The Devil and Daniel Webster (DVD) @ discount dvd online store
The Devil and Daniel Webster (DVD)
William Dieterle adapts Stephen Vincent Benet`s transformation of the Faust legend from the tale of an aging genius to that of struggling New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone, played by James Craig. When Stone absently exclaims that he would sell his soul for a little money and a decent crop, up pops the Mephistophelean Mr. Scratch (Walter Huston). Thinking the whole thing a joke, Stone takes Scratch up on his offer of seven years of prosperity in return for his soul. As Stone`s fortunes change and his coffers swell, so does his character. He mutates into a hard, avaricious tyrant, nearly enslaving as tenant famers the neigbors who had been his friends. Ignoring his kind and patient wife, Mary (Anne Shirley), he takes a mistress, Belle (Simone Simon), builds her a mansion, and even allows her to raise his son. When Scratch comes to collect his debt, the terrified Stone realizes his error and begs legendary New Hampshire lawyer and politician Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) for help. THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER is a nearly perfect film, very well acted and directed, with an exceptional performance by Huston. Even better are the Oscar-winning score by Bernard Herrmann and the gorgeous black-and-white photography of Joseph August.NR"
Director: William Dieterle
ACTORS: Walter Huston, Edward Arnold, Anne Shirley, James Craig, Simone Simon
Street Smart (DVD)
Jerry Schatzbergs STREET SMART is a multi-layered story dealing with the politics of city life--on the streets, and in the office. Caught unprepared with a deadline he can`t miss, moral-free Manhattan journalist Jonathan Fisher (Christopher Reeve) completely fabricates an article about Tyrone, a successful pimp. The story becomes a sensation, and Jonathan is turned into a media star. But Jonathan`s mendacity comes back to haunt him when a shrewd, vicious pimp named Fast Black (Morgan Freeman) wants to meet him, for Tyrone`s tale resembles his own life a little too closely. Causing even greater trouble is the D.A.`s office, who wants to see Jonathan`s notes (which don`t exist), for evidence that could convict Fast Black of murder. As a result, Jonathan finds himself caught in a vicious cycle of lies that could easily end his career--and maybe his life. As the film gains momentum, it splits into two stories: first, Reeves transition into a highly popular television reporter; and second, Fast Blacks relationship with Punchy (Kathy Baker), a veteran hooker who hasnt become completely hardened. These heated street scenes provide STREET SMART with its greatest energy, which is due in large part to the electrifying performances of Baker and Freeman (who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar).R"
Director: Jerry Schatzberg
ACTORS: Christopher Reeve, Morgan Freeman, Mimi Rogers, Kathy Baker, Jay Patterson
Barbra Streisand 4-Pack (DVD) Four Disc Set Icon Barbra Streisand is the (soft) focus of this collection of films showcasing her talents as a leading lady. Films included are WHAT`S UP, DOC; NUTS; THE MAIN EVENT; and UP THE SANDBOX. Please see individual titles for...
Icon Barbra Streisand is the (soft) focus of this collection of films showcasing her talents as a leading lady. Films included are WHAT`S UP, DOC; NUTS; THE MAIN EVENT; and UP THE SANDBOX. Please see individual titles for further details.
PG-13"
Director: Howard Zieff|Peter Bogdanovich|Martin Ritt|Irvin Kershner
ACTORS: Barbra Streisand
Don`t Say a Word (DVD) Spanish Dubbed When psychiatrist Nathan Conrad discovers that his daughter has been kidnapped, the only way he can get her back is to pry critical information from the mind of a seriously disturbed teenager with a secret stuck deep in ...
When psychiatrist Nathan Conrad discovers that his daughter has been kidnapped, the only way he can get her back is to pry critical information from the mind of a seriously disturbed teenager with a secret stuck deep in a blocked memory. The Conrads are the prototypical happy family: Nathan, a successful doctor (Michael Douglas); his loving wife, Aggie (Famke Janssen), who is bedridden with a broken leg suffered in a skiing accident; and eight-year-old Jessie (Skye McCole Bartusiak), an extemely intelligent and well-loved young girl. But late one night Jessie is abducted and used as collateral for a dangerous group of men who will stop at nothing to recover a stolen ten-million-dollar jewel.
Gary Fleder (KISS THE GIRLS) has crafted an excellent thriller shot on the streets of New York City, getting help from a fine supporting cast, including Oliver Platt as one of Dr. Conrad`s medical colleagues, Jennifer Esposito as a cop out to get to the bottom of a series of unexplained murders, and Sean Bean as a violent criminal who will kill anyone who gets in his way. But this is Douglas`s movie, starring as a loving family man and dedicated doctor who has to compromise his ethics in order to save his daughter`s life and free a teenager from a dangerous psychosis.
R"
Director: Gary Fleder
ACTORS: Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy, Famke Janssen, Oliver Platt
Saturday Night & Sunday Morning (DVD) Widescreen Set in the gray industrial town of Nottingham, Alan Sillitoe`s novel SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING, with all of its bleak realism, is successfully adapted to the screen with a powerful performance by Albert Finney in his...
Set in the gray industrial town of Nottingham, Alan Sillitoe`s novel SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING, with all of its bleak realism, is successfully adapted to the screen with a powerful performance by Albert Finney in his first starring role. Director Karel Reisz draws on his work in documentaries to give the film a sharp eye for the look and feel of northern England. Arthur Seaton (Albert Finney) is an young man trapped in a mindless factory job, intrinsically rebelling, but without any focus to his anger. He spends his Saturday nights getting drunk and his Sunday mornings fishing. His affair with a married neighbor, Brenda (Rachel Roberts), seems to please him only for its risky illicitness. Their love scenes are controversial for the palpable expression of real sexual pleasure that Roberts shows in the role of an ordinary English housewife, and because of the fact that she receives, from a handsome younger man, the sexual fulfillment that her husband can not provide.
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING, with it`s mix of contemporary alienation, a fantastic jazz score, and a realistic atmosphere, resonates with Finney`s charm and unexplainable rage at the world.
NR"
Director: Karel Reisz
ACTORS: Albert Finney, Shirley Ann Field, Rachel Roberts, Norman Rossington
