Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) * * *

Renowned lawman Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) and consumptive Dr. John "Doc" Holliday (Kirk Douglas) become reluctant allies despite a mutual dislike for each other. Wyatt is a U.S. marshal, whereas Doc is a gambler, shootist, and trouble maker. Holliday is a skeptical about lawmen, and Wyatt, while skeptical about gamblers, can't help but like the ex-dentist. Most versions of this true story start with Wyatt Earp riding into Tombstone and planning to hang up his guns for a prosperous civilian life, but this one features a succession of little frontier towns introduced by a somber common thread--Boot Hill. While the rapid turnover of locations is never confusing, it shows that Holliday keeps wearing out his welcome, and also introduces the other side of the lawman's coin, the aging, weakened Sheriff Cotton Wilson (Frank Faylen).

In the small Texas town of Fort Griffin, Wyatt questions Holliday about Ike Clanton (Lyle Bettger) and Johnny Ringo's (John Ireland) whereabouts. Holliday refuses to tell the lawman where the outlaws went since he carries a grudge against the Wyatt family because Wyatt's brother Morgan (DeForest Kelly) once threw Holliday out of Deadwood and impounded $10,000 of his gambling winnings. Despite a law against carrying guns in town limits, Ed Bailey (Lee Van Cleef) has a small derringer concealed in his boot. Ed wants revenge for Doc Holliday killing his brother in a fair fight. Holliday has his back to the bar but is watching Bailey in the mirror. Wyatt had earlier tipped Holliday off to the derringer in an argument that set up the relationship between the two lead characters. Bailey stands up with the derringer in his hand, but Holliday whirls around, produces a knife from his collar, and skewers Bailey. Cotton Wilson, the town's cowardly marshal, released outlaws Ike Clanton and Johnny Ringo from custody three days earlier, despite the outstanding warrants for their arrest. He arrests Holliday and incarcerates him in his hotel room under guard. Wyatt pistol whips the guard and helps Holliday escape just before the lynch mob gets to the hotel. From this beginning the two men begin a friendship that ripens to a point where either man is willing to risk his life for the other.

Holliday: I'm a gambler. Money's just a tool of my trade.
Wyatt Earp: Of course, you will guarantee you won't lose.
Holliday: I never lose. You see, poker's played by desperate men who cherish money. I don't lose because I have nothing to lose, including my life.
Wyatt Earp: Look, Holliday, as long as I'm the law here, not one of those cowpokes is going to cross that deadline with a gun. I don't care if his name is Shanghai Pierce.
Holliday: Well spoken. I'll repeat those words at your funeral.
Wyatt Earp: We'd like you to come to the wedding, Doc--if it doesn't interfere with your poker.
Holliday: I'm not good at weddings--only funerals. Deal me out. If I'm going to die, at least let me die with the only friend I've ever had!
Wyatt Earp: Raise your right hand. Do you... oh, forget it come on.
Holliday: Don't I get a badge?
Wyatt Earp: Not on your life!

The action shifts to Dodge City, Kansas, where Wyatt is marshal and is told by his deputy, Charles "Charlie" Bassett (Earl Holliman), that Holliday and Kate Fisher (Jo Van Fleet) have arrived in town. Holiday, not grateful for the good turn, shows up right in the middle of all kinds of trouble, this time mostly on Wyatt's side. Wyatt orders the gunfighter to leave, but when Holliday informs him that he is penniless, the lawman allows him to stay if he promises not to cause any trouble. His attention is then drawn to another new arrival in Dodge City, the beautiful Laura Denbow (Rhonda Fleming). After being told by Wyatt that female gamblers are not allowed within the city limits, Laura is arrested for "disturbing the peace" after a drunken cowboy attempts to come to her defense. Under pressure from Holliday and Bassett, Wyatt has a change of heart and releases Laura, on the condition that she confine her gambling to the saloons' side rooms. Later, Wyatt is forced to deputize Holliday when a local bank is robbed and its cashier killed, as all his deputies are out on a posse with Bat Masterson (Kenneth Tobey). Wyatt leaves town with Laura, enabling cattleman Shanghai Pierce (Ted de Corsia) to ride into Dodge City with his cowboys and shoot up the town. When Bassett tries to arrest Pierce, Johnny Ringo shoots him. Wyatt then returns to town just as Pierce and his men are breaking up a church bazaar. Outgunned, Wyatt is saved when a well-armed Holliday appears from a back room, and Pierce and his men are quickly arrested.

Kate Fisher: What difference does it make to you where I go or who I take up with?
Holliday: Shut up! (throwing her dress on the floor) Get your things together. You're leaving!
Johnny Ringo: (entering from the bedroom) She's staying here!
Holliday: Keep out of this, Ringo!
Johnny Ringo: You got no right to come bustin' in here!
Holliday: I'm talking to Kate. Take a walk!
Kate Fisher: Anything you got to say you can say in front of him.
Holliday: You slut!
Johnny Ringo: Wait a minute, Holliday. You don't talk to my woman like that!
Holliday: Your woman? Anybody's woman!

Wyatt Earp tells Doc Holliday that he is giving up the law and moving to California with Laura, despite being offered the post of U.S. Marshal. Wyatt wants to retire, join his brothers in Tombstone, and gets ready to settle down with Laura. At that exact moment a telegram from brother Virgil Earp (John Hudson) arrives. He is in trouble and needs help immediately. Virgil is the town marshal of Tombstone, in the Arizona Territory. Wyatt immediately gets his gun and horse, then sets off to meet his date with destiny, much to the chagrin of Laura Denbow. Along the trail Doc Holliday appears, just after a run of bad luck at the poker tables of Wichita. As they stop to camp for the night, Wyatt talks about the virtues of clean mountain air compared to the stinking saloons that Holliday usually inhabits. While they sleep, three villains attempt to assassinate them, but Holliday’s ready Colt makes short work of the trio. "Clean mountain air, indeed," fumes Holliday.

At Tombstone we meet the rest of the Earp clan, including Virgil, Morgan and younger brother James "Jimmy" Earp (Martin Milner). It is a real homey atmosphere, one that Wyatt and Holliday have sorely missed. Virgil tells them that Ike Clanton has rustled thousands of heads of Mexican cattle, but cannot ship them to market as long as the Earps control Tombstone's railway station. All agree that Wyatt should be in charge of the situation, though Morgan criticizes his older brother's association with Holliday. Wyatt, in turn, defends Holliday and insists that the gambler remains welcome in Tombstone as long as he stays out of trouble. But the problem of cattle rustling by the Clanton family and their gang of cowboys must be resolved. Cotton Wilson, the new county sheriff, offers Wyatt a $20,000 bribe from Ike if he allows the Clantons to ship their stolen cattle.

Cotton Wilson: There's $20,000 in it for you--cash!
Wyatt Earp: $20,000! The wages of sin are rising!
Cotton Wilson: $20,00 against a six foot hole in Boot Hill or a $20 a month pension--if you live long enough to collect it.

Ike and his men then ride into Tombstone, only to be turned away by the Earp brothers. Later, Johnny Ringo returns to town with Kate, and Holliday quickly challenges him to a duel, but is stopped by Virgil. Meanwhile, Wyatt heads out to the Clanton ranch to inform Ike that he has been made U.S. Marshal for the territory and orders the crooked cattleman to take his stolen herd back to Mexico. Unable to find any legal loopholes around Wyatt, the Clantons decide to ambush the lawman while he makes his rounds that night, but they mistakenly kill James instead. While questioning Kate about James' murder, Holliday collapses from an attack of tuberculosis. That night, Billy (Dennis Hopper), the youngest Clanton, is sent into town to challenge the Earps to a family duel. The Earps decide to settle it the only way the Clantons will understand. The three brothers set off on an October morning at sunrise. As Wyatt gets his shotgun, Doc Holliday appears at his door, willing to come along. This is a good thing because the odds are now only 6 to 4 in the Clanton's favor.

Billy Clanton: I don't know why I get into gunfights. I guess sometimes I just get lonely.
Holliday: (after shooting a few antagonists) Anybody else want to try their luck?
Wyatt Earp: (herding the arrested cowboys to jail) Get moving! Keep moving, all of ya!
Johnny Ringo: (holding his wounded arm) All right, Doc. (In a threatening tone) We ain't finished yet!
Holliday: You would have been, but I felt in a charitable mood tonight.
Wyatt Earp: (to Billy Clanton) You think you're pretty tough, don't ya, son? I never knew a gunslinger yet so tough he lived to celebrate his 35th birthday. I learned one rule about gunslingers. There's always a man faster on the draw than you are, and the more you use a gun, the sooner you're gonna run into that man.

The Clantons are already at the Corral, hiding behind a wagon, when the Earps and Holliday arrive. The Earps scatter and hit the dirt. Wyatt finally gets to confront the Clanton/McLowery outlaw gang led by Ike Clanton. The gunfight consists of fire and maneuver with the Earps winning even though they are out-numbered. Since the time-span of the actual gunfight is at most 90 seconds, the bulk of the film concerns the tensions across many months leading up to the famous battle. The gun battle begins, and Morgan is quickly wounded. Holliday shoots and kills Finn (Lee Roberts). His death is quickly followed by that of the two McLowerys. After Virgil is wounded, Wyatt kills Ike with a shotgun blast. Though wounded by Billy, Holliday follows Johnny Ringo into a barn and kills him, while Wyatt chases after the youngest Clanton. Billy is then offered a chance to surrender, but he refuses and is killed by Holliday when Wyatt hesitates to shoot the young man. Afterward, while his brothers tend to their wounds, Wyatt joins Holliday for a final drink before heading off to California and a waiting Laura.

Of the many filmed versions of the real shootout that took place on October 26, 1881 at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL is the best, most elaborate and star-studded, the greatest Hollywood tribute to the legendary gunfight. This character driven Western that looks deeply into the relationship of Earp and Holiday is considered to be one the greatest Westerns ever made. It's a landmark movie that authentically depicts the famous showdown between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday and the Clanton Gang, while exploring the friendship between the rugged marshal and the dentist turned gunfighter. The film is mainly a build-up to a showdown which comes in blazing fury at the end, and was released on May 30, 1957.

GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL is the best interpretation of the legendary battle for several reasons. The casting of Burt Lancaster as the stern, upright Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as the colorful, rum-soaked Doc Holliday was inspired, and the power of the leading actors’ performances overshadows that of later versions. Secondary roles are played by competent actors like Earl Holliman, John Ireland, Jo Van Fleet, Jack Elam, Rhonda Fleming, DeForest Kelly, and Dennis Hopper. The story is accurate as far as the reasons why the two sides squared off, and the dialogue is witty, well-written and does not use euphemisms and profanity to get its point across. Sets are more accurate than those in other interpretations, and the geographic location looks like Tombstone. Cinematography and direction are very good with interesting camera angles, deep blue skies, parched yellow fields, cactus, mountainous backdrop, gunfights, romance, tension, and saloon bars. It's a big colorful picture in VistaVision. The weapons sequences are better than other interpretations: six shooters shoot six times, shotguns fire twice, and recoil is evident from the shooting.

And there is Dimitri Tiomkin's music score, pushing the movie's momentum as relentlessly as the two driven heroes, complete with a theme song underscoring the major transitions of scenes that is impossible to forget. Even though the Frankie Laine song sounds a little dated, it is typical of the era, a very haunting tune that pulls things together. Director John Sturges always regarded GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL as a Hal B. Wallis film for which he was just a hired hand without a lot of control. The script wasn't his and the project wasn't his, but he did his job very well, pulling out two of the more complex performances ever given by Burt Lancaster or Kirk Douglas. Sturges produced and directed a more fact-based and realistic version of the story--focusing mostly on its aftermath--a decade later in HOUR OF THE GUN (1967), starring James Garner, Jason Robards, Jr., and Robert Ryan. Produced by his own production company, it is more accurate in its historical portrayals, but less dramatic, romantic, accessible, attractive and successful. After GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL, there would not be so impressive a lineup of talent at the OK Corral again until the twin Wyatt Earp biopics of 1994, WYATT EARP and TOMBSTONE.

The action inevitably leads to the legendary battle between the two heroes and the villainous Clanton gang, but the film is also very much about the conflicts each man faces with women, with one another, and with their own destinies. Lancaster is terrific as the downbeat Earp, and Douglas has one of his best roles as Holliday. The thoughtfulness of the tale is matched by Sturges' captivating way with the dramatic duel. Basically the film appeals both as a solid action piece and as a fascinating two-character study.

The cast also includes: Whit Bissell (John P. Clum, "Tombstone Epitaph" Editor), George Mathews (John Shanssey, Griffin Saloonkeeper), Joan Camden (Betty Earp, Virgil's Wife), Olive Carey (Mrs. Clanton), Brian G. Hutton (Rick), Nelson Leigh (Dodge City Mayor Kelly), Jack Elam (Tom McLowery), Don Castle (Drunk Cowboy in Longbranch Saloon), Dorothy Abbott (Girl), Tom Arnold (Barrel-Rolling Boy), William Bailey, John Benson, Frank Carter, Roger Creed, James Davies, Franklyn Farnum, Joseph Forte, Paul Gary, Frank Hagney, Len Hendry, Charles Herbert, Edward Ingram, Anthony Jochim, Kenner G. Kemp, Ethan Laidlaw, Morgan Lane, Gregg Martell, John Maxwell, William Meigs, Harry B. Mendoza, Walter Merrill, Dennis Moore, Max Power, Richard Reeves, Lee Roberts, Bing Russell, Court Shepard, Mickey Simpson, Bert Stevens, Glenn Strange, Robert Swan, Arthur Tovey, and Trude Wyler. Dimitri Tiomkin composed the original music. The screenplay is by novelist Leon Uris from a magazine story by George Scullin. John Sturges directed.

Sometimes you can't help but notice crotch bulge shots, and this film is tied with AUNTIE MAME (1958) as the best and most famous example. Both Forrest Tucker in AUNTIE MAME and John Ireland in GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL are equal to their horses in the endowment department. In GUNFIGHT, there are two scenes where Ireland's bulge is obscenely visible: in the hotel room with Kirk Douglas and in the saloon fight half way through the movie. Like Tucker, Ireland loved showing off his huge bulge in movies and always "freeballed", that is he did not wear underwear. And look out for STAR TREK favorite DeForest Kelly as Wyatt's brother Morgan Earp. Ten years later, as Doctor McCoy, he and others from a USS Enterprise landing crew enter Melkotian space and are transformed into Clantons who face the Earps in episode 60 of STAR TREK titled "Spectre of the Gun".

The DVD has an excellent picture with a scope of 2.35:1 Enhanced, and sound is mono. There are no extras, not even a trailer.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) * * *

In 1866 Professor Pierre M. Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and his apprentice Conseil (Peter Lorre) are on their way to Saigon but get stuck in San Francisco by the halting of ships. Rumours of a sea monster attacking ships in the Pacific Ocean have created apprehension and fear among sailors, disrupting shipping. The U.S. Government invites Prof. Aronnax to an expedition to either prove or disprove the monster's existence. One of their fellow crew mates is the cocky master harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas). After months of searching, the monster strikes, ramming their frigate. Ned, Aronnax, and Conseil are thrown overboard, and watch in horror as their ship, badly disabled, is unable to rescue them.

The three drift into a strange-looking metal vessel, and realize the "monster" is a man-made "submerging boat", that seems to have been deserted. It's a fully functional submarine capable of ramming ships and sending them to the ocean floor. Inside, Aronnax goes down into the Salon, where he finds a large viewing window and sees an underwater funeral taking place. Then the submarine crew returns to their ship and capture the three castaways. The captain introduces himself as Nemo (James Mason), master of the Nautilus and a mad scientist. Wavering between genius and insanity, Nemo has launched a deadly crusade across the seven seas. He returns Ned and Conseil to the deck, but Prof. Aronnax, whom he knows from his research work, is allowed to stay. He tempts Prof. Aronnax to remain with him, but Aronnax prefers to share his companions' fate and thereby passes a test of character.

(boarding the Nautilus for the first time)
Prof. Aronnax: There is great genius behind all this.
Conseil: Yes, and great evil. Don't forget this, this is an engine of destruction.
Captain Nemo: Accept one of these cigars, professor.
Prof. Aronnax: Thank you. (he lights it) Delightful smoke. Different somehow. Havana?
Captain Nemo: Seaweed. I am not what is called a civilized man, Professor. I have done with society for reasons that seem good to me. Therefore, I do not obey its laws. Think of it. On the surface there is hunger and fear. Men still exercise unjust laws. They fight, tear one another to pieces. A mere few feet beneath the waves their reign ceases, their evil drowns. Here on the ocean floor is the only independence. Here I am free! Imagine what would happen if they controlled machines such as this submarine boat. Far better that they think there's a monster and hunt me with harpoons.

Captain Nemo: There's a fork on your left, Mr. Land. Or aren't you accustomed to utensils?
Ned Land: I'm indifferent to 'em.
Captain Nemo: Eat your pudding, Mr. Land.
Ned Land: I ain't sure it's puddin'. (Ned cautiously samples his "pudding") What is it?
Captain Nemo: It's my own recipe, sauté of unborn octopus.

After dinner that night, Nemo takes them all on an underwater expedition to gather supplies, and Ned tries to salvage a treasure chest from a sunken wreck, almost getting attacked by a shark. Later on, Nemo takes Prof. Arronax to the penal colony island of Rora Panthe. Nemo reveals he was once a prisoner himself, as was the crew of the Nautilus. At sunset, the Nautilus rams a munitions ship, killing the entire crew. When confronted by Prof. Aronnax, Nemo says his actions have just saved thousands from death in war, and also disclosing that this "hated nation" that had taken him prisoner, had killed his wife and son in an attempt to force him to reveal his atomic secrets.

Captain Nemo: I asked you to leave, Professor.
Prof. Arronax: You also asked me ashore, to show me man's inhumanity to man. Why? To justify this? You are not only a murderer, you are a hypocrite. The proof lies out there.
Captain Nemo: You call that murder? Well, I see murder, too. Not on those drowned faces out there, but on the faces of dead thousands! They are the assassins, the dealers in death. I am the avenger! Do you know the meaning of love, professor?
Prof. Aronnax: I believe I do.
Captain Nemo: What you fail to understand is the power of hate. It can fill the heart as surely as love can.
Prof. Aronnax: I'm sorry for you. That's a bitter substitute.

Meanwhile, Ned has found the co-ordinates of Nemo's secret island base, and has been putting messages in bottles, hoping somebody will pick these up and free him from captivity. Off the coast of New Guinea, the Nautilus gets stranded on a reef. When Ned and Conseil go ashore to collect specimens, they are chased back to the Nautilus by cannibals, who are repelled from the ship by electrical charges on the Nautilus.

Captain Nemo: The natives over there are cannibals. They eat liars with the same enthusiasm as they eat honest men.
Conseil: Cannibals! Hundreds of cannibals! Captain, Captain, scores of boats!
Ned Land: Captain, we're under attack!
Captain Nemo: Naturally, since you invaded their privacy, they have every right to invade ours.

A warship approaches, firing and striking the submarine. As the Nautilus breaks free of the reef, it descends into the depths, where it attracts the attentions of a giant squid. The electric charge fails to repel the monster, so Nemo and his men are forced to fight the creature on the surface. During the battle, Nemo is caught in one of the squid's tentacles, but Ned jumps to his rescue and saves his captor's life. This event causes Nemo to have a change of heart and share his brilliant scientific secrets with the world.

Captain Nemo: Mr. Land, you saved my life. Why?
Ned Land: That's a good question. Well, there's only one thing a fella can do when he's made a mistake as big as this.
Conseil: What?
Ned Land: Get drunk!

As the Nautilus nears Vulcania, Nemo finds the island is surrounded by warships, whose marines are converging on his hideout. He goes ashore to set a time bomb and destroy his discoveries, but when returning to the Nautilus he is struck by enemy fire and mortally wounded. After navigating the Nautilus out of Vulcania, Nemo announces he is "taking the Nautilus down for the last time." Loyal to Nemo to the very end, his entire crew declares that they will accompany their captain in death.

Prof. Arronax, Conseil, and Ned are taken by force to their cabins. Ned fights back, escapes to the now deserted bridge, and manages to surface the Nautilus--hitting a reef in the process which begins to rapidly flood the ship. After rescuing Prof. Aronnax and Conseil, the three escape in a lifeboat. In his final moments, Nemo staggers to the viewing window, collapses, and looks at his beloved ocean one last time before he dies.

Because they must escape quickly, Ned Land knocks Prof. Aronnax unconscious and carries him out when he tries to go back and retrieve his journal, which contains an account of the voyage. The companions witness Vulcania destroyed in an explosion, followed by a mushroom cloud. The shock from the explosion causes the Nautilus to begin sinking, and as it disappears beneath the waves forever, Nemo's last words to Aronnax echo: "There is hope for the future. And when the world is ready for a new and better life, all this will someday come to pass. In God's good time." Prof. Aronnax's diary of the voyage is lost, and when Ned apologizes for having hit him, the Professor replies "Perhaps you did mankind a service, Ned".

This entertaining Jules Verne story of adventure under the sea was Walt Disney's debut into live-action films. It is the first sci-fi film produced by Walt Disney Pictures, as well as the only science fiction film produced by Walt Disney himself. We see the future technology that Verne dreamed up in his novel, including diving equipment and sea farming. The film's physical prowess is anchored by the Nautilus, an impressive full-scale gothic submarine complete with red carpet and pipe organ. In the era of big sets, 20,000 LEAGUES set a precedent for films shot on the water and deservedly won Oscars for art direction and special effects. An inventive film and spellbinding adventure, it has great sets, good performances, and exciting action such as a giant squid attack. James Mason is the perfect Nemo, taut and private, clothed in dark fabric that counters the Technicolor ship and the red and white shirted Kirk Douglas. Paul Lukas adds another brilliantly understated performance to his memorable career and narrates some of this movie. While Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre are hardly the Ned Land and Conseil of the Verne novel, they have wonderful chemistry and give the film considerable charm. The movie works as peerless family adventure over half a century after its production. 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA is a mesmerizing masterpiece, very enjoyable from start to finish.

At the time of its release, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA was the single most expensive motion picture ever made. Ironically it would loose that distinction later the same year to another film featuring James Mason, A STAR IS BORN (1954). All of the money spent shows onscreen. Many of Disney's live-action films are fondly remembered, but few have had enduring fame or claim to be art--but this film is the exception. Although the episodic nature of the story seems a little sluggish from time to time, it remains an important milestone and one of the most influential films of its decade.

The cast also includes: Robert J. Wilke (First Mate of the Nautilus), Ted de Corsia (Capt. Farragut), Carleton Young (John Howard), J.M. Kerrigan (Old Billy), Percy Helton (Coach Driver), Ted Cooper (Mate on "Lincoln"), John Daheim (Nautilus Seaman), Jack Gargan (Reporter from The Post), Harper Goff (Minister in San Francisco Steam Packet office), Fred Graham (Casey Moore), Harry Harvey (Ticket Agent), Dayton Lummis (Reporter from The Bulletin), Eddie Marr (Shipping Agent), Laurie Mitchell (One of Ned's Girlfriends), T. Monaghan (Crewman), Gloria Pall (Blonde Girlfriend), Jack Pennick (Cannon Mate Carson), Jack Stoney (Police Detective), S. Tarnell (Crewman), Herb Vigran (Reporter for the Globe) and Esmerelda the seal. Paul J. Smith is credited with composing the original music. Earl Felton wrote the screenplay from Jules Verne's novel. Richard Fleischer directed.

Earl Felton's script deviates noticeably from the original Jules Verne book by including elements of the lesser known Jules Verne book "Facing the Flag", whose main attraction is an invention of peril which Felton re-interpreted as nuclear power rather than the super nitroglycerin Verne had envisioned. Other elements borrowed from "Facing the Flag" were Ned Land's messages in bottles and Nemo's base Vulcania, inspired by Ker Karraje's pirate hideout Buttercup Island. Among the many other changes:

* Ned Land is an unwilling passenger in both versions, but only in the film is he locked up in the brig.
* In the book, Prof. Aronnax is more deliberate about joining the original expedition than in the film.
* In the book, Ned Land is described as a man of few words, but in the film he is talkative and outgoing.
* Conseil doesn't speak in the third person, as in the book.
* Esmerelda, the trained seal, was created for the film as comic relief.
* The film's main song, "A Whale of a Tale," was also created for the film. The theme was used 19 times throughout the movie by music composer Paul J. Smith as Ned's musical motif. Al Hoffman (music) and Norman Gimbel (lyrics) composed "Whale of a Tale", however, Disney didn't list the two men in the credits of the film and this has not changed for the DVD releases.
* The Nautilus in the novel is described as being streamlined and cigar-shaped, while the Nautilus of the film is shown to be massive, looking like a cross between an alligator and shark and is capable of incredible surface speed.

Film critic Steve Biodrowski wrote that the film is "Far superior to the majority of genre efforts from the period (or any period, for that matter), with production design and technical effects that have dated hardly at all." and that it "may occasionally succumb to some of the problems inherent in the source material (the episodic nature does slow the pace), but the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses, making this one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made."

In May 2003 a 2 Disc DVD was released, packed with outstanding extras. It's like like a "Criterion Collection" DVD of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA at half the cost. The movie has been beautifully restored and you won't find a better Disney classic anywhere. While labeled as a "Special Edition", this DVD doesn’t deviate in the slightest from the "Vault Disney" line of 2 Disc sets--the presentation and organization of the material and the menus are exactly the same. Both discs are held in a white alpha keepcase that is double the thickness of the standard amaray cases. A single-page chapter listing and an advertisement for MSN internet service are also kept inside. The first Disney movie made in Cinemascope widescreen, the film is represented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of about 2.55:1, and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. This is a first-rate transfer for a very old movie, in which detail and colors are sensational.

A Dolby Digital 5.1 track is very good. The audio coming from the rear speakers mainly supports what’s going on in the front channels. The sound is very rich, with good handling of higher pitches and delivering exceptional response in the bass. There are two extras on the first Disc along with the feature. The cartoon short that originally played along with the film in theaters, "Grand Canyonscope" (6:50 minutes) stars Donald Duck as he visits the famous national park. An audio commentary is provided by film historian Rudy Behlmer, who interviews director Richard Fleischer. Enlightening information on the nature of the project covers the constraints from shooting during the era of the 1950s, the complicated special effects, and the rivalry between Walt Disney and the director’s father, Max Fleischer.

Disc 2 featues bonus materials. "The Making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (87:37 minutes) is a feature-length look at the production of this landmark motion picture. Rudy Behlmer and Richard Fleischer come back from the audio commentary, next to actor Kirk Douglas, Roy E. Disney, photographic effects man Bob Broughton, matte painter Peter Ellenshaw, Senior Vice President of the Creative Department John Hench, stuntmen Al Hansen and Bill Stropahl, set decorator Emile Kuri’s son John Kuri, photographic techniques developer Ub Iwerks’ daughter Leslie Iwerks, collector of movie memorabilia Bob Burns, and sci-fi illustrator Vincent Di Fate. This documentary is truly an in-depth overview, discussing details on the script, the actors, the sets, the shoot, and the final release. Archival footage is always presented alongside corresponding topics. This is the most comprehensive making-of on any of the Vault Disney DVDs.

"Jules Verne and Walt Disney: Explorers of the Imagination" (16:09 minutes) brings Rudy Behlmer, Vincent Di Fate, and Bob Burns back from the previous documentary, and further insights are given from sci-fi writers Samuel R. Delany and Gregory Benford, University of California Professor George A. Slusser, and collector & editor Forrest J. Ackerman. "The Humboldt Squid: A Real Sea Monster" (7:07 minutes) takes a real-life look at the monster that attacks the Nautilus. Filmmaker Scott Cassell provides facts about the giant sea creature, and goes on to show real footage of the animal from the bottom of the sea. Cassell comments on how being amidst these creatures can be quite frightening. "Lost Treasures: The Sunset Squid" (3:16 minutes) was long thought to be destroyed. After a scrolling text puts it into context, black-and-white behind-the-scenes footage of the original version of the squid attack scene is revealed. It is set at sunset, as the title says, making the squid appear less believable than the final nighttime version.

The "Galleries" section is divided into many more sub-sections. Each gallery is a marathon of flipping through full-screen stills, instead of the thumbnail presentation found on other Disney DVDs that I prefer. "Production Stills" (422 stills) has photos of the cast and crew hard at work. Concept art, costumes, and storyboards are inside "Production Art" (253 stills). "Biographies" (70 screens) are provided for James Mason, Peter Lorre, Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas, and Richard Fleischer. Posters, lobby cards, publicity posters, and merchandise are kept in "Advertising" (139 stills). "Documents" (244 stills) has shooting schedules, call sheets and notes on the movie from Harper Goff to a magazine editor. A "Screenplay Excerpt" (11 stills) is taken from the climax, and gives the option of viewing the completed scene after reading. All this adds up to over 1,100 stills. "Production Gallery" (3:23 minutes) is a slideshow of select photos from the aforementioned still frame gallery. "The Musical Legacy of Paul Smith" (10:37 minutes) is a featurette on the film's composer. Richard Sherman and Alexander Rannie shed light on Smith’s career and the work he did for Disney, and give their thoughts on the music itself. "Touring the Nautilus" (5:21 minutes) dissects a model of the submarine and uses photos of the actual set to show us around. "Storyboard-to-Scene Comparison" (7:02 minutes) is self-explanatory, using a split screen to show storyboards next to segments from the film, particularly an underwater diving sequence and the squid attack.

A welcome addition is "Monsters of the Deep" (6:38 minutes), a clip from a 1955 episode of the Disneyland TV anthology series, in which Walt Disney introduces Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre, who show off storyboards, sets, and some movie clips. "Movie Merchandise" (9:05 minutes) features collectors Larry & Paul Brookes. "Unused Animation" (3:02 minutes) exhibits a lot more material than what finally ended up in the movie. More footage shows up in "Trims" (8:59 minutes)--several silent, behind-the-scenes snippets that Walt was planning to show on his TV show, but were unused. Then there's the lengthy original Theatrical Trailer (4:33 minutes). "Audio Archives" takes us to a jukebox. Available for playing are three Radio Spots (2:37 minutes), looping session audio in "Peter Lorre’s ADR Tracks" (6:13 minutes), and recordings for "Captian Nemo’s Organ Music" (5:21 minutes). The last bonus is a signature to all "Vault Disney" DVDs: "Disney Studio Album" (4:08 minutes) is a rapid-cut montage of the many events at the mouse house in 1954. Film, television, and theme parks are glimpsed at in this closing featurette.

On January 6, 2009, Disney announced that a remake entitled "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo" was being planned with McG attached to direct. It will be his next directorial project after "Terminator Salvation". Serving as an origin story for the central character, Captain Nemo, and apparently having little to do with Verne's novel, it was written by Bill Marsilli and Justin Marks was brought on to do a rewrite. It will be produced by Sean Bailey with McG's Wonderland Vision and Sound.

Annie Hall (1977) * * *

(first lines)
Alvy Singer: (addressing the camera) There's an old joke--um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life--full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly. The... the other important joke, for me, is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I think it appears originally in Freud's "Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious," and it goes like this--I'm paraphrasing--um, "I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member." That's the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women.

Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) is a neurotic Jewish comedy writer living in Manhattan in a relationship with exuberant Annie Hall (Diane Keaton, née Diane Hall), an aspiring midwestern night club singer. He met Annie at a quick game of indoor tennis, and the film follows the up and down relationship of the two mismatched neurotics over several years, intercut with imaginary trips into each other's history. For example, Annie is able to "see" Alvy's family when he was only a child, and Alvy observes Annie's past sexual relationships. In the first flashback showing Alvy as a child, we learn he was raised in Brooklyn and his father operated a bumper cars concession on Coney Island. The family home was located below the Thunderbolt roller coaster, which Alvy thinks accounts for his "nervous personality".

Alvy Singer: Don't you see the rest of the country looks upon New York like we're left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers? I think of us that way sometimes and I live here. My grammy never gave gifts. She was too busy getting raped by Cossacks.

Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie engage in a self-conscious conversation. As they speak, subtitles flash their unspoken thoughts: "I'm not smart enough for him" and "I sound like a jerk." Despite all their caution, they connect, and we're swept up in their new romance. Annie is an extrovert, knows what she wants and radiates self-confidence, but after she meets Alvy she also begins to see a psychiatrist. Alvy ponders his quest for love and romance with Annie. The twice-divorced Alvy knows that it's not easy to find a mate when the options include pretentious New York intellectuals and lifestyle-obsessed writers, but Annie seems different. They discuss such topics as endless therapy, movies vs. TV, the absurdity of dating rituals, anti-Semitism, drugs, and, in one of the best set pieces, repressed midwestern WASP insanity vs. crazy Brooklyn Jewish boisterousness.

During a visit to a Long Island beach house, Annie sifts through her college course catalogue and considers taking Modern American Poetry or Introduction to the Novel. Alvy advises: "Just don't take any course where they make you read Beowulf." As Alvy begins to prepare to make love, he suggests: "We should just turn out the lights, you know, and play hide the salami." He complains that Annie is sexually idiosyncratic--she always needs to smoke pot each time before they have sex. Annie mentions his years-long Freudian psychoanalysis.

Alvy: Yeah, grass, right? The illusion that it will make a white woman more like Billie Holiday.
Annie: Well, have you ever made love high?
Alvy: Me? No. I - I, you know, If I have grass or alcohol or anything, I get unbearably wonderful. I get too, too wonderful for words. I don't know why you have to get high every time we make love.
Annie: It relaxes me.
Alvy: You have to be artificially relaxed before we can go to bed?
Annie: Well, what's the difference anyway?
Alvy: Well, I'll give you a shot of sodium pentothal. You can sleep through it.
Annie: Oh come on. Look who's talking. You've been seeing a psychiatrist for 15 years. You should smoke some of this. You'd be off the couch in no time.

To stimulate himself, Alvy produces "an erotic artifact"--a red lightbulb to create "a little old New Orleans essence." Without grass, while they go through the motions of making love, in a clever use of double-exposed film, Annie's bored and detached spirit leaves her body's position on the bed during intercourse and sits on a nearby chair to watch her conversation with him. He talks to her alter ego and makes love to Annie at the same time. He is frustrated because he cannot entirely possess her, saying "I want the whole thing."

Alvy: Hey, is something wrong?
Annie: No, why?
Alvy: I don't know. It's like you're removed. (she rises from herself on the bed)
Annie: No, I'm fine.
Alvy: Are you with me?
Annie: Uh, huh.
Alvy: I don't know. You seem sort of distant.
Annie: Let's just do it, all right?
Alvy: Is it my imagination, or are you just going through the motions?
Ghost Annie: Alvy, do you remember where I put my drawing pad? Because while you two are doing that, I think I'm going to do some drawing.
Alvy (gesturing at the Ghost version of Annie): You see, that's what I call removed.
Annie: No you have my body.
Alvy: Yeah, but I want the whole thing.
Annie: Well, I need grass.
Alvy: Well, it ruins it for me if you have grass. Because you know, I'm like a comedian. So if I get a laugh from a person who's high, it doesn't count, you know, 'cause they're always laughing.
Annie: Were you always funny?
Alvy: Hey, what is this--an interview? We're supposed to be making love.

In one scene Alvy is standing in line at a cinema with Annie and listening to someone behind him talk about Marshall McLuhan's work. He leaves the line to speak to the camera directly. The man then speaks to the camera in his defense, and Allen resolves the dispute by pulling McLuhan himself from behind a free-standing movie posterboard to tell the man that he is wrong. Another scene is animated, featuring a cartoon Allen and the Wicked Queen from Snow White. In another scene Alvy again addresses the audience, and then stops several passers-by to ask questions about love. Alvy breaks the fourth wall, and Woody Allen explained, "because I felt many of the people in the audience had the same feelings and the same problems. I wanted to talk to them directly and confront them."

(Alvy addresses a pair of strangers on the street)
Alvy: Here, you look like a very happy couple, um, are you?
Female street stranger: Yeah.
Alvy: Yeah? So, so, how do you account for it?
Female street stranger: Uh, I'm very shallow and empty and I have no ideas and nothing interesting to say.
Male street stranger: And I'm exactly the same way.
Alvy: I see. Wow. That's very interesting. So you've managed to work out something?

It becomes clear that the two are on separate tracks, and what was once appealing becomes annoying. After many arguments and reconciliations, the pair realize they are fundamentally different and split up. Annie moves in with Hollywood record company executive Tony Lacey (Paul Simon). She likes California, but Alvy hates it. Alvy soon realizes he still loves her and tries to convince her to return with him to New York. He fails and returns home to write a play about their relationship, recycling the conversation just exchanged but ending with him winning Annie back.

Annie: It's so clean out here.
Alvy: That's because they don't throw their garbage away, they turn it into television shows.
Annie: So you wanna go into the movie or what?
Alvy: No, I can't go into a movie that's already started, because I'm anal.
Annie: That's a polite word for what you are.

Later, with Annie back in New York, the two are able to meet on good terms as friends, now with different lovers. Alvy ends the film by musing about how love and relationships are something we all require despite their often painful and complex nature.

(last lines)
Alvy Singer: After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I... I realized what a terrific person she was, and... and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I... I, I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs.

Woody Allen's romantic comedy of the Me Decade mixes the slapstick and fantasy from such earlier Allen films as SLEEPER (1973) and BANANAS (1971) with the more autobiographical comedy of his stand-up routines and screenplays, using the movie techniques of talking heads, splitscreens, and subtitles. With funny dialogue and sight gags, Allen and co-writer Marshall Brickman reversed the happy marriage of opposites found in classic screwball comedies. Considered Allen's most mature and personal film, ANNIE HALL beat out STAR WARS (1977) for Best Picture and also won Oscars for Allen as director and writer and for Keaton as Best Actress. Audiences loved Allen's take on contemporary love and turned Keaton's rumpled menswear into a fashion trend. Diane Keaton's baggy wardrobe provided a welcome alternative to polyester pantsuits and flared trousers in the 1970s.

It's a charming, clever and thought-provoking movie, not very exciting or gripping, even boring at times, but very enjoyable. ANNIE HALL brought a new level of seriousness to Allen's work, and is not so much about two people falling in love as about two individuals trying to negotiate a mutually beneficial relationship. The neurotic, self-obsessed commentary is pointed but relatively gentle, free of the bitterness that sometimes marks Allen's later work. This film is a series of insights that leave the viewer feeling strangely optimistic--or at least very amused--about human nature. Much of this is due to Alvy and Annie themselves. Unlike the oddly but perfectly matched couples who walk off into the sunset in the majority of romantic comedies, Alvy and Annie continue with further introspection, obsessive analysis, and reflection. The appeal of ANNIE HALL is that there are no easy answers. This movie elevated Allen to the forefront of modern filmmakers, promoting him from a comedian who made films to a comic filmmaker. It also set a new standard, its name becoming synonymous with the sub-genre of the intelligent, New York-based romantic comedy.

ANNIE HALL includes Allen's central themes: his love affair with New York and hatred of Los Angeles, how impossible relationships are, and his fear of death. One scene concerning death is when Annie moves into Alvy's apartment, and Alvy discovers a book of Sylvia Plath's poems, which contradicts Hall's later statement when she is moving out that all the books about death were given to her by Alvy. The film has been widely assumed to be semi-autobiographical, but Allen has denied this. It was originally intended to be a drama centered on a murder mystery with a comic and romantic subplot, and it was filmed that way. According to Allen, the murder occurred after a scene that remains in the film, the sequence in which Annie and Alvy miss the Ingmar Bergman film FACE TO FACE (1976). After shooting had completed, the film's editor persuaded Woody Allen to cut the mystery plot and make the film a romantic comedy. Allen has said that ANNIE HALL was "a major turning point" both thematically and technically: "I had the courage to abandon... just clowning around and the safety of complete broad comedy. I said to myself, 'I think I will try and make some deeper film and not be as funny in the same way. And maybe there will be other values that will emerge, that will be interesting or nourishing for the audience.' And it worked out very very well."

The cast also includes: Tony Roberts (Rob), Carol Kane (Allison), Shelley Duvall (Pam), Janet Margolin (Robin), Colleen Dewhurst (Mrs. Hall), Christopher Walken (Duane Hall), Donald Symington (Mr. Hall), Helen Ludlam (Grammy Hall), Mordecai Lawner (Mr. Singer), Joan Neuman (Mrs. Singer), Jonathan Munk (Alvy Singer - Age 9), Ruth Volner (Alvy's Aunt), Martin Rosenblatt (Alvy's Uncle), Hy Anzell (Joey Nichols), Rashel Novikoff (Aunt Tessie), Russell Horton (Man in Theater Line), Marshall McLuhan (himself), Christine Jones (Dorrie), Mary Boylan (Miss Reed), Wendy Girard (Janet), John Doumanian (Coke Fiend), Bob Maroff (Man #1 Outside Theater), Rick Petrucelli (Man #2 Outside Theater), Lee Callahan (ticket Seller at Theater), Chris Gampel (Doctor in Brooklyn), Dick Cavett (himself), Mark Lenard (Navy Officer on Dick Cavett Show), Ved Bandhu (Maharishi), Sigourney Weaver (Alvy's Date Outside Theater), Truman Capote (Truman Capote Look-Alike), and many others. The screenplay was written by Marshall Brickman and Woody Allen, who also directed.

Film critic Roger Ebert wrote: "Few viewers probably notice how much of Annie Hall consists of people talking, simply talking. They walk and talk, sit and talk, go to shrinks, go to lunch, make love and talk, talk to the camera, or launch into inspired monologues like Annie's free-association as she describes her family to Alvy. This speech by Diane Keaton is as close to perfect as such a speech can likely be... all done in one take of brilliant brinkmanship."

Woody Allen says he gets approached "all the time" about making a sequel to ANNIE HALL, but has always declined. However, he admitted in a 1995 interview that for a time he considered it, saying, "I did think once--I'm not going to do it--but I did think once that it would be interesting to see Annie Hall and the guy I played years later. Diane Keaton and I could meet now that we're about twenty years older, and it could be interesting, because we parted, to meet one day and see what our lives have become. But it smacks to me of exploitation....Sequelism has become an annoying thing. I don't think Francis Coppola should have done Godfather III because Godfather II was quite great. When they make a sequel, it's just a thirst for more money, so I don't like that idea so much."

Like all Woody Allen movie DVDs, ANNIE HALL has no fancy extras such as commentary tracks or "Making of" documentaries. In 2000 readers of Total Film magazine voted it the forty-second greatest comedy film of all time. Zagat Survey Movie Guide in 2002 ranked ANNIE HALL one of the top ten comedies of all time, one of the top ten movies of the 1970s and as Allen's best film as a director. In 1992, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Time Bandits (1981) * * *

Kevin (Craig Warnock) is the 11 year-old son of parents (David Daker and Sheila Fearn) who ignore him to keep up with the neighbors by purchasing all the latest hi-tech gadgets. Without their attention, Kevin has become a history buff, particularly of the Classical Greek period. One night Kevin is awakened from his sleep by a knight on horseback crashing through his wardrobe and riding off into a forest setting that has appeared in place of his bedroom wall. But when Kevin investigates, he finds nothing wrong, the forest setting was just one of the pictures that hangs on his wall. He prepares for the next night by packing a satchel with a torch and a Polaroid camera before going to bed.

(first lines)
Announcer: Yes, folks... Moderna Designs present the latest in kitchen luxury. The Moderna Wonder Major All Automatic Convenience Center-ette gives you all the time in the world to do the things you really want to do... An infrared freezer-oven complex that can make you a meal from packet to plate in 15 1/2 seconds.
Kevin's Mother: Morrisons have got one that can do that in eight seconds.
Kevin's Father: Oh?
Kevin's Mother: Block of ice to Beef Bourguignon in eight seconds. Lucky things.
Kevin: Dad, did you know that the ancient Greek warriors had to learn 44 different ways of unarmed combat?
Kevin's Father: (ignoring Kevin) Well, at least we've got a two speed hedge cutter.

Again, he is awakened by sounds from the wardrobe, but this time six dwarves stumble out. They are scared by Kevin's flashlight, thinking him to be the "Supreme Being" (Ralph Richardson), but when they discover he is a child, they ignore him and try to find an exit from the room using a map. The mischievous dwarves discover the bedroom wall can be physically moved, and as the dwarves push it down a long hallway, the disembodied head of the Supreme Being shows up behind them and chases them. Kevin is caught up with the dwarves in their rush to escape, as the hallway ends and they fall into the blackness of space.

Supreme Being: I should do something very extroverted and vengeful to you. Honestly, I'm too tired. So, I think I'll transfer you to the undergrowth department, brackens, more shrubs, that sort of thing... with a 19% cut in salary, backdated to the beginning of time.
Randall: Oh, thank you, sir.
Supreme Being: Yes, well, I am the nice one.

When Kevin regains his senses, he learns that the dwarves are employees of the Supreme Being, and were supposed to be using the map, which shows the locations of holes in time and space, to repair the space-time continuum. Instead, they have ended up in a labor dispute with the Supreme Being and are using the map to travel through time and steal treasures from history. At the same time, they are being watched by a malevolent character known as Evil Genius (David Warner), who while brooding in his fortress prison wants the map for himself to recreate the universe to his liking.

Evil Genius: What sort of Supreme Being created such riffraff? Is this not the workings of a complete incompetent?
Baxi Brazilia III: But He created you, Evil One.
Evil Genius: What did you say?
Baxi Brazilia III: Well He created you, so He can't be entirely...
Evil Genius: (blows Baxi to bits) Never talk to me like that again! No one created me! I am Evil. Evil existed long before good. I made myself. I cannot be unmade. I am all powerful!

The dwarves along with Kevin, travel through several time periods, meeting Napoleon Bonaparte (Ian Holm) and Robin Hood (John Cleese). Kevin becomes separated from the group while traveling through one hole and ends up in ancient Greece, where he meets Agamemnon (Sean Connery), who treats Kevin like his son. However, the dwarves catch up with Kevin and drag him away through another time hole, causing Kevin to become angry with them for ruining his Greek visit.

Robin Hood: And you're a robber too. How long have you been a robber?
Strutter: Four foot one.
Robin Hood: Good lord! Jolly good. Four foot one? Well that-that-that is-is- a long time, isn't it?

Kevin: I'll never get the chance to meet Robin Hood again.
Randall: Oh, stop moaning. He's obviously a dangerous man, unbalanced if you ask me. Giving away what isn't even his!
Kevin: That's what Robin Hood always did. Even I know that.
Randall: Of course, you know it all.
Kevin: He was one of my heroes.
Randall: Heroes! Heroes! What do they know about a day's work?

(Kevin had just fallen from the sky on top of a rival warrior, allowing Agamemnon to kill him)
King Agamemnon: Where did you come from?
Kevin: I'm not really sure.
King Agamemnon: Who sent you, the gods? Was it Zeus? Apollo? Athena? (removes his mask) Well... You're certainly a chatty little fellow, aren't you?

After the group lands on the Titanic and survives its sinking, Evil Genius brings Kevin and the dwarves into his realm, the "Time of Legends." The dwarves make their way to Evil Genius' Fortress of Ultimate Darkness, believing an epic treasure, "The Most Fabulous Object in the World," awaits inside. However, the treasure turns out to be a trap set by Evil, and the dwarves are forced to hand over the map. Trapped in a cage hanging over a bottomless void, the group discovers that one of the photographs Kevin has taken in their travels includes a shot of the map, and they are able to identify holes they can use to recruit help and recover the map.

Evil Genius: That's a good question. Why have I let the Supreme Being keep me here in the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness?
Robert: Because you...
Evil Genius: Shut up, I'm speaking rhetorically. When I have the map, I will be free, and the world will be different, because I have understanding.
Robert: Uh, understanding of what, Master?
Evil Genius: Digital watches. And soon I shall have understanding of video cassette recorders and car telephones. And when I have understanding of them, I shall have understanding of computers. And when I have understanding of computers, I shall be the Supreme Being!

The dwarves escape and put their plan into action, bringing soldiers and equipment from across time to face down Evil Genius, but he is able to conquer them all. As Evil Genius is about to unleash his ultimate power, he is suddenly turned to stone by The Supreme Being, now appearing as an elderly gentleman. The dwarves apologize to the Supreme Being, but he says that it was part of his plan, and thanks the dwarves for returning the map and tells them to remove all the rubble of "concentrated Evil" from the area, because it would be dangerous to anyone left. The Supreme Being thanks Kevin for his help, and then leaves him behind as he disappears with the dwarves. Kevin quickly discovers a piece of Evil Genius has been missed, and his vision goes dim as the smoke emanating from the chunk of black rock overwhelms him.

Kevin suddenly wakes up in his own bed, his bedroom filled with smoke and the house on fire. A firefighter breaks into the room and rescues him. As the fire is extinguished, the firefighters find that a microwave was the source of the fire, and hand the unit over to Kevin's parents. Seeing a firefighter (Sean Connery) who resembles Agamemnon, Kevin realizes he is still carrying his satchel. Inside it, he discovers the photographs he took during his journey. When his parents open the microwave to reveal a piece of concentrated Evil, Kevin tries to warn them not to touch it, but they do, and promptly explode. Kevin is left alone.

(last lines)
Kevin: Mom! Dad! It's evil! Don't touch it!
(Kevin's parents explode)
Kevin: Mom? Dad?

The ending is controversial, although there's more honesty and meaning in the last five minutes than any "happy ending" could hope to achieve, although young children may find it too disturbing.

The cast also includes: Shelley Duvall (Dame Pansy / Pansy), Katherine Helmond (Mrs. Ogre), Ian Holm (Napoleon), Michael Palin (Vincent), Peter Vaughan (Winston the Ogre), David Rappaport (Randall), Kenny Baker (Fidgit), Malcolm Dixon (Strutter), Mike Edmonds (Og), Jack Purvis (Wally), Tiny Ross (Vermin), Jim Broadbent (Compere), John Young (Reginald), Myrtle Devenish (Beryl), Brian Bowes (Knight / Hussar), Leon Lissek (1st Refugee), Terence Bayler (Lucien), Preston Lockwood (Neguy), Charles McKeown (Theater Manager), David Leland (Puppeteer), John Hughman (The Great Rumbozo), Derrick O'Connor (Robber Leader), Neil McCarthy (2nd Robber), Declan Mulholland (3rd Robber), Peter Jonfield (Arm Wrestler), Derek Deadman (Robert), Jerold Wells (Benson), Roger Frost (Cartwright), Martin Carroll (Baxi Brazilia III), Marcus Powell (Horseflesh), Winston Dennis (Bull-headed Warrior), Del Baker (Greek Fighting Warrior), Juliette James (Greek Queen), Ian Muir (Giant), Mark Holmes (Troll Father), Andrew MacLachlan (Fireman), Chris Grant (TV announcer voice), Tony Jay (Supreme Being voice), Edwin Finn (Supreme Being's Face), and Warwick Davis. Mike Moran composed the original music. The screenplay was written by Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who also directed.

TIME BANDITS is a fantasy film, the first in Terry Gilliam's "Trilogy of the Imagination" films, followed by BRAZIL (1985) and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (1989). Gilliam refers to it as a "trilogy about the ages of Man and the subordination of magic to realism." The connecting link shared by each film is that each celebrates the spirit of imagination, and is anchored by a central character whose imagination is suppressed by forces not of his own choosing or design. In each film the character must undergo a fantastic journey that will allow his imagination to be given its freedom as God had intended. What binds these three together is that in TIME BANDITS the dreamer is a boy, in BRAZIL a man, and in BARON MUNCHAUSEN an old man. TIME BANDITS uses the motif of bureaucracy and technology hurting imagination and creativity, a theme further expanded on in BRAZIL.

Gilliam wrote the screenplay with fellow Monty Python member Michael Palin, who appears with Shelley Duvall in the small, recurring roles of Vincent and Pansy. The film's script was broken down into two tasks, with Gilliam mostly devising the story and Palin mostly writing the dialogue. Gilliam has said of writing dialogue that it "doesn't come as easily as it should." TIME BANDITS was filmed at Lee International Studios, Shepperton, Middlesex, England, and on location in England, Wales and Morocco. The film is one of the most famous of more than 30 theatrical features produced by Handmade Films, the London-based independent company backed in part by former Beatle George Harrison.

TIME BANDITS is a triumphant use of fantasy to articulate truth, and the power of the imagination to find the reality hidden in plain sight. An unforgettable film, with images and characters that will stay with you for a long time, its sense of humor is irreverent and dark. Lead actor Craig Warnock is somewhat anonymous at times, and the whole film starts to drag a little towards the end. However, there are some fantastic moments in this movie: the knight-on-horseback exploding through the bedroom wardrobe, the wonderful acrobatics as the dwarves escape from a series of dangling cages, and John Cleese's hilarious portrayal of Robin Hood as an upper-class twit. Once you get past the expectation that it will be hilariously funny, you can easily get carried away with this delightful movie.

Despite it's vague resemblance to THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) told upside down, it is not a typical modern kid's film. It has an old-fashioned Grimm-ness, with creatures dying nasty, sweaty deaths and even "good" characters behaving quite badly at times. Basically TIME BANDITS is a fairy tale, revisionist history lesson, a satire on technology gone awry, and it is more honest than any fantasy film made in a very long time.

A sequel to TIME BANDITS has long been rumored, and in "Gilliam on Gilliam", Terry Gilliam once expressed his intention of making one. It was intended to be released before or in 2000. The catalyst was the Supreme Being using the milestone of year 2000 as a time to reflect, and discovering that he was so disappointed with the way the universe turned out that he was going to end it. The time bandits were the only ones that could save the universe, if they wanted to.

The Criterion Edition DVD of TIME BANDITS released in 1999 is somewhat disappointing. It has interlace problems, an unstable picture, and sound that leaves much to be desired. But the aspect ratio is correct and the detailed transfer is sharp. The widescreen image is the way Gilliam intended the film to be seen. A much improved Divimax release from Anchor Bay is from a high definition digital transfer. The 2 DVD Anchor Bay edition isn't perfect but it's a noticeable improvement on the previous no-frills version they issued in 1999 and the Criterion Edition. A high definition transfer and the fact that the film has been enhanced for 16x9 televisions are definite improvements. The first disc features only the film and it doesn't have the great audio commentary compilation by Gilliam, Michael Palin, David Warner, John Cleese and Craig Warnock.

The soundtrack has been remixed for the Dolby Digital EX track, but the 5.1 mix sounds more natural. Since the original source material was designed for stereo and there were some recording limitations at the time the film was made, the tinny sound is still a bit of a problem. The second disc contains all the extras. The feaurettes include "The Directors: The films of Terry Gilliam" with interviews featuring Gilliam, Shelly Duvall, Brad Pitt, Amanda Plummer, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Stowe and David Warner. There's also an interview with Gilliam and Palin as well as the original theatrical trailers for the film. Some of these features duplicate comments heard on the commentary track for the film from Criterion. There's also a Terry Gilliam biography, a DVD-Rom version of the original screenplay, a look at the original film treatment, dream facts, production stills, and a photo gallery. Anchor Bay includes a fold out Map of the Universe which also has a background on the film production.

Moonraker (1979) * * *

(first lines)
Captain: How are we doing, Richard?
RAF Officer: We should pass over the English coast 15 minutes ahead of time, sir.
Captain: Wow! With this load on our back, that's good going.
RAF Officer: Just trust the RAF, sir.

James Bond (Roger Moore) is recalled from Africa to investigate the hijacking and destruction of a Drax Industries Moonraker space shuttle on loan to the UK. En route in a small jet, Bond is attacked by the pilot and crew and is pushed out of the plane by the mercenary assassin Jaws (Richard Kiel), whom he has met before. Bond survives by stealing a parachute from the pilot in mid-air, while Jaws lands on a circus tent. 007 reports to MI6 headquarters in London, and is briefed by M (Bernard Lee) and Q (Desmond Llewelyn) about the hijacking. He begins his investigation at the Drax Industries shuttle-manufacturing complex in southern California.

Miss Moneypenny: Why are you so late, James?
James Bond: I fell out of an airplane without a parachute. Who's in there?
Miss Moneypenny: Q and the Minister of Defense.
James Bond: You don't believe me do you?
Miss Moneypenny: No.

At Drax Industries, Bond is greeted by the owner of the company, Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), and henchman Chang (Toshirô Suga). At first Bond receives a warm welcome from Drax, and given the freedom to roam his magnificent chateau. Bond meets an astronaut, NASA scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles), and survives an assassination attempt in a centrifuge chamber. 007 is later helped by Drax's personal pilot, Corinne Dufour (Corinne Clery), when he finds blueprints for a glass vial made in Venice. While hunting game, Bond survives yet another attempt on his life when Drax has a man shoot him from a tree with a rifle. However, Bond notices this and uses his hunting shotgun to kill him. Dufour is fired by Drax because he found out that she helped Bond in his investigations, then she is gruesomely murdered by hunting dogs.

Hugo Drax: You missed, Mr. Bond.
(a sniper falls from a tree)
James Bond: Did I?

Bond again encounters Dr. Goodhead in Venice. He is chased through the canals by Drax's men but his gondola, with the ability to transform into a hovercraft, allows him to escape across the Piazza San Marco. Bond discovers a secret biological lab, accidentally poisons the scientists there, and learns that the glass vials are to hold a deadly nerve gas. Chang battles Bond and is killed. During the fight, Bond sees evidence that Drax is moving his operation to Rio de Janeiro. Rejoining Dr. Goodhead, he concludes that she is a CIA agent spying on Drax. They promise to work together and consummate their alliance, but quickly dispense with the truce. Bond has saved one of the vials he found earlier, gives it to M for analysis, then travels to Rio de Janeiro.

Q: It's activated by nerve impulses from the wrist muscles.
James Bond: Like this?
(dart pierces a painting on M's wall)
M: Oh, thank you, 007!
Q: Be careful, will you? Now, there's ten darts: five blue-tipped, armour-piercing; five red-tipped, cyanide coated, causing death in thirty seconds.
James Bond: Very novel, Q. Must get them in the stores for Christmas.

In Rio de Janeiro, Bond meets and seduces his Brazilian contact Manuela (Emily Bolton). Drax orders Jaws to finish Chang's job of killing Bond, who meets Dr. Goodhead at the top of Sugarloaf. They are attacked by Jaws on a cable car. After Jaws' car crashes he is rescued by Dolly (Blanche Ravalec) from the rubble, and the two fall in love. Bond and Dr. Goodhead are captured by Drax's henchmen, but Bond escapes.

Bond reports to an MI6 base in Brazil and learns that the toxin comes from a rare orchid found in the upper Amazon jungle. While deadly to humans, it is harmless to all other life. Bond travels the Amazon River looking for Drax's research facility, and soon encounters Jaws and other henchmen again. He escapes from his boat just before it hits the Iguacu Falls, and finds Drax's base. Captured by Jaws again, Bond is taken to Drax and witnesses four Moonraker space shuttles lifting off. Drax explains that he himself stole the Moonraker because another in the fleet had developed a fault during assembly. Bond is reunited with Dr. Goodhead, they escape and successfully pose as pilots on the sixth shuttle. The shuttles dock with Drax's hidden space station.

Dr. Goodhead: Have you broken something?
James Bond: Only my tailor's heart.
(she kisses him)
James Bond: What was that for?
Dr. Goodhead: For saving my life.
James Bond: Remind me to do it more often!
(Dr. Goodhead and Bond discuss how to destroy the death globes en route to Earth)
James Bond: Moonraker 5, that's the answer. Drax's shuttle is armed with a laser. We can track those globes and destroy them.

Drax plans to destroy all human life by launching 50 globes containing the toxin into the Earth's atmosphere. Before launching the globes, Drax also transported several dozen young men and women of varying races, which he regarded as genetically perfect, to the space station. They would live there until Earth was safe again for human life, and their descendants would be the seed for a "new master race." Bond persuades Jaws and Dolly to switch allegiance by getting Drax to admit that anyone not measuring up to his physical standards would be exterminated, including Dolly and Jaws, so Jaws fights Drax's men.

Hugo Drax: First there was the dream, now there is reality. Here in the untainted cradle of the heavens will be created a new super race, a race of perfect physical specimens. You have been selected as its progenitors. Like gods, your offspring will return to Earth and shape it in their image. You have all served in public capacities in my terrestrial empire. Your seed, like yourselves, will pay deference to the ultimate dynasty which I alone have created. From their first day on Earth they will be able to look up and know that there is law and order in the heavens.

Hugo Drax: Allow me to introduce you to the airlock chamber. Observe, Mr Bond, your route from this world to the next. (opens airlock door) And you, Dr Goodhead, your desire to become America's first woman in space will shortly be fulfilled.

Bond and Dr. Goodhead disable the radar jammer hiding the station from Earth. The U.S. sends a platoon of Marines in a military shuttle. A laser battle ensues in which Drax's guards as well as his new master race die. During the battle, Bond pushes Drax into an airlock and ejects him into space. The space station, heavily damaged in the battle, disintegrates. Jaws helps Bond and Dr. Goodhead escape in a space shuttle. In celebration, Jaws opens a champagne bottle and he and Dolly toast in his only spoken line: "Well, here's to us!" They also escape the space station as their module breaks away before the station explodes. Before the battle Drax launched three of the globes towards Earth, which Dr. Goodhead and Bond destroy from their shuttle. The two make love in space, prompting the line from Q: "I think he's attempting re-entry, Sir!"

(last lines)
Dr. Goodhead: James?
James Bond: I think it may be time to go home.
Dr. Goodhead: Take me 'round the world one more time.
James Bond: Why not?

MOONRAKER is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was released on June 26, 1979 in the UK and was released three days later in the USA, grossing $70,308,099 in the UK. It opened in 788 theaters, grossing a total of $210,308,099 worldwide. It was the highest grossing film of the 007 franchise until the Pierce Brosnan Bond film GOLDENEYE (1995). Much of the film was shot in the cities of London, Paris, Venice, Palmdale, and Rio de Janeiro. MOONRAKER was also noted for its high production cost for a 007 film, spending almost twice as much money as the preceding James Bond movie THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977). It was intended by its creator Ian Fleming to be turned into a film even before he completed the novel in 1954, since he based the novel on a manuscript he had written even earlier than this.

One of the most overblown and lightweight additions to the 007 spy franchise, MOONRAKER is saved from mediocrity by decent effects and the hulking presence of Jaws. It's a very entertaining movie, but the narrative is mostly contrived, fragmented and disjointed. Instead of a coherent story, the movie tends to be a sequence of high-adrenaline danger situations. The film seems to miss the point of Bond movies. Its first mistake is to upset the balance between 007 and the technology around him. Previously these gadgets existed only to serve Bond, but here they dominate the film and make our favorite agent almost an afterthought. Secondly, Drax emasculates Bond further. In many ways MOONRAKER is actually impressive, especially the sets and effects. Moore is the only actor with significant screen time, and his performance determines the film's success. He is partially successful with an irreverent and tongue-in-cheek attitude. However, he generally lacks the seriousness necessary for Bond. There is a fanciful air about Moore, who often hardly seems to be trying. But some of the action scenes such as the opening free-fall brawl are superb, worth the price of admission. And for those who enjoy outer space movies MOONRAKER is a top favorite James Bond film.

The cast also includes: Geoffrey Keen (Sir Frederick Gray), Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny), Irka Bochenko (Blonde Beauty), Mike Marshall (Col. Scott), Leila Shenna (Hostess Private Jet), Anne Lonnberg (Museum Guide), Jean-Pierre Castaldi (Pilot Private Jet), Walter Gotell (General Anatol Gogol), Douglas Lambert (Mission Control Director), Arthur Howard (Cavendish), Alfie Bass (Consumptive Italian), Brian Keith (U.S. Shuttle Captain), George Birt (Captain of Boeing 747), Kim Fortune (R.A.F. Officer), Lizzie Warville (Russian Girl), Johnny Traber's Troupe (Funambulists), Nicholas Arbez (Drax's Boy), Guy Di Rigo (Ambulanceman), Chris Dillinger (Drax's Technician), Claude Carliez (Gondolier), and many others. John Barry composed the incidental original music. Christopher Wood wrote the screenplay from Ian Fleming's novel. Lewis Gilbert directed.

Film critic Roger Ebert approved of the special effects and Ken Adam's production sets, but he criticized the pace in which the locations of the film evolved, writing that, "it's so jammed with faraway places and science fiction special effects that Bond has to move at a trot just to make it into all the scenes." Christopher Null wrote: "Most rational observers agree that Moonraker is without a doubt the most absurd James Bond movie, definitely of the Roger Moore era and possibly of all time", but approved of the remark "I think he's attempting re-entry!" by Q during Bond and Goodhead's orbiting of the earth which he described as "featuring what might be the best double entendre ever." Danny Peary wrote that "The worst James Bond film to date has Roger Moore walking through the paces for his hefty paycheck and giving way to his double for a series of unimaginative action scenes and "humorous" chases. There’s little suspense and the humor falls flat. Not only is Jaws so pacified by love that he becomes a good guy, but the filmmakers also have the gall to set the finale in outer space and stage a battle right out of Star Wars." James Berardinelli wrote: "The solid special effects, well-executed action sequences, and a strict reliance upon the 'Bond Formula' keep this film among Moore's better entries."

MOONRAKER was the third of the three Bond films with a theme song performed by Shirley Bassey, following GOLDFINGER (1964) and DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971). The soundtrack of Moonraker was composed by John Barry and recorded in Paris. Barry also made use of classical music passages in the film: Frédéric Chopin's Prelude no. 15 in D-flat major (op. 28), Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka by Johann Strauss II, Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Overture", and Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra (op. 30).

The exaggerated plot and space station sequence have been parodied in numerous movies. For example, the Austin Powers spoof film THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME (1999) refers to MOONRAKER with Dr. Evil's lair in space. Also the scene in which Drax is shot by the cyanide dart and ousted into space is parodied by Power's ejection of Dr. Evil's clone Mini-Me into outer space in the same way.

MOONRAKER was one of the first James Bond movies released on DVD. In 1998 a barebones THX edition was released. It was released with a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on the MGM Special Edition in 2000, but it was re-released in 2006 as an Ultimate Edition with enhanced footage. The 42 minute documentary "Inside Moonraker" on the special effects and stuntwork was carried over from the original release, as was the 18 minute "The Men Behind the Mayhem" featuring director Lewis Gilbert, executive and associate producers Michael G. Wilson and William P. Cartlidge and writer Christopher Wood, relating memories of the production. The Ultimate Edition comes with several commentaries, one which features Roger Moore, which had been recently recorded for the release.

The second disc of the Ultimate Edition DVD opens with an 11 minute footage of set designer Ken Adam's productions, including home interviews with him and an exploration of Eon Productions locations and sets. Other features include Michael G. Wilson introducing interviews with the members of the cast and crew, and an archive 12 minute featurette "007 in Rio" which covers the production team in Rio de Janeiro and takes a more general analysis of behind the scenes in the overall film. There is also brief storyboard coverage including four short storyboard sequences and test footage, which includes coverage of the circus landing, the cable car scene and the skydiving scene. MOONRAKER was released on Blu-ray Disc in March 2009. It includes the same special features as the Ultimate Edition DVD, some of which are now presented in high definition.

American Beauty (1999) * * *

(first lines)
Jane Burnham: I need a father who's a role model, not some horny geek-boy who's gonna spray his shorts whenever I bring a girlfriend home from school. What a lame-o. Someone really should just put him out of his misery.
Ricky Fitts: Want me to kill him for you?
Jane Burnham: Yeah. Would you?

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) are a seemingly perfect suburban couple who make life-changing choices mostly because of Lester's mid-life crisis. He is a father and advertising executive who serves as the film's narrator: "I'm 42 years old. In less than a year, I'll be dead. Of course, I don't know that yet. And in a way, I'm dead already." He describes himself as a loser in a dead end job with bosses he doesn't respect. Carolyn is an ambitious realtor who feels unsuccessful at fulfilling her potential, and his 16-year-old daughter Jane (Thora Birch) is unhappy and struggling with her self-esteem. Jane hates her parents and is saving money for a breast augmentation operation. Lester is reinvigorated when he meets Jane's sexually precocious friend and classmate Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) at a high school basketball game. He immediately develops an infatuation for her, much to his daughter's dismay. Throughout the film, Lester has sexual fantasies about Angela and red rose petals.

His new neighbours are US Marine Corps Colonel Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper), his wife Barbara (Allison Janney), and their teenage son Ricky (Wes Bentley). Fascist Col. Fitts has homophobic disgust for a gay couple who are also neighbors, and believes Ricky is gay and having sex with Lester. This is not true, he only supplies marijuana for Lester, but Ricky claims to be gay to escape from his father. Frank controls Ricky with very strict discipline and gives him drug tests regularly. Ricky, a smoker and drug dealer, makes deals with a client of his so he can have clean urine samples to pass these tests. He frequently uses a hand-held video camera to record his surroundings and keeps hundreds of tapes in his bedroom.

Carolyn begins an affair with her business rival Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher). Lester is about to be laid off, then he blackmails his boss, quits his job and takes up low-pressure employment at a fast food chain. He trades in his car for a 1970 Pontiac Firebird, starts running, and lifts weights so he can "look good naked" to impress Angela, whom he overheard tell Jane that she'd find him sexy if he had more muscles.

Brad Dupree: (reading Lester's job description) "My job consists of basically masking my contempt for the assholes in charge, and, at least once a day, retiring to the men's room so I can jerk off while I fantasize about a life that doesn't so closely resemble Hell." Well, you have absolutely no interest in saving yourself.
Lester: Brad, for 14 years I've been a whore for the advertising industry. The only way I could save myself now is if I start firebombing. I guess I'll have to throw in a sexual harassment charge.
Brad Dupree: Against who?
Lester: Against you. Can you prove that you didn't offer to save my job if I let you blow me?
Brad Dupree: Man, you are one twisted f**k.
Lester: Nope. I'm just an ordinary guy who has nothing left to lose.

Carolyn: Uh, whose car is that out front?
Lester: Mine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car I've always wanted and now I have it. I rule!

Lester: I figured you guys might be able to give me some pointers. I need to shape up. Fast.
Jim Olmeyer: Are you just looking to lose weight, or do you want increased strength and flexibility as well?
Lester: I want to look good naked!

After watching Ricky and Lester make a drug transaction through the garage window, Frank mistakenly concludes that the two are engaged in a sexual relationship. That evening, Ricky returns home, where Frank beats him and accuses him of being gay. Ricky falsely admits the charge and goads Frank into turning him out of their home.

Frank Fitts: Where did you get that?
Ricky Fitts: From my job.
Frank Fitts: Don't lie to me. Now, I saw you with him.
Ricky Fitts: You were watching me?
Frank Fitts: What did he make you do?
Ricky Fitts: Oh, Dad, you don't really think that me and Mr. Burnham were...
Frank Fitts: Don't you laugh at me. Now, I will not sit back and watch my only son become a c**k-sucker.
Ricky Fitts: Jesus, what is it with you?
Frank Fitts: I swear to God, I will throw you out of the house and never look at you again.
Ricky Fitts: You mean that?
Frank Fitts: You're damn straight I do. I'd rather you were dead than be a fuckin' faggot.
Ricky Fitts: You're right. I suck d**k for money.
Frank Fitts: Boy, don't start.
Ricky Fitts: Two thousand dollars. I'm that good.
Frank Fitts: Get out.
Ricky Fitts: And you should see me f**k. I'm the best piece of ass in three States.
Frank Fitts: Get out. I don't ever want to see you again.
Ricky Fitts: What a sad old man you are.

Ricky goes to Jane and asks her to flee with him to New York City. An emotionally distraught Col. Fitts kisses Lester in his garage. Later gunshot rings out and blood spatters on the kitchen wall in front of Lester as he is shot from behind. Ricky and Jane find him dead. Lester's final narration reflects on his life, and the actions of the other characters at the moment of his death.

(last lines)
Lester: I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday.

AMERICAN BEAUTY is a cinematic triumph that is both funny and sad, disturbing, yet provocative and deep. This compelling well-paced film is an extraordinary achievement that reveals a tragic and realistic story about a family that is anything but ordinary. It has many layers and it deals with the disparity between appearances and their underlying realities. Lester's abrupt break with his superficial world is refreshing, and the circumstances that evolve from it are both provocative and entertaining. The beautiful cinematography, good music score, precise and evocative screenplay, and first-rate acting make this movie stand above most others. AMERICAN BEAUTY was a massive success both critically and commercially, and the film won a total of five Oscars, including Best Picture. Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, Edward Guthman called it "a dazzling tale of loneliness, desire and the hollowness of conformity". Jay Carr for the Boston Globe called the film "a millennial classic". The New York Post called it "a flat-out masterpiece".

The cast also includes: Allison Janney (Barbara Fitts), Scott Bakula (Jim Olmeyer), Sam Robards (Jim Berkley), Barry Del Sherman (Brad Dupree), Ara Celi, Amber Smith (Christy Kane), John Cho, Fort Atkinson, Sue Casey, Kent Faulcon, Brenda Wehle, Lisa Cloud, Allison Faulk, Krista Goodsitt, Lily Houtkin, Carolina Lancaster, Romana Leah, Chekesha Van Putten, Emily Zachary, Nancy Anderson, Reshma Gajjar, Stephanie Rizzo, Heather Joy Sher, Chelsea Hertford, Amber Smith, and many others. Thomas Newman composed the original music. Alan Ball wrote the screenplay derived from his stage play. He saw a paper bag floating in the wind near the World Trade Center plaza and this inspired him to write it. Sam Mendes directed.

Wilde (1997) * * *

The film opens with Oscar Wilde's (Stephen Fry) 1882 visit to Leadville, Colorado during his lecture tour of the United States. Despite his flamboyant personality and urbane wit, he proves to be a success with the silver miners as he regales them with tales of Renaissance silversmith Benvenuto Cellini.

Wilde returns to London and weds Constance Lloyd (Jennifer Ehle), and they have two sons in quick succession. While the second child is still an infant, the Wildes are playing host to young Canadian Robbie Ross (Michael Sheen), who seduces Oscar and helps him come to terms with his homosexuality. On the opening night of his play "Lady Windermere's Fan", Wilde is re-introduced to the dashingly handsome and openly foppish poet Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law), whom he had met briefly the year before, and the two fall into a passionate relationship. Hedonistic Alfred is not content to remain monogamous and frequently engages in sexual activity with rent boys while his older lover plays the role of voyeur. Alfred's father, the Marquess of Queensbury (Tom Wilkinson), objects to his son's relationship with Wilde.

Marquess of Queensberry: Where d'you stand on cremation?
Wilde: I'm not sure I have a position.
Marquess of Queensberry: I'm for it. I wrote a poem about it. "When I am dead, cremate me." That's how it starts. 'When... I am dead... cremate me". Whaddya think of that for an opening line?
Wilde: It's... challenging.

Douglas: (Wilde is ill in bed) You look such an idiot lying there. Revolting. Have you forgotten how to wash?
Wilde: As a matter of fact, I'm dying for a glass of water
Douglas: Well, help yourself. You know where the jug is.
Wilde: Bosie, darling...
Douglas: It stinks in here. You'll be wanting me to empty your chamber pot next.
Wilde: Well, I emptied your chamber pot... I looked after you...
Douglas: Well, I'm not looking after you. Not now. You don't interest me, not when you're ill. You're just a boring, middle-aged man with a blocked-up nose.
Wilde: Bosie, dearest boy...
Douglas: Shut up! Dearest boy! Darling Bosie! It doesn't mean anything! You don't love me! The only person you've ever loved is yourself. You like me, you lust after me, you go about with me because I've got a title. That's all. You like to write about Dukes and Duchesses, but you know nothing about them. You're the biggest snob I've ever met, and you think you're so daring because you f**k the occasional boy.
Wilde: Bosie, please... You're killing me...
Douglas: You just about do when you're at your best. You're amusing, very amusing, but when you're not at your best, you're no one!
Wilde: All I asked for was a glass of water...

Carson: In this poem by Lord Alfred Douglas, "Two Loves", there is one love, true love, which, and I quote "fills the hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame." And there is another: "I am the love that dare not speak its name." Was that poem explained to you?
Wilde: I think it's clear.
Carson: There's no question as to what it means?
Wilde: Most certainly not.
Carson: So, is it not clear that the love described relates to natural and unnatural love?
Wilde: No.
Carson: Oh. Then what is 'the love that dare not speak its name?'
Wilde: "The love that dare not speak its name", in this century, is such a great affection of an elder for a younger man as there was between David and Johnathan. Such as Plato made the very basis of his philosophy, and such as you may find in the sonnets of Michelangelo or Shakespeare. It is, in this century, misunderstood. So much misunderstood that it may be described as "the love that dare not speak its name", and on account of it I am placed where I am now. It is beautiful. It is fine. It is the noblest form of affection. There is nothing unnatural about it. It is intellectual. And it repeatedly exists between an elder and a younger man when the elder has intellect and the younger man has all the joy, hope and glamour of life before him. That it should be so, the world does not understand. The world mocks at it and sometimes puts someone in the pillory for it.

The Marquess of Queensberry eventually baits Wilde by publicly demeaning him shortly after the opening of his play "The Importance of Being Earnest", and when Wilde makes a complaint of criminal libel against him, his sexual preference is exposed and he is arrested and tried for gross indecency. He chooses to fight the charge rather than flee the country. Eventually sentenced to two years' hard labor, he is visited in prison by his wife, who tells him she isn't divorcing him but is taking their sons to Germany and that he is welcome to visit as long as he never sees Douglas again. Oscar is released from prison and the film ends with his attempt to reconcile with Lord Alfred Douglas.

WILDE is the story of Oscar Wilde, the brilliant Victorian poet, writer, playwright, wit, and martyr for homosexuality. First the film establishes Wilde as a loving family man, complete with wife Constance and two sons, and portrays him as a dignified genius who is pained by his homosexuality. From his initial encounters with Robbie Ross, his first male lover, to his tragic affair with the beautiful and bratty Alfred "Bosie" Lord Douglas, Wilde is shown as a conflicted artist, fighting with his own urges as he amazes everyone around him. Bosie's father objects to his son's relationship with Oscar and eventually has him arrested and tried for gross indecency. Sentenced to two years' hard labour, Wilde is eventually released and the film ends with his attempt to reconcile with Bosie. Throughout the film, portions of the Wilde fairy tale "The Selfish Giant" are woven in: first by Wilde telling the story to his children, then as narrator, and finishing the story as the film ends with his tragic death.

Wilde: I do believe in anything, provided it is incredible. That's why I intend to die a Catholic, though I never could live as one.
Robbie Ross: I've given in and become a Catholic. I find Confession wonderfully consoling.
John Gray: I can't go to Confession when I want to kill Bosie... and myself...

The cast also includes: Vanessa Redgrave (Lady Speranza Wilde), Gemma Jones (Lady Queensberry), Judy Parfitt (Lady Mount-Temple), Zoë Wanamaker (Ada Leverson), Ioan Gruffudd (John Gray), Matthew Mills (Lionel Johnson), Jason Morell (Ernest Dowson), Peter Barkworth (Charles Gill), Robert Lang (C.O. Humphreys), Philip Locke (Judge), David Westhead (Edward Carson), Jack Knight (Cyril Wilde), Jackson Leach (Cyril Wilde, aged 4), Laurence Owen (Vyvyan Wilde), Benedict Sandiford (Alfred Wood), Mark Letheren (Charles Parker), Michael Fitzgerald (Alfred Taylor), Orlando Bloom (Rent Boy), Bob Sessions (Mine Owner), Adam Garcia (Jones), and many others. Arthur Sullivan and Debbie Wiseman composed the original music. Julian Mitchell wrote the screenplay from Richard Ellmann's book. Brian Gilbert directed.

In her review in the New York Times, Janet Maslin called the film "a broad but effectively intimate portrait", and added, "Playing the large dandyish writer with obvious gusto, Stephen Fry looks uncannily like Wilde and presents an edgy mixture of superciliousness and vulnerability." In the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Thomas stated the film, "has found a perfect Oscar in the formidably talented Stephen Fry...Coupled with Julian Mitchell's superb script...and director Brian Gilbert's total commitment to it and to his sterling cast, this deeply moving Wilde is likely to remain the definitive screen treatment of Oscar Wilde for years to come." In the San Francisco Examiner, David Armstrong wrote the film, "benefits from its lush period costumes and settings but gains even more from an accomplished cast of British film and stage actors. Gilbert's direction is sturdy but uninspired, and Ehle's part is underwritten. To her credit, Ehle movingly conveys the sad frustration that Wilde implanted in his lonely wife; but Ehle has to do the work, playing her feelings on her face, with little help from Julian Mitchell's screenplay."