Lee-Evans Movie Reviews

This turns out to be a very charming movie with a splendid performance by Mary Pickford which proves why she was one of the biggest stars of the silent era. The film alternates between comedy and drama working well in the latter category but excelling in the first. Beautifully photographed and directed it's a highly entertaining movie which makes you forget that you are watching a silent film because you get involved in the story right away. Also the acting is very understated and natural so that you really believe in the characters. Unlike many early movies where you have to watch them from a historical perspective to enjoy them this should work for a modern audience just as well.

The transfer to DVD is excellent in my opinion. It contains a chamber score by Maria Newman which is superior to most scores you will hear on videos for silent films even though it is not in the same league as Carl Davis' scores for the British channel 4 silent movie series (some of which are available on video in the U.S. e.g. The Big Parade).

The DVD also contains a short by D.W. Griffith which is entertaining in its way although it can hardly be considered one of his best works.

Daddy Long Legs is a wonderful example of Mary Pickford's talent for portraying adolescent girls even when she herself was much older. She was 26 when the film was made in 1919, but she is convincing even when she plays a 12-year-old orphan and is quite captivating when she grows up to go to college. Pickford may have gone on playing the teenager a little too long. Some of her later films stretch credibility too much, but this is not the case here. Interestingly this DVD includes a Biograph short from 1910, What the Daisy Said, where 17-year-old Mary appears to be older than in many of her later roles. Ironically, at this time she wanted to appear older than she was and it has been said that one of the reasons why she left Biograph was that Griffith would not allow her to develop into full adult roles.

Daddy Long Legs starts as a sort of exposé of an orphanage. There is one particularly gruesome scene of Mary being deliberately burned on a stove as a punishment. The picture gets redder and redder to emphasise the pain and the heat. But the story also has moments of fine comedy to counterbalance the more serious elements. Pickford makes a fine comic drunk and a scene where she pretends to be strangled with her own arm is as good a piece of comic ingenuity as I have seen. When she leaves the orphanage the film becomes a delightful romance. This love story keeps the viewer guessing, and shows the many faces of love, the joy as well as the despair. It is wholly believable.

The picture quality of this film is almost perfect. There is some occasional fading of the image and brief moments of apparent damage, but overall the restoration is extremely good. The picture is tinted and uses a number of colours to accompany the variations in the settings and the moods of the scenes. The titles are especially noteworthy as many of them include drawings which along with the words comment on the action. The chamber music for this film fits in well with the action. It is well played and includes some fine themes.

As I mentioned this DVD contains a Biograph short. It is about 12 minutes long and is very welcome as an additional feature. I've only seen about 10 of the hundreds of films Griffith made at Biograph and on the whole find them difficult to appreciate. These early shorts are possibly the hardest of films for the modern viewer to grasp. Nevertheless, a film like What the Daisy Said is intriguing and in a curious way entertaining. It makes me want to find out more about this period of filmmaking. Someone should bring out a series of DVD's featuring Biograph shorts.

I don't know anything about the DVD version, but for those of you who read the item below and said to yourself, "Well, I don't know if I should risk getting the tape," my copy turned out to be fine. Pickford is hilarious--It's a great movie for anyone who wants to make converts to her. The home movie and newsreel footage is interesting, too. It dates from the late teens through to the mid-twenties. Fairbanks, Chaplin, and the Gish sisters appear. Definitely worth the money!

I originally saw this many years ago wondering what Lee Marvin was doing in such a high brow production and was rewarded with a memorable experience and new respect for the actors involved. I was surprised to find Fredric March in this. A movie star from the early days of the sound era, a two tme Oscar winner, I always knew March was a good and well respected actor, and there were two times when he shocked me and I realised HOW good he was: one was the original A STAR IS BORN where his performance surpassed the era it came from, playing more modern amidst the hokum and phony sentimentality that surrounded everything else in the picture, giving the film a lasting relevancy; the other was INHERIT THE WIND, where I was all geared up to watch Spencer Tracy in a great role and wound up picking my jaw off the floor at March in the Brady role. No Academy nomination, no lasting hossanahs, was anybody else aware of what March was doing here? Well his performance here surpasses those two. Amazing how his acting style kept changing, permitting him to give relevant performances for over forty years in quality films. His work here is fully shaded and from an aesthetic viewpoint, a joy to watch. But even his performance is not the outstanding one in the picture. That honor goes to Robert Ryan. ROBERT RYAN?! Always a solid performer, whether playing the hard-bitten good guy or the hard-bitten bad guy (usually), there is nothing in his canon of work that will prepare you for the magnitude or the depth of his performance here. Who knew there was a giant, and I do mean GIANT, talent lurking in that lean boxer frame. It will make you angry, and sad, that his talent was barely scratched in all those movies. But it is ultimately a blessing that in this, his last film, he was able to get a role that would utilize his full range as an actor. An incredible revelation. Since these AFT productions only played for 2 screenings, they fell under the radar of the Academy Awards' stipulation that a film must play for a week to be eligible for nominations, which is why you won't see any of these AFT productions in the Academy books on excellence. Marvin doesn't hit the mark of these two performances, but he is very good, at times excellent. Tough going, but a rewarding, memorable experience..

All the performances in this film are excellent. A fine example of cohesive ensemble playing. Lee Marvin has been described by various critics as being miscast as Hickey. I suppose this is based upon comparisons with Robards. I haven't seen any other versions of this play but I think Marvin's performance is fine. Certainly Ryan and March are brilliant and for these two performances this video is worth owning. For those of you who have seen this version on TV in the past note: this is the 4 hour uncut version rarely seen outside of the original season of 1973. Only O'Neill can sustain drama over such a long time. You Americans should be proud of him he was a genius and this is his masterpiece.

This excellent production directed by John Frankenhimer was part of the 1973 American Film Theater series of plays shown in theaters by subscription. This exceptional cast headed by Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Frederic March and a very young Jeff Bridges captures O'Neill's disillusioned band of "pipe dreamers" to a tee. Lee Marvin is especially impressive and dispells the tough guy image in a finely textured and layered performance. I recommend this as well as the 1960 Jason Robards production, also available on VHS and DVD.

After reading two short books on the history of Scotland, I saw this version of "Kidnapped" again. Wonderful. It is a good, fun film and the historical niceties of the director are amazing. Anyone who enjoys it might even enjoy it more after reading a bit of Scottish history and looking at it again. This is a true classic film--wish Disney would put it out on DVD !!

Originally released in 1960, filmed 10 years after Disney's "Treasure Island" (Both are based on books written by Robert Louis Stevenson). This is a grittier more realistic film than Treasure Island, not as flamboyant. Coincidentally, Disney Director Robert Stevenson wrote the screenplay based on the novel but he is not related to the original writer.

Set in 18th centurey Scotland, tt features James MacArthur who made 5 other films for Disney as a young man, and later moved on to "Hawaii 5-O". The film starts with a plot of a young man finding out he has an estate after his father dies, and when he goes to reclaim it his uncle tries to cheat him out of it. There is a famous scene where the uncle tries to kill the young man by sending up a tower in the dark... with missing stairs. Peter Finch is the Hero that takes him under his wing. They have to battle their way off a ship as cutthroat sailors try to murder them. The movie draws you in, as it is very realistic and loaded with period atmosphere, costumes, sets, and weapons. The British are chasing the Scottish Highlanders all over the countryside which is loaded with friends and traitors, and so they can trust no one. There are many character actors that add to the richness of the film. This film is a rollicking good time, and has intrigue, adventure, and mystery as well. Swordfights and gun battles galore! There are numerous authentic Scottish actors and accents, as it was filmed on location in Scotland. While Disney films that were made in Europe were criticized for being "too Americanized" they loved this film and praised both it's authenticity to the original book.

The color is beautiful on this nice clean print. This film is not for the smallest kids as it does have some scary scenes and some violence. (But keep in mind that the film still takes a strong stand against killing and drinking/gambling. Nice moral lessons without being preachy. The stars fight because they have too, and truly regret having to participate in violence to defend themselves).

Bit of Disney Trivia... What was Peter O'Toole's first movie? He plays his first bit part in Kidnapped, and believe it or not the young actor plays a bagpipe! He has dark hair and a fake beard and his nose before surgery, but watch for the battle of the bagpipes scene.

I have seen many filmed version of this classic adventure story but none is as excellent as this. This movie is true to the book-except but slight alterations. They kept even most of the original diaglogue although they left some of the scottisicms out and used standard English instead (with Scottish accent, indeed). But the Scottish feeling is still high. That is mostly due to the fine Scottish actors. Each and every one of them is just perfect. You must have seen John Laurie's Uncle Ebenezer! It is an outstanding performance. Add to this the finest scottish scenery and to crown all Peter Finch as Alan Breck and you are ready to tramp the highlands yourself. - P.S.: Don't be afraid of the Scottish accent - even me, who's native tongue is German has no difficulties in understandig each and every word.

After reading two short books on the history of Scotland, I saw this version of "Kidnapped" again. Wonderful. It is a good, fun film and the historical niceties of the director are amazing. Anyone who enjoys it might even enjoy it more after reading a bit of Scottish history and looking at it again. This is a true classic film--wish Disney would put it out on DVD !!

Originally released in 1960, filmed 10 years after Disney's "Treasure Island" (Both are based on books written by Robert Louis Stevenson). This is a grittier more realistic film than Treasure Island, not as flamboyant. Coincidentally, Disney Director Robert Stevenson wrote the screenplay based on the novel but he is not related to the original writer.

Set in 18th centurey Scotland, tt features James MacArthur who made 5 other films for Disney as a young man, and later moved on to "Hawaii 5-O". The film starts with a plot of a young man finding out he has an estate after his father dies, and when he goes to reclaim it his uncle tries to cheat him out of it. There is a famous scene where the uncle tries to kill the young man by sending up a tower in the dark... with missing stairs. Peter Finch is the Hero that takes him under his wing. They have to battle their way off a ship as cutthroat sailors try to murder them. The movie draws you in, as it is very realistic and loaded with period atmosphere, costumes, sets, and weapons. The British are chasing the Scottish Highlanders all over the countryside which is loaded with friends and traitors, and so they can trust no one. There are many character actors that add to the richness of the film. This film is a rollicking good time, and has intrigue, adventure, and mystery as well. Swordfights and gun battles galore! There are numerous authentic Scottish actors and accents, as it was filmed on location in Scotland. While Disney films that were made in Europe were criticized for being "too Americanized" they loved this film and praised both it's authenticity to the original book.

The color is beautiful on this nice clean print. This film is not for the smallest kids as it does have some scary scenes and some violence. (But keep in mind that the film still takes a strong stand against killing and drinking/gambling. Nice moral lessons without being preachy. The stars fight because they have too, and truly regret having to participate in violence to defend themselves).

Bit of Disney Trivia... What was Peter O'Toole's first movie? He plays his first bit part in Kidnapped, and believe it or not the young actor plays a bagpipe! He has dark hair and a fake beard and his nose before surgery, but watch for the battle of the bagpipes scene.

I have seen many filmed version of this classic adventure story but none is as excellent as this. This movie is true to the book-except but slight alterations. They kept even most of the original diaglogue although they left some of the scottisicms out and used standard English instead (with Scottish accent, indeed). But the Scottish feeling is still high. That is mostly due to the fine Scottish actors. Each and every one of them is just perfect. You must have seen John Laurie's Uncle Ebenezer! It is an outstanding performance. Add to this the finest scottish scenery and to crown all Peter Finch as Alan Breck and you are ready to tramp the highlands yourself. - P.S.: Don't be afraid of the Scottish accent - even me, who's native tongue is German has no difficulties in understandig each and every word.

The outrageous plot of "Fierce Creatures" features flirty fun and cuddy pets. The premise of this farce: a hilarious "we'll only feature fierce creatures" policy at the zoo. The characters are well cast in the same way as "A Fish Called Wanda." This film is just a romp and was not meant to be taken seriously. I really liked it.

As for "Cold Comfort Farm," this is the one-part version of this funny story of an odd family, and it's got a much better flow and is less confusing than the three-part BBC version from 1968. But that one is fun to watch, too. This one is a good, solid production that features Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley in marvelous performances. The plot in this one is clearer and there's no filler, as there is in the other version.

I don't know why these two videos got packaged for sale together -- they're NOTHING alike. But maybe it's just because both are farces with wacky characters. I thoroughly enjoyed them both. It's a good bargain.

I've seen both of these hysterical flicks. It's been a long time since I laughed so hard during a movie. Fierce Creatures is another hilarious ride from the same cast of A Fish Called Wanda. Both written by John Cleese starring Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese, and Kevin Kline in a double role. The story revolves around new ownership of a zoo. The employees must find a way to increase profits at the zoo. There's a big battle over which animals are truly fierce creatures. Kevin Kline and the entire zoo staff are at their best while orchestrating gimmicks to increase the zoo's popularity. Romance is in the air, causing many laughs. Same carefree humor as A Fish Called Wanda. If you liked the cast from Wanda, then you will roar some more with Fierce Creatures.

Now, for Cold Comfort Farm. This British comedy also has a stellar ensemble cast featuring Kate Beckinsale, Joanna Lumley, Rufus Sewell, and Ian McKellan. Being orphaned, a party/social girl accepts an invitation to live with her relatives in the country on Cold Comfort Farm. She soon discovers that everyone obeys the orders of the grandmother, although she is rarely seen. Playing a confident women, Kate Beckinsale decides to rock the boat and make some changes. What does grandma have to say? Her constant response to any changes or chaos, "I saw something nasty in the woodshed," leading to the constant mystery surrounding the movie. Neither one of these films has a deep storyline, making them full of humor. If you're in the mood for lots of laughter and the need to relax, then look into Fierce Creatures and Cold Comfort Farm.

I had the experience of seeing Lee Evans whilst over in the UK. I wish more of his video's were available in the US.

Lee Evans is one of the best stand up comedians in the world. This video, showing a collection of his best live sketches really proves it. I laughed all the way through.

I used to watch the Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy and all the other cowboy shows every Saturday and I never realized how ridiculous they were until I watched this one last fall again. What's with Roy Rogers being in some rodeo glamour-looking costume and everyone else in flannel shirts and jeans? The funniest part is how fast and out of nowhere they get into fights. This movie cracked me up. I only wished that Gabby Hayes would have played a drunk, cuz that's when he's funniest. And how come that skinny guy who used to always play somebody named California or Tennessee couldn't be in it? I wish I knew what movies he was in. Alright that's enough rambling -- if you watched cowboy tv shows, watch this cuz it will crack you up. Otherwise, I wouldn't say you're missing a whole lot.

i did"nt know their were 2 my pal trigger. i have a my pal trigger but it doesn"t say one or two. please explain.

This movie is Roy Rogers' personal favorite. It has a lot of classic Roy Rogers action. If you only own one Roy Rogers movie, this should be the one. END

The story goes that director Luc Besson began writing THE FIFTH ELEMENT in his teens, incorporating all the Sci-Fi elements he loved into one over-the-top, grand space opera...sort of an "E.E. 'Doc' Smith 'Skylark' Meets Flash Gordon and Barbarella" hybrid with sex, intergalactic action, and even some pseudo-religious overtones tossed in...in other words, a teenage daydream come true! Critics panned the end result for this very reason, sneering at Bruce Willis' Earth-saving (yet again!) Korben Dallas, and Besson's then-girlfriend, clothing-optional Milla Jovovich, as the innocent demigod, Leeloo.

The critics were wrong!

THE FIFTH ELEMENT is, in the best sense of the word, a classic 'B' movie, a space opera where a prologue vaguely similar to STARGATE leads to a future Earth where traffic jams occur thirty stories above the ground, humanity is ruled by beefy 'Tiny' Lister Jr., and where the Ultimate Evil is served by everyone's favorite villain, Gary Oldman, sporting a Southern accent! If this DOESN'T convince you that this is a 'popcorn' flick, not to be taken too seriously, there is Chris Tucker, sporting a blond hairdo, as the Galaxy's favorite media personality, promoting himself as he hits on his adoring female fans; Ian Holm, as the monk who knows 'the Secret', forced, despite himself, to become an active participant in the adventure; and some of the most ... ugly alien mercenaries you'll ever see, terrorizing a space resort, until they meet their match in Bruce Willis' 'DIE HARD in Space' protagonist! Yippee-Ki-Yay, indeed!

The FX are astonishing, the comedy, broad and sly, the heroics, macho, and as Leeloo, sent to save Earth, Jovovich manages to be both naive and sexy, with broken English and a gymnast's grace.

Bruce Willis is a joy, as always, to watch, and he carries the film with charm and self-depreciating humor, whether dealing with endless phone calls from his mother, driving his sky taxi recklessly (cabbies change very little in the future!), taking on terrorists single-handed, or falling for the exotic Leeloo. When he blows away a roomful of hostage-holding aliens, then asks, "Does anyone else want to negotiate?", you KNOW Besson picked the right guy for the lead!

If you want Profound Science Fiction, watch 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY again...but if you want to kick back and just have fun, look not further...THE FIFTH ELEMENT delivers!

It's up to Bruce again to save the wolrd from destruction. It's in the furture and Bruce is a taxi driver/ex marine commando who needs to help out our military cause they don't know what's going on. Mia gets naked and can't speak a lick of English. There's a priest and he thinks he knows it all but in the end Bruce saves the day, Duh!

Absolutely fabulous. Dazzling scenery and effects. Amazing vision of the future. Stellar casting. Brilliant soundtrack. Wonderful story (when isn't love wonderful). Unless you look for the GErman release of this which has a number of documentaries on it and an English 5.1 track, you will not find ant extras whatsoever on the DVD's released in North America. For this reason you may as well get the Superbit version - especially if you have a home theatre. The DTS 5.1 track is stunningly brilliant!

The story goes that director Luc Besson began writing THE FIFTH ELEMENT in his teens, incorporating all the Sci-Fi elements he loved into one over-the-top, grand space opera...sort of an "E.E. 'Doc' Smith 'Skylark' Meets Flash Gordon and Barbarella" hybrid with sex, intergalactic action, and even some pseudo-religious overtones tossed in...in other words, a teenage daydream come true! Critics panned the end result for this very reason, sneering at Bruce Willis' Earth-saving (yet again!) Korben Dallas, and Besson's then-girlfriend, clothing-optional Milla Jovovich, as the innocent demigod, Leeloo.

The critics were wrong!

THE FIFTH ELEMENT is, in the best sense of the word, a classic 'B' movie, a space opera where a prologue vaguely similar to STARGATE leads to a future Earth where traffic jams occur thirty stories above the ground, humanity is ruled by beefy 'Tiny' Lister Jr., and where the Ultimate Evil is served by everyone's favorite villain, Gary Oldman, sporting a Southern accent! If this DOESN'T convince you that this is a 'popcorn' flick, not to be taken too seriously, there is Chris Tucker, sporting a blond hairdo, as the Galaxy's favorite media personality, promoting himself as he hits on his adoring female fans; Ian Holm, as the monk who knows 'the Secret', forced, despite himself, to become an active participant in the adventure; and some of the most ... ugly alien mercenaries you'll ever see, terrorizing a space resort, until they meet their match in Bruce Willis' 'DIE HARD in Space' protagonist! Yippee-Ki-Yay, indeed!

The FX are astonishing, the comedy, broad and sly, the heroics, macho, and as Leeloo, sent to save Earth, Jovovich manages to be both naive and sexy, with broken English and a gymnast's grace.

Bruce Willis is a joy, as always, to watch, and he carries the film with charm and self-depreciating humor, whether dealing with endless phone calls from his mother, driving his sky taxi recklessly (cabbies change very little in the future!), taking on terrorists single-handed, or falling for the exotic Leeloo. When he blows away a roomful of hostage-holding aliens, then asks, "Does anyone else want to negotiate?", you KNOW Besson picked the right guy for the lead!

If you want Profound Science Fiction, watch 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY again...but if you want to kick back and just have fun, look not further...THE FIFTH ELEMENT delivers!

It's up to Bruce again to save the wolrd from destruction. It's in the furture and Bruce is a taxi driver/ex marine commando who needs to help out our military cause they don't know what's going on. Mia gets naked and can't speak a lick of English. There's a priest and he thinks he knows it all but in the end Bruce saves the day, Duh!

Absolutely fabulous. Dazzling scenery and effects. Amazing vision of the future. Stellar casting. Brilliant soundtrack. Wonderful story (when isn't love wonderful). Unless you look for the GErman release of this which has a number of documentaries on it and an English 5.1 track, you will not find ant extras whatsoever on the DVD's released in North America. For this reason you may as well get the Superbit version - especially if you have a home theatre. The DTS 5.1 track is stunningly brilliant!

The story goes that director Luc Besson began writing THE FIFTH ELEMENT in his teens, incorporating all the Sci-Fi elements he loved into one over-the-top, grand space opera...sort of an "E.E. 'Doc' Smith 'Skylark' Meets Flash Gordon and Barbarella" hybrid with sex, intergalactic action, and even some pseudo-religious overtones tossed in...in other words, a teenage daydream come true! Critics panned the end result for this very reason, sneering at Bruce Willis' Earth-saving (yet again!) Korben Dallas, and Besson's then-girlfriend, clothing-optional Milla Jovovich, as the innocent demigod, Leeloo.

The critics were wrong!

THE FIFTH ELEMENT is, in the best sense of the word, a classic 'B' movie, a space opera where a prologue vaguely similar to STARGATE leads to a future Earth where traffic jams occur thirty stories above the ground, humanity is ruled by beefy 'Tiny' Lister Jr., and where the Ultimate Evil is served by everyone's favorite villain, Gary Oldman, sporting a Southern accent! If this DOESN'T convince you that this is a 'popcorn' flick, not to be taken too seriously, there is Chris Tucker, sporting a blond hairdo, as the Galaxy's favorite media personality, promoting himself as he hits on his adoring female fans; Ian Holm, as the monk who knows 'the Secret', forced, despite himself, to become an active participant in the adventure; and some of the most ... ugly alien mercenaries you'll ever see, terrorizing a space resort, until they meet their match in Bruce Willis' 'DIE HARD in Space' protagonist! Yippee-Ki-Yay, indeed!

The FX are astonishing, the comedy, broad and sly, the heroics, macho, and as Leeloo, sent to save Earth, Jovovich manages to be both naive and sexy, with broken English and a gymnast's grace.

Bruce Willis is a joy, as always, to watch, and he carries the film with charm and self-depreciating humor, whether dealing with endless phone calls from his mother, driving his sky taxi recklessly (cabbies change very little in the future!), taking on terrorists single-handed, or falling for the exotic Leeloo. When he blows away a roomful of hostage-holding aliens, then asks, "Does anyone else want to negotiate?", you KNOW Besson picked the right guy for the lead!

If you want Profound Science Fiction, watch 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY again...but if you want to kick back and just have fun, look not further...THE FIFTH ELEMENT delivers!

It's up to Bruce again to save the wolrd from destruction. It's in the furture and Bruce is a taxi driver/ex marine commando who needs to help out our military cause they don't know what's going on. Mia gets naked and can't speak a lick of English. There's a priest and he thinks he knows it all but in the end Bruce saves the day, Duh!

Absolutely fabulous. Dazzling scenery and effects. Amazing vision of the future. Stellar casting. Brilliant soundtrack. Wonderful story (when isn't love wonderful). Unless you look for the GErman release of this which has a number of documentaries on it and an English 5.1 track, you will not find ant extras whatsoever on the DVD's released in North America. For this reason you may as well get the Superbit version - especially if you have a home theatre. The DTS 5.1 track is stunningly brilliant!