The Joan Collins Superstar Collection (The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing / Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys / The Sea Wife / Seven Thieves / Stopover Tokyo) (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Joan Collins Collection bundles together five of the better movies that Joan Collins starred in, from her early days as a contract player with Twentieth Century Fox. Each film is handsomley packed in it's own "slim case" with lobbycard reproductions and bonus collector's booklet.
THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING (1955). In a role originally meant for Marilyn Monroe, Joan Collins shines as Evelyn Nesbit, the young showgirl who became attached to the scandalous Thaw/White murder trial. Co-starring Farley Granger and Ray Milland.
RALLY 'ROUND THE FLAG BOYS! (1958). Once again, Joan fills a role that was originally intended for another resident studio bombshell, Jayne Mansfield. This briskly-paced romantic comedy stars Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman as a feuding married couple with Collins as the sexpot neighbour.
SEA WIFE (1957). In this evocative melodrama, Collins plays a nun caught up in a terrifying adventure at sea...and contemplating an illicit romance with Richard Burton. Very reminiscent of "Heaven Knows, Mr Allison" (with Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum).
SEVEN THIEVES (1960). Sexy and stylish heist thriller with Edward G. Robinson, Eli Wallach and Rod Steiger. Collins provides the all-important eye-candy.
STOPOVER TOKYO (1957). A tension-fueled espionage thriller with contract players Robert Wagner and Joan Collins in full flight. Some great supporting performances from Edmond O'Brien and Ken Scott.
Each DVD comes packed with informative extra features. THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING has a featurette entitled "From Ingenue to Icon" which explores Collins' career through the five movies contained in this set. STOPOVER TOKYO also has a fun clip show called "Hollywood Highlights". Scene-specific audio commentary is provided for each movie by Aubrey Solomon.
A great value box set, perfect for classic movie collectors and fans of the magical Miss Joan!

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Disc 1: **Girl in the Red Velvet Swing '55 Feature **Audio Commentary with Film Noir Historian TBD **Meet Mary Anderson **Noir Poster Art **Still Gallery **Interactive Pressbook Gallery **Theatrical Trailer**Fox Noir: *Daisy Kenyon *Black Widow *Fourteen Hours *House of StrangersDisc 2: **Rally 'Round the Flag Boys '58 Feature **Restoration Comparison **Theatrical Trailer **Still GalleryDisc 3: **Sea Wife '57 Feature **Restoration Comparison **Theatrical Trailer **Still GalleryDisc 4: **Seven Thieves Feature **Restoration Comparison **Theatrical Trailer **Still GalleryDisc 5: **Stopover Tokyo '57 Feature **Restoration Comparison **Theatrical Trailer **Still Gallery

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From the Terrace (1960) Review

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(More customer reviews)A view FROM THE TERRACE is what Paul Newman's character David Alfred Eaton has of his future wife Mary (JoAnne Woodward). The screen play was based on a best-selling novel of the same name by John O'Hara. Given it was released in the 1950s when sex on the screen was verboten and not much more explicit in novels (ban a book in Boston), one must appreciate the work it took for Newman and Woodward to give these performances.
Like many other teenagers of my generation, I was "in love" with Paul Newman. Newman could make female hearts flutter by simply looking at the camera with his big blue eyes. Many other teens preferred Marlon Brando, his peer and rival for female affection. I believe these two actors were the Leonardo de Caprio and Brad Pitt of their day, although in the long run, Newman (like de Caprio) has had more staying power and gracefully made the transition to mature roles.
In the 1950s, to see a film one had to attend a theater, where the screen was usually covered with a huge velvet curtain. FTT played at the Center theater in my small town, and I saw the film six times after it was released. I was able to get into the theater for a quarter, and as my allowance was $3, this was no small sacrifice. So, you might say this film was one of my all time favorites.
Watching it again almost 50 years later, I wondered how I would react, and of course the passage of time and arrival of many other actors and vast changes in filmmaking have affected the way I view the film and Newman, but I still like him enormously, and this film holds it's own, though the storyline may seem archaic.
This film is about infidelity and divorce and the price of success, a story line that may be lost on generations raised in an age of no-fault divorces and dual earner households. Once upon a time, divorce and infidelity were considered absolutely scandalous, and financially disastrous. In fact, if you divorced, your life was ruined. Many couples stayed together and suffered the ignominy of a cheating spouse. FTT was a ground-breaking film because it tackled these issues head-on.
The DVD version of the film is well done, and the price reasonable (technicolor and cinemascope production). Do your self a favorite, buy this DVD and add it to the shelf where you keep CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF and other 50's favorites.

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Paul Newman portrays a young man whose struggle for success threatens his personal happiness, in this well-scripted screen version of John O'Hara's best-selling novel.Having never known his father's love or respect, Alfred Eaton (Newman) sets out to prove himself in the business world.Marrying the "right" woman (Joanne Woodward), he works unceasingly, but is ultimately confronted with crises and choices that force him to rethink his priorities.Co-starring Myrna Loy as Alfred's alcoholic mother, Leon Ames as his embittered father, and Ina Balin as the woman who might bring him genuine happiness, From The Terrace is an absorbing tale of ambition, power and love fueled by sharp dialogue, complex characterizations and keen insight into the human heart.

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