DVD Reviews

Some classic movies reviewed this time with a special mention of the adaption of Charles Dickens classics Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield by the director David O. Selznick.If you are a fan of period drama movies these are worth a look although you might not find them at your local DVD rental outlet.

There is nothing like a good classic film to watch with the family on a sunday afternoon on a cold winters day ior maybe there is? What do you think ?

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Andy Goldsworthy - Rivers and Tides (Special Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)
29 Oct 2006 at 5:25pm
Rent ItThe Movie:

An utterly fascinating documentary that did not get the kind of audience it deserved during its release last year, filmmaker Thomas Riedelsheimer’s focus on Scottish sculptor Andy Goldsworthy in “Rivers and Tides” is never less than compelling. Goldsworthy uses various forms of nature - sticks, icicles, rocks, flowers and other various items - to create intricate and beautiful sculptures. The big thing is, that Goldsworthy actually creates these sculptures in nature, meaning that the creation is often a race against time, with the tides eventually, inevitably coming in to wash it away.

Goldsworthy discusses his philosophies that drive him to do what he does - primarily, to gain an understanding of the energy in nature and an appreciation for the constant cycle involved. One of the artist’s pieces mets within several hours. We see another float off, while others are eithe…Read the entire review

Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
29 Oct 2006 at 11:02am
Highly RecommendedReviewed by Glenn Erickson

The delightful, gentle Who Wants to Kill Jessie? is a 1966 Czech fantasy that captures a wonderful spirit of comic-book innocence. It has been making the rounds of the repertory theaters in recent years after a long life as an obscure title in science fiction reference books. Director V clav Vorl cek finds just the right note of droll foolishness to develop a one-joke idea into a satisfying screwball comedy. Peeking through the constant visual gags are some worthwhile ideas about the relationship of fantasy to human ingenuity. As its key invention is a device that can display a person’s dreams on a television screen, Who Wants to Kill Jessie? predates the computerized mind-tap concept of Wim Wenders’ Until the End of the World.

Synopsis: Read the entire review

A Tale of Two Cities
29 Oct 2006 at 11:02am
RecommendedReviewed by Glenn Erickson

A Tale of Two Cities is possibly the best of David O. Selznick’s high-toned literary adaptations of the 1930s, a tightly-constructed thriller that streamlines the majority of Charles Dickens’ complex narrative into just over two hours. Star Ronald Colman will always be identified with the noble sacrifice of Sydney Carton: “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done …” The book has been filmed often but the near-perfect cast, makes this version the keeper. W.P. Lipscomb and S.N. Behrman’s screenplay has the emotional bite of a good silent melodrama.

Synopsis:

Banker Jarvis Lorry (Claude Gillingwater) tells Londoner Lucie Manette (Elizabeth Allan) that her father Dr. Manette …Read the entire review

David Copperfield
29 Oct 2006 at 11:02am
RecommendedReviewed by Glenn Erickson

David O. Selznick’s David Copperfield has a sterling reputation among classic film adaptations, and for the most part it earns it. The unusually large cast of characters is aligned with a beautifully chosen group of Hollywood actors. The movie’s immense popularity over the years has guaranteed many of them a permanent claim on their role identifications — Edna May Oliver’s Aunt Betsy, W.C. Fields’ Mr. Micawber. David Copperfield follows most of the contours of the story and has earned the endorsement of grade school teachers who consider it an excellent way to get children to read the Dickens original. Only then does one realize that Selznick’s adaptation is an enjoyable but bare-bones digest version of a much more intricate story, with even deeper characters.

Synopsi…Read the entire review

Marie Antoinette
29 Oct 2006 at 11:02am
RecommendedWhen Irving Thalberg died in 1936 preparations were already underway for a lavish — even by MGM standards — movie about Marie Antoinette, the queen of France beheaded in the French Revolution. It was the crowning vehicle for Irving’s wife Norma Shearer, a popular actress of the 30s who definitely benefited from her royal position in the MGM hierarchy. Bitter rival Joan Crawford complained that she had no chance at an equal shot for parts, when the ‘competition slept with the boss.’

Stefan Zweig’s 1933 Antoinette biography tempered a great many historical exaggerations of the queen’s high-flung lifestyle. She apparently never said the words “Let them eat cake,” was politically disconnected and became the victim of ugly propaganda that spread rumors that she was a depraved sex maniac, that she poisoned her own children, etc. 1

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Technorati Tags: David-O.-Selznick, DVD-Rentals, film-releases, Marie-Antoinette, movie-releases, movie-reviews, period-drama

Tags: David O. Selznick, DVD Rentals, film releases, Marie Antoinette, movie releases, movie reviews, period drama