Reviews

This is one of the favorite movies from my childhood. I absolutely adored it and I still do. The problem is now that I'm older, I realize what a dreadful character Kay Kendall is in this movie. Everyone goes on and on about how brilliant she is in the movie, and how sparkling she is, and what a wonderful comedienne she is. But the real problem is she's a wicked stepmother here. All she wants to do is manipulate, her stepdaughter played by Sandra Dee... into marrying one of the most obnoxious, creepy young men on the planet. She keeps trying to push them together, and seems totally blind to the fact that the guy keeps trying to force himself on her. This is what a stepmother does? Not just her, but everybody else seems totally blind to this crap. At the end she's real sorry about all her manipulations and she sobs and sobs apologetically and her husband comforts her and alls well. But the truth is I despise her in this movie. I don't know why my reaction is so absolutely one of revulsion. But she's really a horrible character here. That aside, what a fun movie! Angela Lansbury is playing her usual, crafty manipulative matronly self, even though she's very very young here. (she was constantly being cast as way older than her real age) Hard to believe that both she and K Kendall around 31 years old. It wasn't til sometime later that Angela actually was cast as likable characters. I still adore this movie. I adore the time period...the innocence and the beauty of the costumes, but I really hate the character of the stepmother here. All I wanted was for Rex Harrison to divorce her at the end. (Of course, it's wrong to apply modern sensibilities to the ethos of the 50s... but the character of David Fenner as the chinless aristocrat is played for laughs instead of the being looked down upon for attempting to force himself on another debutante in her bedroom.)

1962 was an incredibly happy year for me, and the memory of seeing this film with my entire family is a treasured one. I loved seeing the Rat Pack up on the big screen, and I loved the ending BUT-

It wasn't until I saw the film again more than fifty years later, that I realized the sting inside the ending. Sammy Davis Jr's character is now a part of the cavalry, which was his dream and that's great - however, it's the Tenth Cavalry. That's where he's being sent off to. As a young child, I never knew that was a completely segregated branch of the service. And none of the characters seem to react to this announcement. They just accept it as being the way things are.

It actually gives the ending a bittersweet quality.

I received this DVD as an unexpected gift, and was utterly charmed by its humor and warmth.

The two lead actresses are so natural and unpretentious, that you feel as if you really know them as real human beings. I watched the movie straight through, which is totally unusual for most DVDs.

At first, I felt bad for the married sister because she couldn't have her own baby, but as the film wore on, I found her spoiled and self-absorbed. I couldn't understand her lack of empathy for Reena, considering that she was doing her such an amazing favor. In the end, you had to wonder how long that marriage was going to last. Contrast to that to the potent chemistry, maturity and openness of Reena and Lisa. Lisa wasn't even biologically related to the baby, yet she loved HER partner enough to want to be a parent.

I loved this movie!

Recently released on DVD, one would think this was the actual 300 minute mini-series. I mean, these days, who would actually pay for a truncated version cut down to a "feature-length" 171 minutes? Apparently, I did. Thus, I was concerned that I'd be missing important parts of the original hit 1995 BBC version. Sadly, I shouldn't have worried. This version is a major disappointment. Obviously, the people who adapted the classic novel felt it necessary to pad even the cut version with unnecessary plot points that WEREN'T EVEN IN THE BOOK! They even try to put a subtle romance in there between the mother and the reverend. Puh-leez! Here, the codger old Earl spends half the movie being cowed and intimidated by the vulgar, phony daughter-in-law of his eldest son. She actually moves into the castle, takes over, gets our little hero kicked out of his rooms, and completely changes the story. Huh? Why? They put in this lame bit about her threatening to reveal secrets, and suddenly, the real hero is separated from his beloved grandfather in favor of the brat who looks like Dudley in "Harry Potter."

I might have forgiven it all, had the entire production not been so utterly charmless. The actor playing Lord F. is a gawky, buck-toothed nice enough kid, but he's completely unexceptional. You simply can't put a blond wig on some actor and make him cute. He just isn't convincing as the child so sweet, kind and charismatic, that he wins the heart of everyone he meets. Actors just seemed to be walking through their parts, with the exception of the supporting cast. You never believe for one moment that you were transported to the late 19th century. There was no magic. Plus, it's impossible to remove the over-large English subtitles from the screen. What a distraction.

For me, the original 1939 version had sweetness and charm. The definitive version is the Ricky Shroeder-Alec Guiness 1980 TV version. It truly transported you into that world. Even though it was shorter, it remained truer to the heart of the original story. Ricky Shroeder actually made you want to hug him, he was so wise and sweet...and charismatic. The real crime here is why that version hasn't ever been released on DVD, and was only offered briefly on video, like 5000 years ago.

Don't waste your money like I did. Hold out for the 1980 version on DVD.

I'm still giggling at the way that skyscraper just sort of, well, tipped over against another building. The most hysterical part of this movie is that even when there's a deadly, practically apocalyptic earthquake collapsing the room around you, and crushing people to death - these people are still shooting at each other! Why on earth aren't they getting the heck out of there? They must be really dedicated to their jobs. Why let a silly little thing like a deadly quake distract you? It's as if the filmmakers didn't believe a natural disaster was exciting enough without a shootout.

Or something.

Have you ever noticed that we tend to be harder on the movies that disappoint us, rather than the ones we approach with lowered expectations? That's what happened here.

First of all, I wouldn't have seen this at all if I hadn't been seduced by the deceptive PR. Promise one thing and deliver another. I thought it was kind of mean to get lure me into the theater with the promise of something more lighthearted. The worst part? I went with my parents. Yeah, thanks so much. I really want to see a movie about incest when I'm sitting with my Mom and Dad.

The characters were unappetizing and nasty. The resolution was the downer of all time. Frankly, I hate stories that seem to take a perverse pleasure in ending with the Worst Case Scenario. Truthfully, it was in its own way, an unrealistic cop-out. Why do movie makers always seem to think it's more meaningful and dramatic to kill off characters, rather than confront their conflicts in a more creative way? They ought to post labels on movies such as this...something like "WARNING: Nasty characters, Over-the-top-Greek-Tragedy-Climax! You'll leave the theater wanting to drive off the nearest pier, yourself!"

One saving grace of any film that takes place two centuries ago is that there's no product placement to annoy me.

Well, this movie was fine. It entertained me and the actors acquitted themselves well. On the other hand, the director seemed to believe that the witty, sharp-edged dialog of the Jane Austen novel needed more of a modern punch, written by second-rate screenwriters. Apparently, we modern folk are incapable of understanding words put down more than 20 years ago.

The film deliberately de-glamorized the era - the country gentry apparently never brushed their hair, kept pigs in their manor houses and wore shabby, sack dresses over their stylishly anorexic figures. Who knew? Nobody said this adaptation needed to be faithful to the book...but at the very least, offer us something original in exchange.

The oddest thing, however, was that tacked-on American ending. My gosh...I thought I was watching the final scene from the movie "Sixteen Candles," that old Molly Ringwald teen classic. In fact, it was so visually similar, I half-expected Lizzie Bennet to thank Darcy for getting her panties back.

Seriously. I'm not kidding!

I thought the cast was terrific...but I kept getting the impression that the story was being padded for time. Like they weren't sure when and how to finally end it.

Characters were introduced, then discarded without explanation.

The most unnecessarily confusing bit involved the group visiting billionaire Benirall's offices at the end of the movie. Instead of seeing Eric Benerall, they are dismissed rudely by his brother Winston...as Eric Benirall's assistant looks on, enigmatically.

It is never explained why Eric (Sam Neill) who has spent the series as a crucial main character and tortured personality, is not to be disturbed. (Um, maybe I missed something) And it would have, at least, made a satisfying resolution.

What made it so confusing is, after all that, the characters are given their $5 mill paychecks, anyway. Big deal. What was the point of the scene then? Just to throw in another silly, distracting plot twist?

The special effects were terrific...but it's so cute the way so many people actually believe it's TRUE 'cause it happens in a movie! Sorry, but I don't feel guilty about driving a car, eating meat and living in a wooden house. It's all America's fault, didn't you know? It's all happened in the past four years! The preachy quality of this film was beyond irritating, and the science was lame. Sure, there's global warming...but cycles of the earth have been happening for millions of years. Ice Ages are the rule, not the exception. But taken on its own terms, this movie worked as an event, but not as true drama. There are so many quietly heroic and worthy souls (and should I add,interesting?) in this world, and they picked the most bor-ing! And the people who mention Canada and Australia and South America, etc. were right. No,we've got to pick a handful of the stupidest people on the planet. The girl was a freaking moron. She's about to be washed away by a New York tidal wave, but hey! Let me get that lady's purse out of the taxicab! Ooh, wait! We need yapping wolves! We need astronauts in orbit to look down on the planet and marvel about how clear it is now! Sure, 'cause like, their families are probably dead, but never mind! Earth is lookin' good! Ah, well. The hailstones were cool, though.