Rushmore (The Criterion Collection) (1998)

I am a little surprised that so many other people failed to see the merits of this movie. First, this was not a typical predictable Hollywood movie with a predictable ending. Second, it was not a re-hash of some old story line with the same old actors. It is a very well written comedic coming of age movie. Few movies take the time or effort to develop complex, flawed and genuine characters, but director Wes Anderson apparently understands the value of doing so. The emotionally stagnating business tycoon Herman Blume is played brilliantly by Bill Murray the disappointment he feels with his banal life and idiotic children is wrenchingly palpable. But Rushmore Academy student and quirky prodigy Max Fischer enters Herman Blume's dull life, renewing his enthusiam. The movie is both thought provoking and hilarious. Particularly enjoyable are Max's adaptations of "Serpico" and "Platoon" for the high-school drama club. Hands down this was the best comedy produced in the 90's. With the decade that produced MTV sex and bathroom joke frat boy movies, this film offers an intelligent script, cast of characters, and an excellent soundtrack.

What surprises me about Wes Andersen is that he is so in command of his silver screen he defies just about every convention of film making and still manages to come up with a riveting diversion of a movie. You know, that rare brand that makes you laugh but you're not exactly sure what you are laughing about. A movie with the mordant tone of Donnie Darko or The Royal Tennenbaums.

And Rushmore I'd contend is the most extraordinary feather in his illustrious cap to date. It is difficult to classify. Romance features as a pervasive undercurrent, full of mercurial dialogue and quirky moments, but it's not merely a romantic-comedy. It's not even your average angst-filled coming-of-age story. It's an oddity with a flowy screenplay that begs to be discovered individually, for oneself.

The acting all round is top notch. Schwatzman, our young protagonist, is very intriguing in his potrayal of an academically challenged overachiever. Murray delivers a rock solid sad-sack performance as usual, his long face speaking volumes.

The brand of subtle humour may not spring out to everyone but is hilarious when pondered over. For instance,

"Are you a neurosurgeon?"

"No, I'm a barber. But many people make that mistake."

It's anything but an ordinary movie, it does not follow the typical mindset of opening-body-conclusion and its funky vibe may not appeal to everyone. But if you have an appetite for the unusual, it's a very, very beautiful caper and all its weirdness makes perfect sense within its context.

Can't recommend it highly enough for the discerning eye.

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I began watching this movie after a few months of trawling my way through the endless chasm of "teen" movies. This included such films as the rather dull Cruel Intentions and the frankly dire American Pie. I admit I am usually hard to please, so at the end of my tether this would need to be superb to return my faith in the Amercian movie industry.

I was not disappointed. This was an absolute gem of a movie perfect in execution, consistently witty, often moving, and always thoroughly enjoyable. I rarely watch a film again immediately after finishing it. This film, I watched three times over the two days I rented it.

The acting was spot on. The love-struck,geeky, selfish yet strangley likeable hero, Max, was played to perfection by Schwartzman, and Bill Murray gave a wonderfully underplayed performance as the lonely, sullen, somewhat lost businessman who befreinds Max. Williams turns in a great performance as the love-interest, and though still a slightly stereotyped Englishwoman, in Rushmore Williams makes it somehow more charming than annoying. The soundtrack is also perfectly matched to the movie. I always believe a good soundtrack adds depth to a movie hightens your emotions, and Lennon, Stevens and co. do just that.

When this film finished you knew it was a classic. From start to finish it is perfectly executed, avoiding cheesy moments, and constantly enthralling. Perhaps most strangely, it is not necessarily a new plot idea, its just been done here so well, that it deserves a place among the finest movies of the last few years. Classic.

Read Best Reviews of Rushmore (The Criterion Collection) (1998) Here

The Criterion edition of "Rushmore" is a phenomenal package that fans of the movie should not be without. But first, the movie itself is a real treat. Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), 10th grade student of Rushmore academy, is involved in playwriting and numerous extra-cirricular activities. The only problem is he faces expulsion due to his lack luster grades. Towards the beginning of the film he comes to admire Mr. Blume, a self made millionaire in a bad marriage played wonderfully by Bill Murray. The two of them become good friends, each displaying a mutual respect for one another, until they both fall for the same woman, a widowed first grade teacher played by Olivia Williams. If anything, this movie shows the hardships of growing up as a teenager and coming to terms with feelings so overwhelming (in this case unrequited love) that you can't deal with them. Funny, poignant, and intelligent, it's an excellent coming of age story highlighted by the incredible performances of all the players. The Criterion DVD is packed with a trailer, a Charlie Rose show segment with both Bill Murray and director/co-writer Wes Anderson, an audio commentary with Wes Anderson, co-writer Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman, "Making of..." documentary, audition footage, and more. Excellent movie, excellent special features. Need I say more?

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For years I loved movies, couldn't get enough of them. Then all of a sudden I stopped going to them, stopped watching them except for the occasional daliance. This movie got me excited about movies again. It's a movie in a class by itself, there is no genre or enough words to describe it. It amazes me how many of the reviewers on here hated this movie. The ones who hated it, really HATED it. What is wrong with people today? This is the audience that made me dislike movies, the masses that require cookie cutter plots, pointless action, and thoughtless humor in order to be satisfied. It isn't often a complete gem of a movie comes along and grabs me but this one did. Bill Murray turns in his best performance ever. I'm sure the people going into this movie expecting Mr. Crazy-Funny-Groundhog-Day Bill Murray were sadly disappointed by a Bill Murray who can actually convey the gammut of emotions in a single movie. I have extraordinary respect for Mr. Murray, more so now than I did before. And the kid who plays Max really surprised me. I can't remember what his name is and I don't want to look it up but I know he's related to Talia Shire somehow. He's going to be one to watch. As long as movies like this keep coming out once in a while (for another gem, check out "Election") I won't let the simpleton American movie grinches who seem to populate the key demographics on movie producers' exit poll ratings flow charts ruin my good time.

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Down Terrace (2010)

Curiously riveting low-budget crime caper from Blighty that segues seamlessly from droll domestic routines to sudden spurts of ultraviolence. Chronicling the implosion over two weeks of a minor family-run goon squad, Down Terrace plays like some new type of movie mutation where the mundane and the macabre are mixed to shockingly hilarious effect. Talk about getting under your skin! Plus the folk songs running through this bracing little flick add their own wayward wrinkle to the general sense of disequilibration. Utterly unpredictable and visceral, Down Terrace is Mister Wheatley's first feature film apparently and I gotta say I haven't been this impressed by a hitherto unknown quantity since getting an eyeful of Lenny Abrahamson's hypnotic and devastating Garage (2007).

DOWN TERRACE is a real treat: An understated British gangster flick mixing hilarious dysfunctional family drama with pitch-black crime movie brutality. Before discussing content, it must be noted that the accompanying music track is ridiculously amazing. The fact that no soundtrack recording has been released saddens more than the ultra-grim tale itself. When Bob Hill's character strums his acoustic to a hearty rendition of "Spanish Ladies," for a moment, you think he's a nice guy. For a moment. Starring a real-life father and son, DT will make you feel better about any minor grievance within the family unit. Actually, "Dysfunctional" is too kind a description for directly to HELL is where these folks are a-goin'.

Our story begins with Bill and Karl just released from a brief jail detention. A jolly welcome home party ensues, but it's easy to tell that darkness is fast approaching. Apparently, Bill and Karl run a nightclub, but only as a cover for their underworld crime syndicate division. The old reliable "Snitch In Our Midst" plot device is revealed to be the reason for the jail time. As our anti-heroes seek the traitor, you will not believe the behavior on display.

Violent yet minimally bloody, DOWN TERRACE could be the quietest Hooligan cinema ever imagined. The emotional wallop, however, will leave you flat-out knackered.

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Marvellous,low budget study of low life criminals.Acting is superb and the humour is very dark.No glamorising of crime in this one which makes is quite unique.

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I first saw this film at the 34th annual Cleveland International Film Festival in 2010. The writing is so darkly funny and the performance are absolutely top-notch, especially the real-life father and son, Robert and Robin Hill. Julia Deakin as the mother is phenomenal too.

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The British films about gangsters, have their own profile. The last giant film I remember is from 1980, "The long good Friday" that somehow represented the British answer to "The Godfather".

In this opportunity, we assist to the tragedy of a decadent and crumbling empire that is about to end, and how the wild instinct of preservation and survival simply ignores (like in most of cases happen) transforms this wealthy clan in a huge bloody swamp.

Filmed according the rules of cinema verite, still accent the anguish and the inner demons that nestle beneath their souls.

Good film but never a great one!

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March of the Wooden Soldiers (3D Blu-Ray)

There are two versions offered for sale at Amazon. The Koch Vision Entertainment version, despite the description in the technical details, is NOT COLORIZED. The Goodtimes Home Video version version IS colorized. Which you prefer is entirely up to you, but don't order the Koch Vision version if you want the movie in color. The Koch Vision version has an extended silent film extra of the first time Laurel and Hardy appeared together (NOT as a team, however). The extra is interesting, but (by today's standards anyhow) a little slow. The Goodtimes Entertainment (Colorized) version, although a few cents cheaper than the other version, is, in my opinion, a much "cleaner" print. Even with the color level turned down so it appears as the original B&W, the Goodtimes version is sharper and more distinct. March of the Wooden Soldiers, holds up pretty well.

The Laurel and Hardy classic, March of the Wooden Soldiers (originally released as Babes in Toyland), was the fantastic result of combining two tremendous talents with a childlike, fantasy world and adult situations (Laurel and Hardy, Toyland and an evil landlord's mortgage conspiracy, respectively). Such rich source material makes for a film of unsurpassed quality: featuring rich and imaginative environments, costumes, sights and sounds. Every fairytale has its day, from Little Bo Peep to the Three Little Pigs to Mother Goose, and even Santa. We all know that the winter months are a time to remember to greatest holiday classics from years past, and March of the Wooden Soldiers is unsurpassed in its genre.

The holidays are associated with bright and festive colors--bright reds, greens, blues and golds--that set a warm and cheery mood, and the movies that we choose to enjoy during this season are no different. Fortunately, this edition of March of the Wooden Soldiers has been colorized, bringing newfound vibrancy to the events on screen and helping to integrate this classic tale with the traditional warmth of the holiday season. Rather than a visually dull grayscale that reminds one of the dour winter weather, toy soldiers shimmer in brilliant red onscreen, and our two comedian leads are further humanized by their newfound flesh tones and colorful Christmas garb.

As colorization efforts go, March of the Wooden Soldiers is a superlative effort, looking as though it was originally produced in the first generation of Technicolor, rather than decades earlier. The producers in charge of this re-mastering effort clearly thought that we would find an "aged color" appearance more acceptable than attempting to make it look completely modern, and this approach works very well. I'm sure you'll agree if you see a preview.

It's worth noting that this disc also includes the black and white version of the movie, perhaps as a peace offering to those of you who might object to the alteration of a classic film. I would go so far, then, as to call this the definitive purchase of March of the Wooden Soldiers, not just because you'll have a choice between color and black and white, but because the first step in colorizing any movie is to "clean up" the pre-existing black and white material as much as possible, and it certainly shows in comparison with other versions available.

In addition to both versions of the movie, this disc's special features really push it over the top. As a media buff, the included classic trailers are a wonderful prelude to the main feature--I like to imagine that I'm getting the same experience as the audiences who first viewed Laurel and Hardy some seventy years ago. And, in keeping with this package's holiday theme, the animated Rudolph the Reindeer movie is thoughtfully included, ensuring that you and your family get the most value out of a single disc.

For any family or fan of holiday cinema, this package is definitely a must-buy.

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Wow is all I can say! Laurel and Hardy's March of the Wooden Soldiers (aka Babes in Toyland) has never looked better. Legend Films and Genius Products found rare 35mm film elements and did a high definition digital restoration to create the finest looking black-and-white version of this L&H holiday classic ever seen. And to beat that, they created a stunning new COLOR version on the same DVD with a new Colorization technology. It really looks like it was shot in color. This disc is then jammed full of great bonus features to take any nostalgic viewer down Christmas memory lane. This DVD is FAR superior to the Goodtimes version (I viewed them side by side) and well worth the extra couple of dollars. I highly recommend this new definitive version of March of the Wooden Soldiers (with the Red box) both for yourself or for a gift.

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The "review" from Robert Badgley of March Of The Wooden Soldiers is certainly not the truth and clearly appears to be written by someone with a strange agenda. I suggest he get his facts straight before writing such a misleading, false and defamatory review. Amazon reviews are intended to inform, not mislead and misinform.

I was personally responsible for producing the prior color release from Goldwyn and I am also responsible for producing the current color and black and white release from Legend Films.

This was truly a lost Laurel and Hardy film. Film prints of this movie have gone from distributor to distributor and are well worn. However, both Goldwyn and a renowned distributor and collector provided 35mm material to produce a complete print that is widely recognized to be the highest quality. In my previous colorization company, American Film Technologies, I transferred that 35mm print to analog one-inch video tape. While extremely inferior by today's standards, one-inch video tape was the industry standard in video resolution at the time.

Now, for the FIRST TIME the Goldwyn film of March Of The Wooden Soldiers has been transferred Digitally in High Definition. The black and white High Definition tape, was completely restored using the Legend Films proprietary restoration technology. Then with the latest colorization process the film was colorized in High Definition resolution. This is the same Legend Films process used by Martin Scorsese to produce color special effects for The Aviator. The resulting color frames were then used to create a new High Definition colorized version. So you have on the Legend Films DVD, both the fully restored black and white version and a separate, fully restored color version.

By every measure, I believe the Legend Films DVD release is the highest quality black and white and color version of March Of The Wooden Soldiers that exists anywhere today.

Barry B. Sandrew, Ph.D.

Founder/COO, CTO

Legend Films, Inc.

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This Laurel and Hardy treasure remains the definitive holiday movie. "March of the Wooden Soldiers" (the original "Babes in Toyland") is a timeless musical-comedy with Stan and Ollie in top form abetted by stylish sets and visual effects. Most "colorized" films are an artistic desecration; however, this particular video is rendered in low-key pastels that resemble early Technicolor. The results are better than expected. Laurel and Hardy fans should be doubly pleased because this uncut version contains a delightful "storybook" sequence which hasn't been shown since the film's initial release in 1934. There have been several remakes of "Babes in Toyland," but none can match the original's effortless charm.

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Live at the Royal Albert Hall

I'm a huge Minchin fan. I've watched and/or listened to everything he's published. I own all the albums and videos, and this is my favorite of all of them.

There's tons of fresh material not to be found in his other released works, or even at his typical touring set, at least through 2010 and 2011 shows. It's slick, well-produced, and near technically flawless. And of course seeing Tim with one of the world's finest symphony orchestras is outstanding fun.

I am not sure about the Blu Ray region. I have an American PS3 (Region A), and it plays for me without any problem.

I bought this Blue Ray for my father who loves Tim Minchin, seriously I once saw him sit at his computer for 5 hours watching Tim Minchin on Youtube. This is a UK only release so I was worried it might not play on his BluRay player, but oddly enough it worked fine without any issues at all.

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I found out about Tim Minchin about 2 years ago. I very quickly became fairly obsessed. If you enjoy music and comedy with a touch of humanism, then I guarantee you will like Tim and this performance DVD.

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Not even one off note! The whole show was wonderful and hilarious. Even the obviously off-the-cuff banter with the audience was charming. So well performed and recorded that you will look forward to the next reviewing.

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I could not play it on my DVD player, I had to watch it on my computer. I was excited to show everybody on my big screen but no go!!!

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The Big Hit (1998)

I've trashed more than my fair share of big, brainless action flicks for being stupid, unbelievable, and nasty. But for some reason, either by merit of the film itself or some fluke in my taste, I like THE BIG HIT. If the former is true, here is why.

There are those of us who peruse the direct-to-video bins of action and horror movies in a desparate search of fun. THE BIG HIT, although released theatrically, is everything that you desire while looking at direct-to-video crap, but never get, and its infinitly better.

Make no mistakes: this movie is vulgar, crass, and shameless. It even crossed my line with the vomiting scene, but I managed. The film finds hit man Melvin Smiley set up to take the fall for a major screw-up by his hipster co-workers whilst dealing with being a pushover to his fiancee and girlfriend.

Maybe the fact that this film has such a plot, a plot that is relevant to the action and interesting is what makes it exciting. The characters are stimulating and provided vibrant dialogue. Through the pretty routine directing, it's Ben Ramseys script that makes the thing so fun. The action sequences are pretty by the numbers, as I've mentioned, but there are moments or rhythm and sublime carnage beneath the rest of it.

The film has a hard-hitting and pulsating score by Graeme Revell, which is also notable in its genre for its themes and concentration on doing more than making noise.

Be warned: those who do not tolerate profanity, violence, and general disregard for morals (these are hit men, after all) should not view. If you do not fall into that category, and like a bit of ultra-violence brimming with wit and style, there is a very good chance you will like this movie, and almost NO chance that you will regret seeing it.

Or like I said, it might have just been a fluke in my tastes...

I remember first seeing the previews for The Big Hit and thinking to myself, "this is going to be one terrible film." Then I actually rented it, and found myself enjoying the movie immensely. Oh, it's one silly action film, but it's fun usually for all the right reasons, so that's why I'm recommending it. And this says a lot, believe me, because I find 3/4's of the movie's cast utterly revolting (Antonio Sabato, Jr., Christina Applegate, Bokeem Woodbine, Lela Rochon, and Elliot Gould all in the same movie, and I still somehow enjoyed it).

Mark Wahlberg stars as Melvin Smiley, a hitman with a heart of gold, sort of. Outside of his dubious career, he's a relatively nice guy with an airhead fiancee (Applegate). Anyway, his hitman buddies, specifically Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips), devise a plan to kidnap Keiko Nishi (China Chow), the daughter of a super-rich Japanese businessman, not knowing the man has just went bankrupt (shown in a hilarious scene). Anyway, they have to store Keiko at Melvin's house, and he's forgotten that his fiancee and her parents are visiting for the weekend. To make matters worse, Keiko is the goddaughter of the hitmen's boss, Paris (Avery Brooks), who's looking to crack down on the guys who kidnapped her.

The Big Hit desires to work as an action and comedy, and succeeds quite well at both. The shootouts are pure Hong Kong-style (no surprise, it's directed by Kirk Wong), outrageous but cool to watch. The fight scenes are kinetic and well-choreographed, with the performers displaying some nice, agile moves without really going into all-out martial arts (by this, I'm referring to the final fight in the video store). None of the action is superspectacular or completely memorable, but it's all exciting and lots of fun, which is what it should be.

Director Kirk Wong also shows a capbable hand at humor. For once, the majority of the film's jokes actually work. Even a long-running gag involving Melvin and his overdue rental of King Kong Lives pays off in the end. A lot of people are going to find this humor stupid, but for me, it was stupid and funny. Some of these jokes probably wouldn't naturally be funny, but the cast (particularly Lou Diamond Phillips) pulls them off with a great sense of comic timing. Hell, I even laughed during that obvious "tracebuster" joke.

As I said before, most of the cast members are those I generally try to avoid when I watch movies and they're terrible here, but they're offset by the film's leads, thankfully. Mark Wahlberg is not a great actor by any stretch of the imagination, but he's likeable and perfect for this part. The lovely China Chow is a spirited foil for Wahlberg, she's smart, funny, and sassy, and also the film's most genuinely likeable character. Naturally, the film progresses by developing some romantic chemistry between her and Wahlberg, and to my surprise, those scenes actually work.

Stealing virtually the whole film is Lou Diamond Phillips (who I've always liked), who's hilarious as the two-timing hitman Cisco. Off the top of my head, I believe this is his only comic performance to date, and he's so good at it, I wish he'd delve into the genre more often. The always solid Avery Brooks has a few throwaway scenes, but it's always nice to see him in a role outside of Deep Space Nine. All in all, The Big Hit was a good time, never truly excellent as an action/comedy (it needs more even plotting and less superfluous characters) but just enjoyable enough, and that was good enough for me.

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I wasn't going to add a review to this site, but after seeing all the negative reviews I had to. This is one of my favourite films, because it's enjoyable. Sure, there are funnier movies, movies with more action, better acting, a better plot and all the other things that people like. But this film is good at what it does, and that is bringing everything together. Rather than being the best film at one of these categories, it is good at all of them. And it's FUN!! Lou Diamond Phillips kicks arse in this movie... and there are some killer lines in there too ("Bust some caps?!? Give this man a gold star!!"). The soundtrack works well, the camera work is top notch, and all around this is very well produced. It seems there are a lot of people out there that think a film can only be good if it has a message, or Harrison Ford. Well here's an ideaget out there and make a movie yourself... let's see what kind of message you can offer the world. In the meantime, respect this film for what it isextreme entertainment. And for that guy who said that all the people that hate this film are from Australia, I'm an Aussie.

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I love this movie! Its definitely one of my favorites, and I have the tendency to watch it twice in a row! Mark Wahlberg is such a hot, sweet lil badboy and with that innocent soft voice and smile he always gives me the tingles. Love the action scenes and the sense of humor is so cheesy its just hilarious. The romantic scenes with Mark and his many girls keep me coming back for more and more. For the girls, there is a great locker room scene with the guys' naked butts---yummy!

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This is again one of those movies you must not take too seriously. If you do, you will be spending that 100 or so minutes sitting and wondering why are you watching this...

Plot in a sentence: four contract killers go moonlightning and accidentally kidnap their boss' god-daughter and mayhem follows...

Don't miss this gem! There are so many in-movie jokes, parodical remarks, sexy booty and great-off-the-wall action you have to see it twice to catch them all...

Favourite line: "You can't handle the truth!" (not a mistake!)

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The Quiet Man (60th Anniversary Special Edition) (1952)

*****5 stars for the film

Haunted by an incident that happened in the ring, American boxer Sean Thornton (John Wayne) returns to his Irish birthplace, seeking only his roots and a quiet, peaceful life.

He soon falls in love with the beautiful, tempestuous Mary Kate (Maureen O'Hara). She is equally taken with him, but won't marry without the consent of her stubborn, blustering brother, Will (Victor McLaglen), who disapproves the match.

With the help of a well-intentioned scheme arranged by their friends, Mary Kate gets her brother's permission and Sean and she wed. Relationships spoil soon after, however, when Will refuses to pay the rightful dowry. Sean doesn't care, but Mary Kate is outraged and wants Sean to have it out with Will.

Time and again Sean backs down determined not to use his fists his inner tension building the whole while. But eventually he will have to decide between losing his wife's love and respect and facing his greatest fear.

This was an important and personal project for John Ford (whose real name was Sean O'Feeney). That his heart and those of his cast members were in what they were doing shows through. The fact that much of the film was shot on location in Ireland (on location shoots were somewhat unusual at the time) also adds an authentic flavor.

Barry Fitzgerald was at his comedic best here, and Ward Bond's performance as a priest has several simply unforgettable moments.

The Quiet Man is a charming classic and among Ford's best (in fact, it won him an Oscar for Best Director). It's funny, romantic, and always entertaining. It also features an exuberant score (courtesy of Victor Young) and one of the longest and most memorable knock-down, drag-out fights ever committed to film.

-DVD-

Two different editions of this DVD have been released with almost

identical packaging. Be careful which one you buy! (I wish I'd known this).

"John Wayne Collection" edition (*1 star)

This is the one I bought (ISBN 0-7820-1057-1, ASIN: B00000I1KV). It has "John Wayne Collection" printed on a green band at the top. Its special features include "The Making of the Quiet Man" documentary & the theatrical trailer. DON'T BUY THIS VERSION, PLEASE. The sound is decent, but the picture is absolutely terrible: blurry and full of splotches, almost unwatchable.

"Collector's Edition"

Apparently, the sound and picture quality are okay on the "Collector's Edition" DVD (ASIN: B00006JMRD), whose special features include Commentary by Maureen O'Hara, the theatrical trailer, "The Joy of Ireland" documentary with Maureen O'Hara, "Remembering The Quiet Man" Montage, and "The Making of The Quiet Man."

I will not, as some feel necessary, go over the story/characters/performances of this film. Suffice to say, this is one the most enjoyable films ever made, blarney or not.

Rather, what I would like to briefly comment on is the utterly pathetic transfer of this classic film to DVD. It states quite clearly on the back of the cover that this film has been digitally remastered. I took that to mean both video and audio. WRONG. The picture quality of this DVD is shocking, one of the worst I have ever seen. Believe me when I say this -the VHS version I purchased in 1991 has a better video clarity than this. At times it's actually difficult to make out the actors features. The company behind this, ARTISAN I believe they are called, should be ashamed. I have a copy of the recently released and remastered CASABLANCA DVD. That film was made in 1942, yet it looks as if it was just made, such is the sharpness of the video. The Quiet Man deserved the same treatment, but didn't get it. Shame on ARTISAN.

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i hate giving a classic a 1 star rating. the movie is nothing less than 5. but the dvd transfer is pathetic. i've seen better 2nd generation VHS to DVD transfers than this. what was the distributor thinking when they allowed this to be distributed to the public?? did they even bother to review the final product before its release? there's no excuse for this with todays movie restoration technology. hopefully we will see this movie re-released by a company who cares about art.

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I also remember seeing this movie as a kid. Actually, it was featured in my high school English class for something or other. As I recall it, this was a must see film for everyone I knew.

I am now spoiled. I use a high-definition projector and a 10 foot screen. Most recent, and some old DVD's look wonderful on it. For the most part, the experience is like going to a movie theater, no lines, great sharpness. Even old black and whites look wonderful on this system.

I obtained the first transfer by Artisan and was shocked by the grotesque and constantly changing colors, and also the gross color fringing. Most dark areas had a strong purple hew to them. Color intensity was gross, greens bloomed out of the picture. Sharpness was very poor.

The added featurettes were little better. My over all impression was that this was some sort of amateur video company run by incompetants with anciend junk equipment. However, it appears that Artisan actually has money enough to get the rights to a great deal of John Wayne material.

I then obtained the "Collector's Edition." Some contributers have claimed it was much better than the first release. It is identical! This is the worst transfer of a Technicolor movie that I have ever seen. Also, the newly made featurettes are horrible looking. STAY AWAY FROM THIS MESS!

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What a travesty of a DVD transfer!?!?

Here I am expecting to watch a lush restoration of one of the great films from one of the greatest American Filmmakers (had I read the reviews I would have thought twice of buying it for sure!) and I get a shoddy transfer probably done straight from video. These imbeciles at Artisan oughtta be fired, tarred and feathered!

Collector's edition my eye! "Pappy" & "Duke" must be doin' backflips in their graves! Even with this major imperfection, it is still a great story and a pleasure to see a great filmmaker at the height of his powers. Still I hope one day that someone gives us a DVD worth the material.

Damn shame.

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