and sweeping visuals as the footage of the shipwrecked Ocean liner lying motionless on the ocean floor; the
incredible transformation of the bow of the sunken 'Titanic' that takes the viewer back to 1912, revealing the
meticulously re-created interiors; the first sight of the Titanic steamed steadily toward her date with destiny;
the Titanic, leaving the Southampton dock, and some dolphins appear jumping, racing along in front of the
luxurious ship; DeCaprio and Winslet flying at the ship's front rail in a gorgeous magic moment; the
intertwining of past and present as Jack was drawing Rose on his paper, the camera zooms closely on young
Rose's eye, only to transform its shape into Gloria Stuart's aged eye...<br /><br />Chilling scenes: Titanic's
inevitable collision with destiny; James Cameron—in one of the most terrifying sequences ever put on film—
takes us down with the Titanic, finally leaving us floundering in the icy water, screaming for help that never
comes...<br /><br />Winner of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, James Cameron's "Titanic" is a
gigantic epic where you don't just watch the film, you experience it! The visual effects are amazing, like no
other film's... The decor is overwhelming... James Horner's music intensifies the emotions... The whole movie
is hunting and involving, filled with a wide range of deep feelings... <br /><br />It's truly a moving tribute to
those who lost their lives on that unfortunate ship...
1 The saving grace of this film is its humour. Playing up to the strengths of their star, Warner Brothers cast
their version of General Custer as a cocky, dashing, irreverent prankster with a romantic streak and an
unexpected strain of idealism; it was Robin Hood all over again, and Flynn blossomed in the role. All his best
action pictures made use of his talent for mischief and comic timing, and this one was no exception.<br
/><br />It also benefits from the return of former co-star Olivia de Havilland, despite an earlier agreement to
break the partnership; the part of strong-minded Libby Custer is a better role than the sweet love-interest
types she had grown tired of playing for the studio in Flynn's later films, and after seeing the script he had
specifically requested de Havilland be cast so that she could do justice to the part. In this final collaboration,
she piles all her considerable acting skill into what is, at heart, basically a romping adventure movie, and the
screen chemistry is rekindled -- for once, she and Flynn get the chance to develop their characters beyond the
initial romance into an old married couple, to equally winning effect.<br /><br />The Flynn/de Havilland
pairing and the streak of comedy are what have provided this film's durability, when most of Flynn's other
Westerns -- held in such affection by the contemporary American public, although allegedly not by their star --
have long since been forgotten. The action scenes are fairly cursory (despite, ironically, the death of an extra
in a fall during one of the filmed charges) and the villains of the piece turn out, schoolboy-fashion, to be the
same people who were horrid to Our Hero on his very first day at West Point, and thus continue to frustrate
him throughout his career. It cuts down on the cast list, but it's a trifle too morally convenient.<br /><br
/>However, these are quibbles largely irrelevant to a film that never set out to be more than a rousing piece
of entertainment. Ably aided and abetted by a sterling group of supporting players (memorably including
Anthony Quinn in an all-but-wordless role as the Sioux leader), Errol Flynn gallops his way through the plot
courtesy of his usual arsenal: charmingly sheepish looks, unexpected sweetness, mischievous twinkles, flash-
point indignation, cheerful fellowship and sheer high-octane charisma. He's a reckless braggart, but you can't
help but like him. And it's hard to go away without the tune of "Garryowen" threading its jaunty way through
your ears for many days thereafter.<br /><br />This is one of Flynn's lasting hits; it also contains a surprising
amount of good acting amongst the fun, and is a film worthy of being remembered.
This movie re-wrote film history in every way. No one cares what anyone thinks about this movie, because it
transcends criticism. Every flaw in the movie is easily overcome by the many amazing things the movie has
going for it. It is an extremely beautiful movie, and I doubt many of us will see anything like it again. I've seen
it more times than I care to count, and I still become transfixed every time, with a feeling which is hard to
describe. One for the ages.
1 this is awesome!!! there is no partnership quite like Errol, and Olivia. there love is genuine! I'm 24, yet this
flick is as captivating now as I'm sure it was 60 years ago. Raoul Walsh is an under-rated genius, his direction is
so sweeping, so broad, yet so intimate. the last scene between colonel custer (Flynn), and his wife (de
havilland), almost brought me to tears (Not easy for a 24yr old guy!!), its so heart-wrenching. there is also a
deep Christian message implicit here, the faith Custer has in taking your glory with you, and the trust, and
fidelity of his wife to the extent of letting him go, in order that he fulfils his moral duty to protect the innocent
civilians from certain massacre. there is no movie that deals with these issues quite like this. a must-see for
anyone who wants to look at this defining moment in American, and military history, from the inside.
patriotic, for all the right reasons. i knew Errol Flynn was a star, and De havilland was a screen legend-this only
confirms my suspicions that they are among the very greatest!
Titanic directed by James Cameron presents a fictional love story on the historical setting of the Titanic. The
plot is simple, noncomplicated, or not for those who love plots that twist and turn and keep you in suspense.
The end of the movie can be figured out within minutes of the start of the film, but the love story is an
interesting one, however. Kate Winslett is wonderful as Rose, an aristocratic young lady betrothed by Cal (Billy
Zane). Early on the voyage Rose meets Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a lower class artist on his way to America
after winning his ticket aboard Titanic in a poker game. If he wants something, he goes and gets it unlike the
upper class who are so concerned with their social worries. The two fall in love and the audience sees the
sinking of the Titanic primarily through their eyes.<br /><br />The movie begins in modern times with the
exploration of the wreck by a group searching for treasures, that sunk with the Titanic, which has recently
occurred. One of the survivors of the Titanic, Rose DeWitt Bukater, who had heard of the exploration of the
wreck on television and is flown to the boat where the search is being led from to tell of what she remembers
to help the search. She gets to telling her memory of the one and only voyage of the Titanic. With this, the
scene shifts to Southhampton, Ireland where the Titanic set sail from on April 10, 1912 as all the passengers
are boarding. After another stop on the Irish coast Titanic went out to see on its maiden voyage across the
Atlantic bound for New York. Historically the first few days of the voyage went by uneventful, but the fictional
plot of the story is developed during this time as Rose sees the hopeless entrapement of an engagement that
she is in to the wealthy Cal Hockley and falls in love with third class passenger, Jack Dawson. Captain Smith
alledgedly as shown in the movie was urged by the White Star Line Director to increase the speed of the ship
so they would make the newspaper headlines and receive extra publicity by arriving in New York on Thursday
night and not on Friday morning as planned. Smith then ordered the fateful decision going against his thirty-
two years of experience to stretch the Titanic's legs out to full speed. The Titanic had reports that the waters
in the Atlantic they were sailing in were full of icebergs, but they ignored these warnings and proceeded at
full speed as shown in the movie. On April 15, 1912 at 11:39, an iceberg was sighted. They attempted to shut
off the engines and turn the ship out of the path of the iceberg but there was not enough time and the ship
hit the iceberg on the starboard side as depicted in the film. The portrayal of the many small holes in the side
of the ship and not one large gash along the side is accurate. The crew of Titanic sent out distress calls and set
off distress rockets as shown until 2:18 when the lights finally failed. The lights of the California were spotted
six miles away but they failed to realize what was going on and did not respond to Titanic's many pleas for
help. The California had tried earlier in the day to warn Titanic of the severe ice that had caused them to stop
their trip but Titanic had brushed them off causing the California to turn off its radio and leave the Titanic on
its own. The first class women and children were the first as depicted to be put into the twenty lifeboats that
were on the ship. Overwhelmingly the third class passengers suffered the most amount of deaths of any class
and the crew was hit hard in this tragedy too. The word of White Star Line employees and first class
passengers was believed over that of second and third class passengers when authorities were trying to gain
information of the sinking. Also, the metal that was used to build the Titanic has been found in recent years
under conditions of severe cold, which were experienced the night Titanic sank to be extremely brittle.
Overall, the basic plot is very accurate in its portayal of the events and the times at which these events took
place on the Titanic.<br /><br />Many of the characters in the story were not real and created simply for the
purpose of the movie or as composite characters to represent possible characteristics and ideas of people on
the ship. The core group of Rose, Jack, Cal, and Rose's mother all were fictional characters added into the
story as they represent different groups of people from the time. Yet many characters such as the Unsinkable
Molly Brown; Captain Edward Smith; the ship designer, Thomas Andrew; the White Star Line Representative,
Bruce Ismay; and all of the Titanic's officers were real. The maiden voyage was going to be Captain Edward
Smith's last voyage anyway as he planned to retire afterwards. He had been a part of the White Star Line since
1880 where he worked his way up to his status as the Millionaire's Captain when the Titanic sunk. The
portrayals of the officers is accurate as only four survived the tragedy except for the officer who threatened to
kill all of the passengers of the ship with his pistol. He is on record as acting heroicly and was misportrayed to
the point that James Cameron apologized and evoked a monument in his honor in the officer's former
Canadian hometown. As shown in the movie there was a language problem between the crew and many of
the lower-class passengers from non-English speaking nations. In addition, Officer Lowe was the only officer
who came back in the lifeboat as depicted. The old people shown in their bed as the water came in their
room were based on the Strauss'. Not wanting to leave her husband's side Mrs. Strauss refused to get in her
lifeboat and died with her husband on the Titanic. Furthermore, Mr. Goggenheim who was shown sipping his
brandy and smoking a cigar reportedly did go out like this dressed in his best. The richest man on the ship,
John Jacob Astor, who owned most of Manhattan died nonetheless as well, but his much younger wife was
saved in a lifeboat. In addition, Molly Brown was saved and later had medals made up for the crew of the
Carpethia that picked the survivors of Titanic up from the water. Her ticket on the Titanic had cost over four-
thousand dollars and by the end of her life she ended up broke. All of the interiors of the ship were
masterfully replacated down to the last pieces of china and silverware. The gymnasium, which is hardly seen
is recreated perfectly with all of the machines reproduced to match those seen in old photographs. The
wonderful outfits and costuming were an excellent re-creation of the Post-Victorian era of 1912. The rich at
this time practically ruled everything, as the women's suffrage movement had not quite gotten moving yet.
Women during this time often married for financial security as Rose was considering doing and normally took
a back seast status to their husbands as Cal wished for Rose to do. The rich did not take well to `new money'
such as Molly Brown as depicted. Everything of the time was very formal. Women had to be escorted to
dinner by a male figure as seen with in the dining scenes. Smoking was not very common among women of
the time but holders of cigarettes, which were just coming in at the time were used as seen with Rose in the
movie. Men of the time generally smoked cigars not cigarettes. Women were constained physically by their
corsets and socially by society. Although James Cameron had no background in historical films he brought in
experts of Titanic coupled with two years spent cross-referencing the history of the Titanic and few liberties
were taken. The beautiful cinematography and special effects also helped to make the film even more
breathtaking.<br /><br />A recognizable message can be seen in the movie Titanic as the people on the ship
had about three hours to contemplate their demise. The director, James Cameron, shows the various
reactions to this time of crisis in people's lives. Everyone reacts differently and he gets you to think of how
you might have reacted had you been in that situation on the Titanic on that fateful night. In addition, this
film is a reflection of the 1990's when it was produced as it gives a look into the wreck of the Titanic. Only in
the past fifteen years has the site of the actual Titanic been found and explored. This movie was able to give
us a deeper look into a disaster that many would not have viewed. However, the moral question of whether
people today should be taking treasures from the wreck of an underwater graveyard is posed. There have
been attempts to stop treasure seeking missions such as the one portrayed in Titanic but all have failed. As it
stands today anyone can make a voyage to the Titanic and take whatever valuables they as portrayed in the
film showing the general values of our time on this matter.<br /><br />Technically the film is very well done.
To get footage of the wreck at the bottom of the ocean it took twelve dives to get all of the footage needed
for the movie. In addition, a special camera had to be created to withstand the intense pressure at the
bottom of the ocean. Cameron did not plan on using the probe to go as far inside Titanic as anyone has in the
88 years since the ship sunk but it worked out that this provided an unique perspective into the ship.
Furthermore, throughout the film fade ins and outs from the wreck of Titanic to the scene of Titanic during its
actual voyage. This shift between the modern scene to the past scene during the voyage works as an excellent
transition that makes the story easy to follow in aclear manner. At the very beginning of the movie a septune
recreation is used to recreate the scene when the actual people left the European coast on Titanic giving it
distinction from the rest of the events of the film.<br /><br />Titanic plays almost like a historical biography
and is like a work of art, a true epic. Like most history novels, we know the ending, but it doesn't take away
from the wonderful treats that can be found in this picture. Certain aspects of this film are Academy Award
material including costuming, sound, cintematography, and editing. If you like interesting characters that will
give you an insight into the life of characters in the early 1900's and how they face disaster, then this movie
definitely is for you.<br /><br />
1 George Armstrong Custer is known through history as an inept General who led his rgiment to their death at
the battle of Little Big Horn. "They Died with their boots on," paints a different picture of General Custer. In
this movie he is portrayed as a Flamboyant soldier whose mistakes, and misdeeds are mostly ue to his love for
adventure.<br /><br />Errol Flynn plays George Armstrong Custer who we first meet as an over confident
recruit at West Point. Custer quickily distinguishes himself from other cadets as beeing a poor student who
always seems to be in trouble. Somehow this never appears to bother Custer and only seems to confuse him
as he genuinely does not know how he gets into such predicaments. In spite of his poor standing, he
eventualy graduates and becomes an officer in the United States Army. Through an error, Custer receives a
promotion in rank. Before this can be corrected, he leads a Union regiment into battle against the
Confederates. His campaign is successful and Custer becomes an unlikely national hero. Custer returns to his
hometown, marries his sweetheart, Libby who is played by Olivia De Havilland. Libby is a very supportive
understanding wife who steadfastly stays by his side and follows him into the frontier as he assumes
leadership of the Seventh Regiment of the Cavalry. Custer becomes a man of honor who strives to keep peace
with the Native Americans. To prove his intentions, he enters into a treaty with Crazy Horse, the leader of the
Sioux . When that treaty is jeopardized by a conspiracy to spread a false rumor of gold being found in the
Black Hills, Custer sacrifices his own life as well as the lives of the men under his command to prevent the
slaughter of thousands of innocent settlers.<br /><br />Errol Flynn dominates each scene in which he
appears. He successfully portrays Custer as being flamboyant, arrogant, romantic and funny depending on the
mood of the scene. Olivia De Havilland's depiction of Libby Bacon Custer as the love of his life lets us see his
tender, more gentle side. The Chemistry between DeHavilland and Flynn, who had acted together in several
other movies, is so smooth and it almost makes the viewer feel like they are playing themselves and not the
parts of Custer and his wife. The other actors portrayals of their characters truly enhance the performances of
Flynn and De Havilland. Anthony Quinn as Crazy Horse, Sidney Greenstreet as General Winfield Scott , Arthur
Kennedy as Edward Sharp are among the other actors whose roles have made this movie entertaining.<br
/><br />The reviewer would rate this a 4 star movie. While it is not historically accurate, it is very entertaining.
The movie has a little bit of everything. It has adventure, comedy and romance, so it appeals to a large variety
of audiences. The casting of the characters is excellent and the actors give believable performances which
makes you forget it is largely based on fiction instead of fact. The reviewer especially likes that the Native
Americans were not shown to be the bad guys but just showed them as wanting to protect their sacred
land.<br /><br />