Big Parade Review

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(More customer reviews)The Big Parade is a lengthy film but, for the most part, it is lively and fast-paced. At the beginning, I thought the film was the classic tale of a naive, spoiled rich kid (played by the great John Gilbert) drawn to the battle field by the parades and glamorization of the war. It is so much more than that. The main character, Jim Apperson, acually adjusts to soldier life very well. He quickly acquires two close buddies (played by Tom O'Brien and Karl Dane), demonstrates impressive innovation and ambition (creating a shower out of a barrel) and--of course--gets a French girlfriend, Melisande (played by Renee Adoree).
The first half of the film is a bit slow at times, although the antics of O'Brien and Dane provide comedy relief that is often hilarious (especially Dane's character). It is definitely worth the wait when Jim's unit goes off to battle. Melisande desperately clings to Jimmy not to leave (symbolism that foreshadows Jim's ultimate fate). Once on the battlefield, the fighting scenes are as well-done as any I've seen on the First World War. The troops slowly move through the devastated landscape, preparing for the next sniper attack. The three buddies end up in a trench together and spit in a target to decide who will go over the top and take out a German machine gunner (the WINNER goes over the top), Jim goes after a German he has wounded in order to finish him off and then finds he is unable to when he sees that his enemy is just a young kid. When Jim realizes the horror of war, only one thing really matters: the French girl he left behind. He must find her again! The film is one of the funniest, suspense-filled, and touching films I've seen (yes, it's all those things and more). Give it a try!

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The Miracle (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)Based upon a well known stage production of the same name, this is an unusual film about a postulant nun, who has a life defining decision to make. It is a choice between a secular life and a religious one. Her decision is to have consequences for many.
The film takes place in Spain, sometime in the early nineteenth century. At the Convent of the Valley of Milaflores stands a statue of the Madonna. Legend has it that since the statue has been there, the region has been prosperous. This is the convent where seventeen year old Teresa (Carroll Baker) is a postulant nun. One day, a group of English soldiers, sent to help Spain ward off invasion by the French, come by the convent. Led by young, impossibly handsome Captain Michael Stuart (Roger Moore), who cuts a dashing figure, Teresa falls in love at first sight. He, too, is smitten by her. As luck would have it, they fall in love, and Teresa agrees to meet him in town in order to get married.
Unfortunately, timing is everything. Teresa gets into town just as the French are invading. Believing that Michael has been killed, she leaves to wander about the world, after joining a band of gypsies. In the meantime, the statue of the Madonna literally leaves her pedestal, becoming flesh and blood. No one in the convent knows that Teresa is gone, as the Madonna has taken Teresa's place and assumed her visage.
Meanwhile, Teresa becomes a famous gypsy singer and dancer, traveling around the country and having adventures. Whenever a man falls in love with her, however, the recipe is usually disaster. One day, her faith is renewed, when she gets her dearest wish. She then finds herself making a promise that causes her to find herself back at square one. It is a life defining decision. It is a miracle.
Carroll Baker is unexpectedly moving as the angst ridden young woman. She does a wonderful job with the role of Teresa, as she evolves from an innocent, wide-eyed seventeen year old to a world weary, somewhat bitter, young woman. Roger Moore is a joy to behold as the English Captain, so very handsome is he, and so in love with Teresa. The rest of the supporting cast is equally good, with a stormy, passionate performance by Katina Paxinou as La Roca, Queen of the Gypsies. Vittorio Gassman gives a fine performance as Guido, Teresa's gypsy lover, as does Gustavo Roja with his portrayal of Cordoba, the broodingly handsome and intense matador who loves Teresa. Walter Slezak adds a sly comedic touch as the Spanish gypsy, Flaco, who befriends Teresa.
The only discordant note in the film is the superimposition of Carroll Baker's visage over that of the Madonna, when the statue first becomes flesh and blood. It looks odd due to the fact that the visage is clearly superimposed in a garish yellow color that stands out like a sore thumb. I suspect that the film did not always have this garish superimposition. Other than that, the movie is an enjoyable one for those who like this genre of film. Those viewers who enjoy films such as "The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima", "Song of Bernadette", and "The Miracle of Marcelino" will, undoubtedly, enjoy this one, as well.

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During the war of 1812, a young nun leaves the convent to search for a series of romantic adventures, and during her journey the statue of the virgin Mary descends from the pedestal and takes the young nun's place until her return.

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No Time for Sergeants Review

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(More customer reviews)Hands down one of the funniest movies ever made. Add my voice to the long and growing list of those calling for this comedy masterpiece to be released on DVD. To the powers that be: We're waiting...!

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Pt 109 (1963) Review

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(More customer reviews)The movie as a whole was entertaining for it's time but not very accurate about real events that actually took place. To the reviewer from Baltimore: To understand how a craft such as this got rammed you need to understand how these boats patroled ,which by the way was always done at night and usually idiling on one engine (out of three) which at times never responded very well on quick response. Take it from a Navy veteran ,its very dark at sea at night. I for one review it as a very non-violent & entertaining film for younger and older viewers alike

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Wings (1927) (1927) Review

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(More customer reviews)Wings is a great movie and well deserved of the very first ever Academy Award for Best Picture. The problem is it hasn't been released officially in the U.S., and until such time this Korean import version will have to do. While i'm glad to have this film in my "Best Picture" collection? I should add that the picture is somewhat grainy, flickers & jumps around quite a bit, and there is no way to turn the annoying subtitles off. Subtitles on a silent movie you ask? Yes there are! As with all silent movies, there are dialogue cards that appear on the film between scenes so that you can read what the actors are saying. And this version has subtitles which repeat the dialogue word-for-word, but not at the same time as the dialogue cards, which means you have to read every word twice, the second time after the film resumes. They're quite distracting to the movie, and the main reason i'm rating this three stars.

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Singapore (1947) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great movie with romance and mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The acting by Fred MacMurray and Ava Gardner is superb, and it's one of those movies that you hardly notice is in B & W as it is so engrossing. There is a romantic Christmas scene as well. I must admit though, that I gasped when Ava's character said she was born in New York on September 11th (aak)!! Anyway, I'd recommend this movie and wish it was available on DVD.

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Mchale's Navy (1964) Review

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(More customer reviews)"McHale's Navy" was a military situation comedy that aired on ABC from 1962-1966. Basically the show was a naval version of Phil Silver's classic "Sgt. Bilko" show, where the main character is a con artist who is out to make a buck and almost always ignores regulations. This time the main character of Lt. Commander Quinton McHale was played by Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine ("Marty"), and that Oscar might well explain why this was one of the few television shows in the Sixties to get to do a theatrical film. Still, the timing of this film is strange since McHale commands a World War II P.T. boat and the commander of the most famous P.T. boat in history was assassinated in Dallas the previous November.
So, you must be asking yourself, what sort of plotline too big for the small screen did they come up with to justify a theatrical film? Well, it seems the crew of P.T. 73 bet their money on the wrong horse in a race, so now they need to raise the money to cover their loses. The result is a long string of bits where the crew tries to raise the money, involving lots of slapstick and funny dialogue. In other words, just like the television show, only 93 minutes long, so fans are going to enjoy this movie while others sit and slowly shake their heads. The result is certainly a lot better than the pathetic 1997 film version (this film gets 4 stars to ensure it is two stars better than that film) and is actually a bit better than your standard "McHale's Navy" episode.
Fans of Tim Conway should enjoy his scene stealing antics as Ensign Charles Parker, while long suffering Captain Wallace B. Binghamton (Joe Flynn), known to the boys as "Old Lead Bottom," suffers indignities at every turn because he is always a day late and several dollars short. Veteran character actor Carl Ballantine plays Lester Gruber and future televison star Gavin MacLeod is "Happy" Haines. My favorite was always Billy Sands as "Tinker" Bell, obviously because of the attendant irony.

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Anzacs (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an interesting chronicle of the ANZACs, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
This made-for-Aussie-TV production is aimed squarely at the Australian audience, who still revere the memory of the ANZACs, the troops who suffered horrendous losses at Gallipoli in WWI. The heroism of the ANZACs became legendary. In fact, they fought so bravely and with such determination that the Turkish enemy erected a monument to them.
While it is true that the film (culled from a five-part mini-series), is not riveting entertainment compared to something like "Centennial" or "War and Rememberance", it does outline the feelings, views, and politics of the day faced by the ANZAC forces.
The Australian and New Zealand viewpoints of the Great War are rarely on display, and here we have all of the various sentiments played out before us. The overall feeling (still is tangible today), is that the incompetence and arrogance of British officers, under whom the ANZAC force operated, were directly responsible for the waste of lives in pointless charges against the heavily-entrenched Turkish forces.
The mini-series is positively anti-colonial in regards to the portrayal of the British as uncaring, and more interested in saving British lives than that of the Aussies or New Zealanders.
Paul Hogan will most likely be the only familliar face for American viewers. I would recommend the Mel Gibson film "Gallipoli" for those looking for a familliar cast and a relatively big budget look. That film also has more weight to it, and is more stylized.
While "ANZACs" does come off as a bit like "light drama", or perhaps almost a glorified soap opera, if someone is interested in the topic of WWI, and the Australian and New Zealand participation in particular, the mini-series is worth a viewing. For scholars studying the events in this theater of the war, "ANZACs" is a must see to examine both the attitudes of the day, and at the time the mini-series was made.

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