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Average customer rating:

Heartbreaking in every sense of the word, moving and utterly flawless in delivery...
Like Van Sant's early films, but maybe better.
Well Directed, Incredible Performances
Boys dont cry...but i did
Unforgettable story

Boys Don't Cry
Starring: Jeanetta Arnette , Matt McGrath , Hilary Swank , Alicia Goranson , and Jr. Brendan Sexton
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003CWN3
Release Date: 2000-04-18

Amazon.com essential video

When Brandon Teena, a young man with an infectious, aw-shucks grin and an angelic face that's all angles, wanders into Falls City, Nebraska, he takes to the town like it's a second skin. In little time he's fallen in with a gang of goofy if temperamental redneck boys, found himself a girlfriend, and befriended enough people to form something of a small family. In fact, it's the best time Brandon's ever had. However, there are shadows looming over Brandon's life: a court date for grand theft auto, a checkered criminal record, and a seemingly innocuous speeding ticket that could prove to be his undoing. Why? Because as it turns out, Brandon Teena is actually Teena Brandon, a woman masquerading as a man.

This fascinating story was based on real-life events (as documented in The Brandon Teena Story) that occurred in 1993 and ended in tragedy: Brandon's rape and murder by two of his supposed friends. Despite this horrible outcome, however, in the hands of director Kimberly Peirce (who cowrote the unfettered screenplay with Andy Bienen), Brandon's story becomes not oppressive or preachy, but rather oddly and touchingly transcendent, anchored by Hilary Swank's phenomenal, unsentimental performance. Swank inhabits Brandon's contradictions and passions with a natural vitality most actresses would refuse to give themselves over to. Brandon's deception is doomed from the start, but Swank's enthusiasm is infectious, and when Brandon starts romancing the sloe-eyed Lana (a pitch-perfect Chloë Sevigny), he finds a soul mate who wants to transcend boundaries and fated identities as much as he does. The last part of the film, when Brandon's true identity is discovered, is truly painful to watch, but in between the agony there are touching moments of sweetness between Brandon and Lana, who wrestles with the truth of who Brandon actually is. You'll come away from Boys Don't Cry with affection and respect for Brandon, not pity. --Mark Englehart

Description

A true story about hope, fear, and the courage it takes to be yourself, "Boys Don't Cry" is "One of the 10 best films of 1999" (National Board of Review). Critically acclaimed and nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, this four-star, "must-see" (People), "riveting" (Enterainment Weekly) drama features incredible performances by newcomers Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny.

Customer Reviews:

Heartbreaking in every sense of the word, moving and utterly flawless in delivery..........2007-06-25

`Boy's Don't Cry' is the type of film that will prove it's title wrong, displaying enough emotional despair to make the burliest of men break down in tears. Recounting the true life story of Teena Brandon, a young woman with a sexual identity crisis that lived her life as Brandon Teena and was eventually raped and murdered in 1993, `Boy's Don't Cry' hits every mark precisely and delivers one of the most well proportioned films in recent years. Director Kimberly Pierce masterfully achieves accuracy and authenticity with levels of unique elegance and sets a mood that is piercingly calm while subtly unnerving. Watching this young woman's life slowly spiral out of control is so tempered and paced that it almost creeps up on you despite the fact that it's been unraveling quite rapidly before your very eyes.

The heart and soul behind this tragic retelling is that of Hilary Swank who delivers a brilliant breakout performance in which she disappears within the skin of Teena or better yet Brandon and completely convinces the audience of her lies, deceiving us as much as she's deceiving her fellow cast mates. Swanks performance is so brutally convincing that the viewer is swallowed in her frustration, her pain and her confusion. We are completely attached to her and never want to let her go. Swank is not alone though for the entire supporting cast is spot on as well, most notably Chloe Sevigny and Peter Sarsgaard who command their scenes and our emotions. Chloe plays Lana, Brandon's love interest. Her innocence and naivety makes her understandable, but it's her compassion in the heat of crashing hope that makes her lovable and sympathetic. I wept almost more for her character than that of Swank herself. Sarsgaard's character John evokes in us a drastically different emotional response. John, Lana's ex-boyfriend and Brandon's supposed friend is unsympathetic, irrational, violent and controlling and as we watch Peter Sarsgaard create and manipulate his own performance we're forced to appreciate his genius. His performance is utterly flawless.

As Teena's story is told we are brought to an understanding and or appreciation for the lives and or trials of others. Teena is not much different than the rest of us, a confused young girl who did all that she could to be who she knew she was regardless of the gender card she was dealt. We all struggle in our own ways to become the person we know we are yet never are given to opportunity to unveil and so watching her determined struggle should give us all a sense of respect for this brave young woman. As tragic as this biopic is it's a film that we should all experience and learn from.

Watching Swank, Sevigny and Sarsgaard chew up their performances before our eyes is fascinating to watch, three young actors devouring these characters with a mature fervor that is hard pressed to find in some of our more advanced and experienced actors. Swank earned the Oscar she won for this and Sevigny, as much as I adored Jolie in her respective film, deserved the Oscar as well for her heartbreaking performance. The fact that Peter Sarsgaard was snubbed altogether of a nomination is enough to make me cry so I won't talk of that too much. `Boy's Don't Cry' is a masterpiece of a film, one that will break your heart and crush your spirits but in the end amaze and move you beyond words.

Like Van Sant's early films, but maybe better........2007-06-20

I don't really know how "accurate" the film is in portraying the main character. Apparently there was some sort of controversy over this. I think it doesn't matter that much: it's a feature film, not a biography. Of course it stylizes its characters. Complaining about this just distracts from the substance of the film.

So, I don't know what Teena Brandon was really like. But, in the director's interpretation, she is a deeply confused and helpless person, the scatterbrained type who doesn't quite understand the world around her. She doesn't really know what to do with her life, she has no plan and nothing to look forward to. However, she is very imaginative, and invents a detailed biography for herself. She also calls herself Brandon Teena and attempts to pass herself off as a man, but she also fabricates other parts of her life that don't deal with her gender. For instance, she tells the other characters that she has a child, with no prompting on their part. She doesn't tell lies "on purpose," it's more like she needs to believe them herself. Her "sexual identity crisis" (her words, and she says them like she doesn't quite know what they mean) is part of a much larger, more general "identity crisis."

She commits theft, but she is essentially harmless to society. If she could find some kind of direction in life, she might find it easy to live normally, unlike the characters John and Tom, who really are genuine criminals, incapable of living any other way and unwilling to try. But more than anything, Brandon wants to be loved and accepted, instinctively. It doesn't really matter by whom. Consequently, she enters dangerous territory without understanding the risk to herself.

Long after the audience has realized that Brandon should leave town as soon as possible, she stays. Even after the first assault, it still seems like she doesn't understand her situation. Some critics complained about this aspect of Brandon's character, but I think it gives an air of genuine tragedy to the film. It's almost as if her fate is forcing her to stay.

The film reminded me a lot of Gus Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho," which is also about a lonely drifter who is stuck in a desolate region and craves love more than anything else. "Boys Don't Cry" is much better, because it lacks Van Sant's Shakespearean pretensions. But like Van Sant's film, "Boys Don't Cry" is best at appearances. The script is barely there. Half the film just wanders through dingy trailers, houses, bars and convenience stores, with convincingly forgettable dialogue. Most scenes are shot at night, usually indoors, so nature is totally absent. There's very little exposition. We don't really learn anything about the characters, but this is perfectly accurate. There is nothing to learn about them, and there's really nothing interesting that they could talk about.

But we can look at their faces, which are all chosen very well for the roles. Chloe Sevigny, as Lana, is immediately recognizable. Every suburb or small town has a girl like this, with a sullen face and a deliberately abrasive attitude intended to conceal her naivete. Every other face in the film is just as archetypical.

There is a moment of foreshadowing early in the film when John first encourages Brandon to drive over the speed limit, and then threatens her after they get pulled over by police. The impulsive, unreasoning way he goes from friendly to hostile is all the more frightening because it's so unexpected. When he finds out about Brandon's gender, he screams his disgust, but his anger is motivated more by "traditional" sexual jealousy. He would have assaulted a male rival also. But another man, especially one similar to John, might have been able to defend himself, whereas Brandon's gender and personality combine to make her uniquely vulnerable and defenseless, and this is the saddest thing about the story.

I do have a few problems with the film. It's very noticeable that all of the men in the film are vile and callous, not just John and Tom, but also the cops and the guys in the bar. At the same time, all of the women are basically sympathetic, not just Lana, but also her friend and even Lana's mother. Even if the women feel disgusted at Brandon's cross-dressing at first, they quickly come to support her. But the men never feel any remorse or sympathy, just rage and fear, and they blindly victimize everyone. I guess I can accept this in these particular characters, but still, I wonder about the director's intent.

The inevitable, brutal ending drags on for about half an hour, long after the conclusion becomes obvious. And the very last scene has a screaming toddler for maximum gut-wrenching effect. These lurid scenes may be manipulative (a similar scene in "Brokeback Mountain" is effective but occurs much more quickly), but there is also something believable in them. These men don't know anything that might inspire them to listen to reason or to feel compassion. It is hopeless to beg them for mercy.

I also don't quite believe the tender love scene between Lana and Brandon right after the first assault. The director includes it for pathos, to make the audience hope for their salvation, and to underscore how happy they might have been. But I'd suppose that right after such a terrifying experience, one would be too severely traumatized to express one's passion.

But, for most of its duration, the film is perceptive and believable, with a sympathetic and tragic heroine undone by circumstances that are too much for her to handle. The film is well in keeping with the tradition of American stories about marginal youth. If you like that subject, or if you are willing to consider watching a film about it, "Boys Don't Cry" is a good choice.

Well Directed, Incredible Performances.......2007-06-14

There's not much to say about this film that hasn't been said in the other reviews, but I do have a few extra comments.

Swank's performance really is incredibly brave and convincing. I was surprised not necessarily by how good her performance was, but how brave she was in really throwing herself whole-hog into the role and truly becoming a man. Her performance adds another vast dimension to the movie, particularly as I feel that in her performance alone does the character's motivation come through. You can sense just how exciting it is for her to flirt with becoming free of her gender, even if what she's doing is getting in a bar fight or doing stupid stunts on the back of a pickup. You can sense her euphoria at getting a taste of the experience of being a man. This creates the motivation for her character, as the man she wants to be IS the kind of guy who would get hurt and get into the kind of trouble she does. This is one case where the performance really IS one third of what the film as a whole is and I have no problem with Hilary Swank walking off with the best actress Oscar.

I am surprised that so many people at the time said the film was poorly directed. I think that Pierce has definitely watched her share of David Lynch films and uses what she's learned to cast an air of unreality and mythological significance to the events. I thought the sex scene was particularly good, because you see on Lana's face how Brandon is pleasing her in ways that her other boyfriends couldn't possibly. This is much more subtly done than in other lesbian films, where a character would probably have a line like "well everyone knows that only a woman knows what a woman wants" or something else-- this film is more powerful because it doesn't preach or be too heavy-handed. It is not without viewpoint, but it handles the matter subtly.

It's a little frustrating watching the movie just how stupid Brandon is, but hey, it's a true story and the film makes him out to be stupid and unstable from the start.

I'm gay, and as such I found this film's tagline upon release, "A true story about finding the courage to be yourself," entirely disgusting. This is not about finding the courage to be yourself, it's about messed-up people who are at the mercy of forces within themselves that are beyond their control. It's about people who are so undersocialized that they have no way of knowing how to deal with the emotions that they feel. I am so sick of the whole marketing slant of "Being-gay-is-just-such-a-heartwarming-growing-experience" that I truly want to vomit. I would like to think that someone out there could credit gay people with enough intelligence to accept that not everything about being gay or lesbian is a wonderful, warm, and affirming experience. I also think a tagline like that trivializes the emotions and experiences of the characters in a film like this. Luckily the film itself is free of such sentimentality.

Boys dont cry...but i did.......2007-05-12

i LOVE this movie.....its poignant, interesting, and just an overall treat...i recomment it to everyone, open your minds

Unforgettable story.......2007-04-02

This is the true story of Teena Brandon (Hillary Swank), a lonely teenage girl living as a man, "Brandon Teena." She's been in trouble with the law and has no roots. When she comes to a new town, she is befriended by a "family" of perpetually drunk low-lifes, and is especially attracted to Lana (Chloe Sevigny), who dreams of going to Memphis and being a karaoke singer. Brandon and Chloe fall in love, angering two men who begin to suspect Brandon's true identity.

Swank's performance as Brandon/Teena is simply remarkable. She conveys the heartbreak and misery of an outsider, a misfit, and the need for love that is universal; she won the Oscar in 1999 for this role. Sevigny is convincing as the girl who falls in love with both Brandon and Teena. Despite its low-budget (Swank earned only $3,000), this is an extremely well-made, thought-provoking, and deeply moving for adults. (There are sexual and extremely violent scenes.) A riveting, shocking, and very sad story with sensitive acting and direction.

Average customer rating:

Riveting, and violent. Full of twist and turns.
Intense, beautiful, violent, pensive, romantic & everything around and in between
An accurate window on the past?
The murderous Medici's and their pawn,Margot
Classic

Queen Margot (La Reine Margot)
Starring: Isabelle Adjani , Daniel Auteuil , Jean-Hugues Anglade , Vincent Perez , and Virna Lisi
Director: Patrice Chéreau
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008L3S2
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Description

A classic tale of intrigue and forbidden love, QUEEN MARGOT is the powerful hit universally acclaimed by critics! Thrown into a political marriage of convenience by her ruthlessly power-hungry family, the beautiful Margot (Isabelle Adjani -- DIABOLIQUE) soon finds herself hopelessly drawn into their murderous affairs. It's then she realizes that her only hope of escape lies somewhere between the heroic soldier who loves her and the enemy husband who could save her! Triumphant winner of 5 Cesar Awards the pretigious Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize -- you're sure to be entertained by this vivid portrayal of passion, revenge, and extraordinary courage!

Customer Reviews:

Riveting, and violent. Full of twist and turns........2007-06-25

The acting and the plot are gripping. They hold my attention from the begining till the end. I was scared and sympathetic with the victims in the movie. It contains a lot of bloody scenes but the fighting is not as realistic, intense and entertaining as those of American made movies.

I don't know how accurate it is compared to history facts.

Intense, beautiful, violent, pensive, romantic & everything around and in between.......2007-06-06

If you can't handle medieval-ish violence - you'll need to do some fast-forwarding. the violence of the st. bartholomew massacre is shocking, but it is a beautiful movie overall. the acting is superb, to say the least. upon close attention, the subtitles are decent, but not always completely accurate - fortunately, it doesn't alter too much of the story. I've seen it so many times - from renting it repeatedly - to searching down a used VHS when it was out of print & then getting this DVD when my VCR ate said VHS. If you love French dramas, period movies, adventure &/or romance - this movie is for you.

An accurate window on the past?.......2007-05-13

Being of Huguenot descent (Francois du Toit arrived in Cape Town, South Africa in 1686), I looked forward to learning more about my ancestors in this movie. I recognise some of the names and events from history books, but is there a historian out there who would comment on the accuracy of the movie?
Not a feel-good movie, but very realistic as far as I can tell.

The murderous Medici's and their pawn,Margot.......2007-04-19

Any student of either secular or religious wars of the 16th century are well aware of the name Medici.The Medici's,a strong and overpowering French family had ruled France with it's Protestant intolerance in a time when all of Europe was aligning and realigning themselves politically and religiously in order to war and conquer.Margot,a Catholic(Isabelle Adjani),the only daughter of the murderous Catherine of Medici (a magnificent and totally hateful Virna Lisi)is married off against her will to Henry of Navarre,a Protestant (Daniel Auteil)in what is supposed to be a day in which all of France will be united in one religious tolerance (but really it is all about alliances formed in order to battle Spain....Oh those Royals!!!).What transpires,though,is the historic slaughter of 6000 Huguenot Protestants under the combined effoerts of various Medici royals.All of this is sound and historical.Where this film,which runs a laboriously bloody 144 minutes,falters is in the continued story of Margot and this man whom she has had sex with (that is putting it mildly!)and her protection of her new husband and all of these other subplots and people that just simply becoming overwhelming and almost silly!Keeping them all straight is a real task.This film is not so much about Margot and her romance,as pictured on the coverbox,but an historical time of bloodbathing in 1572 with some kind of "romance" stuck in.Times,places and dates fly by with no warning or explanation.Scenes and characters shift rapidly causing the film to lose it's center focus.Still.information-wise the film enlightens on the age and it's players.The subtitles are very clear and readable.3-1/2 ***'s.

Classic.......2007-03-16

This is a movie to keep in your library. Isabelle Adjani is great. It's great historical fiction but you have to like subtitles.

Average customer rating:

Intolerance
Truly one of the world's great films
Great..yes...but....
The extreme advance of screen art...
More theory than quality

Intolerance (1916) (Silent) (B&W)
Starring: Mae Marsh , Robert Harron , F.A. Turner , Sam De Grasse , and Vera Lewis
Director: D.W. Griffith
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Birth of a Nation
Battleship Potemkin
The General
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)

ASIN: B00007CVS8
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Amazon.com essential video

After Birth of a Nation, what do you do for an encore, especially after said film has branded you a racist? D.W. Griffith, the silent era's "king of the world," mounted this melodramatic spectacle of "Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages," four stories that illustrate "how hatred and intolerance have battled against love and charity." Critic Heywood Broun, upon the film's release, probably said it best: "Quite the most marvelous thing which has been put on the screen, but as a theory of life it is trite." But what's on the screen is dazzling!

Griffith interweaves the four parallel stories set, respectively, in the modern era (fuddy-duddy reformers and a workers' strike), Jerusalem (Christ's crucifixion), 1572 Paris (a "hotbed" of persecution against the Huguenots), and ancient Babylon. No collection of silent films is complete without this landmark, awe-inspiring epic, which really does boast a cast of thousands (the most memorable of which is Constance Talmadge as the spunky Mountain Girl). The fall of Babylon ranks with one of the great action set pieces, complete with racing chariots, a nifty decapitation (at the hands of Elmo Lincoln, the man who would be Tarzan), and falls from what appear to be incredible heights. The edge-of-your-seat climax to the modern story, a race against time to save an innocent young man from the electric chair, is another bravura sequence. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

Intolerance.......2007-06-18

Stung by accusations of racism after the debut of his "Birth of a Nation," Griffith decided to assuage his detractors and at the same time top his previous masterpiece with this lavish meditation on cruelty and persecution. With colossal stages, a vast universe of extras, and some of the most jaw-dropping images ever recorded on film (check out the fall of Babylon sequence!), "Intolerance" is a masterpiece of epic melodrama and set-piece grandeur. Among the cast, Harron (as the contemporary hero), Lillian Gish (as the symbolic Woman Who Rocks the Cradle), Mae Marsh (as the "Dear One" in the modern tale), and Constance Talmadge (as the Girl From the Mountains) are especially striking. And the brilliantly innovative parallel climax of all four stories is a feat of ahead-of-its-time editing technique that may still take your breath away.

Truly one of the world's great films.......2007-03-11

D.W. Griffith's "The Birth Of A Nation," filmed the year before "Intolerance," is a much better-known film, but this depiction of four stories, illustrating the intolerance of people for those unlike them throughout history, cuts a wider swath. In many ways it is one of the most remarkable films ever made.
I believe that the oft-repeated bromide that Griffith made "Intolerance" to "atone" for the perceived anti-black prejudice and glorification of the Ku Klux Klan in "The Birth Of A Nation" is simply wishful thinking on the part of many liberals. Griffith in fact saw nothing inaccurate or unfair about the earlier film, and made the 1916 blockbuster as an answer to what he perceived as the intolerance of his critics.
The acting in "Intolerance" is, of course, somewhat dated (affer all, the film is 91 years old), but the movie nevertheless packs an emotional wallop.
Most visually appealing is the Babylonian story, with sets that are jaw-droppingly huge and impressive representing the walls of the ancient city, and various statutes and other structures. The actors in those scenes literally look like ants in the master shots, totally dwarfed by the sets which rival the tall buildings existing today in many cities.
As a matter of fact, the Babylonian sequence alone would justify the colorization of this film. It would have to be done with great care, of course, to guarantee that copies of the original black and white work were preserved. But re-photographing every frame of the film to produce a brand-new negative has been done before on other movies. It would be quite a job, but it would be possible. The Babylonian scenes are awe-inspiring in black and white. In color, done properly, and with the new negative cleaned digitally to remove dirt and scratches showing from the old prints, it would be of almost unbelievable grandeur.
I hope someone undertakes this project. The world's viewing public deserves it.

Great..yes...but...........2007-01-13

Is "Intolerance " a great film ? Of course...who would dare to say otherwise...? But..I found it very hard going to sit through..and I am a fan of silent films. Can anyone please just slap "the dear one"..viewing a film with the devine Clara Bow just 10 years later makes you realize how far women progressed in the mind of film makers...what a breath of fresh air!
Anyway....for all its spectacle and artistic invention the message film "Intolerance" is a big bulky piece of furniture in the living room of movie history...not really enjoyable but "de rigeur" for every film fan worth that name. For all its political incorrectness(that's putting it mildly) "Birth of a nation " is, surprisingly, still a far more enjoyable film than "intolerance"...drenched in reprehensible racism but it still works as an involving story , and so it is much more accesible to modern audiences.
I do know that watching a silent film asks of modern audiences an effort of mind and concentration..but the rewards are many ...at its best it is like enjoying a heavenly piece of classical music or a fine painting....but it can also be escapist fun in truly gorgeous sepia tones.
"Intolerance " however is a sermon....and a long and heavy one at that...you will find the cathedral it is given in vast and overwelming but ultimately uninvolving and cold.
If you are already experienced in viewing silent movies it is a must see film at any rate.
If this is going to be your first silent movie : think again....it may put you off from ever seeing one again. Better start with Clara Bow, Douglas Fairbanks or even a lovely Erich Von Stroheim monstrosity !

The extreme advance of screen art..........2007-01-02

'Intolerance' is a passionate antiwar statement... It has long been considered the artistic peak of the early silent films...

Of the pacifist films produced in the United States, Griffith's "Intolerance' is undoubtedly the best, despite its failure to capture the authentic atmosphere of the war...

Griffith had in mind a vast theme-the age-old struggle against intolerance, or 'love's struggle through the ages...' The film showed how self-appointed 'uplifters' throughout history hypocritically destroy true love and happiness in the name of religion, patriotism or justice...

Griffith's innovative but highly complex plot structure had four separate episodes, three historic - the fall of Babylon, the Crucifixion and the St. Batholomew's Eve Massacre - and one modern... The effect of the war on two young lovers living in a small French village occupied by the invading German forces... All are cross-cut and interwoven, leading to a final grand finale of man's inhumanity to man... We must turn to Godard to find a modern equivalent of what Griffith was attempting to do with cinema...

In Graffith's words, 'the stories begin like four currents looked at from a hilltop. At first the four currents flow apart, slowly and quietly. But as they flow, they grow nearer and nearer together, and faster an faster, until in the end, in the last act, they mingle in one mighty river of expressed emotion.'

As a piece film 'Intolerance' marks the extreme advance of screen art... But as innovator in film making, its effects are still with us...

More theory than quality.......2006-12-31

`Intolerance' is made up of four stories: 2 feature length (The Modern Tale and The Babylonian Tale) and 2 shorts (The Nazarene and French Tale). The only story of any worth though is The Modern Tale, which has some truly great images. The remaining tales are all about set and costume design and nothing else. Clearly we can see this would go on to influence other epic picture directors like Cecil B. DeMille. It would be hard to imagine films like `The Ten Commandments' (1956, DeMille); `Lawrence Of Arabia' (1962, Lean); `Cleopatra' (1963, Mankiewicz) or even Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars without it, but because you do it first doesn't necessarily make it good.

What `Intolerance' is remembered for is it's cross-cutting between the four tales. This was a new idea because it's cutting between events thousands of years apart in order to show parallel thematic ideas and not to parallel events. The cutting towards the end speeds up dramatically. All this of course would have a huge influence Soviet montage directors like Eisenstein as well as Pudovkin and Dovzhenko. Welles, Godard and Coppola could also be said to draw ideas from `Intolerance': just see films like Citizen Kane (1941) and The Godfather II (1974), which freely cuts between different periods.

The best thing about this film is the Modern Tale and it's structure, the rest is just epic film-making of gargantuan proportions. The problem I had is that I failed to see how the title `Intolerance' applied to the film. Griffith would have been better to re-release `Birth Of A Nation' (1915) with this title because the previous film clearly had an intolerant message. All Griffith is doing here is trying to dig himself out of a moral hole. So I believe that this is an important film in terms of the development of narrative structure, and therefore a must-see for film students, but not necessarily a good film.

Average customer rating:

hate can be a stronge revenge
A Little Too Pat
Required viewing for all
Love, Intolerance, Justice
Powerful film shows hate and violence breeds more of the same.

Hate Crime
Starring: Seth Peterson , Chad Donella , Bruce Davison , Giancarlo Esposito , and Cindy Pickett
Director: Tommy Stovall
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Another Gay Movie
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Poster Boy

ASIN: B000I2J6Y6
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Description

Nice guy accountant Robbie lives an idyllic life with his partner Trey in a quiet suburban neighborhood. But when a venomous neighbor moves in and starts harassing them, hate sparks violence. Recipient of the Best Feature Award at the Outtakes Dallas and Sedona International film festivals, Hate Crime features a brilliant cast including Seth Peterson (Providence) as Robbie, Lin Shaye (Snakes On A Plane, There's Something About Mary) and Golden Globe winners Susan Blakely (The Towering Inferno, Rich Man, Poor Man) and Bruce Davison (Longtime Companion). A provocative thriller, Hate Crime delves deep into intolerance, challenging audiences to question their own prejudices as they witness the heartbreaking consequences of hate and a family's painful quest for retribution.

Customer Reviews:

hate can be a stronge revenge.......2007-06-27

this movie shows what can happen when a crime of hate can force you to find out the truth even if it means murder

A Little Too Pat.......2007-06-13

This movie may be a little too pat a morality play about homophobia. The haters appear to be too one-dimensionally villainous; and the hated appear to be too one-dimensionally admirable. There is even a lovable pet thrown into the mix to wring our hearts on cue. And tragedy strikes with a predictable knell.

However, the plot takes an interesting turn or two. There is some suspense and some detective work involved. And the movie does bring home the lesson that no good can come of blind hatred.

Overall, this is a worthwhile film.

Required viewing for all.......2007-02-12

Robbie and Trey live a peaceful suburban life, well known and respected by all. That idyllic picture quickly changes, however, with the arrival of an inhospitable new neighbor. Christopher Boyd, son of the local fundamentalist pastor, immediately goes out of his way to vehemently demean the two men and warns Robbie to watch his back because he's "going to hell." Following a viciously unprovoked attack that leaves Trey lying comatose in a hospital bed, Robbie endeavors to fill the unbearable void left in his life and seek justice.

Director Tommy Stovall has crafted a bold, hard-hitting slice of reality. Any one person who, upon watching "Hate Crime," can still come away quoting it as a "cheap jab at religion" that promotes the so-called "Gay Agenda" is plain and simply beyond hope. Prejudice is prejudice, no matter how you choose to approach it. The fact that some members of society still choose to justify blatant acts of violence as "God's will" represents the sole reason I feel this outstanding film should be required viewing.

This has everything. Tight scripting, fine acting by a strong cast of professionals, and an unflinching look at the heart-wrenching pain intolerance can breed. My spouse and I were both extremely moved and impressed with what Mr. Stovall brought to the table. "Hate Crime" deserves all the praise it has received and has definitely earned a spot in our collection. It is, in every conceivable manner, a true eye-opener that shouldn't be missed.

Love, Intolerance, Justice.......2007-02-04

Tommy Stovall makes a stunning debut as a writer and director for the very insightful, sensitive, and courageous film HATE CRIME. It is difficult to believe that this is his first attempt at cinematic communication, the film just works that well.

Robbie Levinson (Seth Peterson) and Trey McCoy (Brian J. Smith) have been in a successful relationship for six years, complete with home, cute and devoted dog, supportive parents and siblings, and especially funky supportive neighbor Kathleen Slansky (a major turn for veteran character actress Lin Shaye). They are approaching their commitment ceremony and even talking about adopting children when the sky darkens with the moving in of next door neighbor Chris Boyd (Chad Donella), a stormy right wing bible-thumping homophobe who catches a glimpse of Robbie's and Trey's affection. When Trey is walking their dog in the park one evening he is beaten severely with a baseball bat: the obvious suspect is neighbor Chris.

Kathleen warns Robbie that justice will never be achieved in the hands of the law and sets of a sense of revenge in Robbie's mind. Trey lies in a coma in the hospital while his mother (a superb Cindy Pickett) is shaken not only form her only son's tenuous condition but also from her recovering alcoholic husband's (Sean Hennigan) flat affect and continued lack of communication. A fine young detective Elizabeth Fisher (Farah White) does what she can to attempt to gather the shaky facts of evidence of Chris' guilt, but is thwarted by the entry of Detective Esposito (Giancarlo Esposito) who has homophobic issues of his own.

Chris' father, Pastor Boyd (Bruce Davison) rants from his pulpit that all sinners - especially fornicators - must be punished by God and Chris supports his father's preachings and actions, as does his beautiful bimbo mother Martha (Susan Blakely). As facts are found and everyone surrounding Trey's beating is suspect, the story gathers momentum in the true fashion of the best detective mysteries. Dark secrets appear from every corner and eventually the crime is 'resolved', but not without many surprises as to the perpetrator and the motivation.

The entire cast is excellent from the leading roles to the cameos and Stovall keeps the pace at a breathtaking speed. Yes, there are some gaping holes in the script, giving us the feeling that Stovall had to pare down his story to the 104 minutes it takes. But what he does accomplish is a masterly look at strident right wing religious views of gays while balancing those with compassionate religious views by the more moderate and love-oriented factions. He raises a lot of issues, leaves many concepts unresolved intentionally, and draws performances from his committed cast that rank with the finest. This is a film that SHOULD be viewed by a wide audience. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 07

Powerful film shows hate and violence breeds more of the same. .......2007-01-21

Robbie Levinson and Trey McCoy are your stereotypically-successful suburban "guppie" (Gay urban professional) couple, until Trey becomes the victim of a violent "Hate Crime" (2005). The likely suspect is tehir new bible-thumping neighbor, son of the local fundamentalist preacher, who had recently made anti-gay taunts against them, and has a history of homophobic acts. Robbie cannot believe that the police refuse to just arrest him based on the recent verbal bashing and implied threat, and works with friends to try to push the police into action.

A relatively low-budget indie first film by writer/producer/director Tommy Stovall, who managed to attract a mostly-experienced cast of actors who made the rather simplistic screenplay seem a lot better than it really is. Bruce Davidson is riveting as the fundamentalist preacher, and Seth Peterson shows considerable range as Robbie. The musical score is also impressive, including several new songs by writer/artist Ebony Tay. Personally, I was a bit turned off by the "Fight violence and hate with more violence and hate" message conveyed, though it could be commendable that it illustrates that gay men are not content to simply be victims. Overall, I give it four stars out of five.

Average customer rating:

A Hero for Us
An Essential Documentary
Amazing. You laugh, you cry, and you try your best to live your life with hope.
Interesting documentary
Essential historical documentary

The Times of Harvey Milk 1984
Starring: Harvey Fierstein , Harvey Milk , Anne Kronenberg , Tory Hartmann , and Tom Ammiano
Director: Rob Epstein
Manufacturer: New Yorker Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001Y4LDW
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Amazon.com

A devastatingly skillful and emotionally compelling documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk charts the political rise and brutal slaying of the first openly gay city official in the United State, Harvey Milk. Ironically, the same election that brought Milk to the board of city supervisors of San Francisco also elected the man who killed him, a former police officer and fireman named Dan White. After White shot both Mayor George Moscone and Milk, his defense lawyers convinced the jury that White's judgment was impaired by depression and junk food, resulting in a conviction for manslaughter instead of murder--a verdict that prompted riots. With care and conviction, The Times of Harvey Milk captures not only Milk himself, but also the political and social landscape in which these events took place. The interviews--with friends, politicians, and journalists--are articulate and heartfelt, expressing the impact that Milk had upon this historical moment. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

A Hero for Us.......2006-12-31

"THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK"

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

One of the finest gay documentaries to come along in the last few years is undoubtedly "The Times of Harvey Milk". Through interviews with his friends, acquaintances and people from the world of politics, the film brings Milk to life and shows him to be the inspiration that he was when he was alive. The movie pens with a very moving shot of Diane Feinstein announcing that "Mayor Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk have been shot and killed. From here we re taken on a tour of Milk's life and find out who the man was. As we look at the life of Milk very strong emotions come into play and the gay perspective of an openly gay elected official shot down in his prime looms before us. There is no gay propaganda here and both sides of the coin are looked at with fairness.
It seems as if the goal of the film is turn Milk into a martyr, and in a sense he was. He knew he would be assassinated. Even though, when the announcement comes that he has been shot down, there s a shock to be felt, especially when you see the reporters who upon hearing the announcement cry out in disbelief. What is even more shocking is that Dan White, who shot Milk, was found guilty any of voluntary manslaughter and eventually set free after only five and a half years in jail.
This is a stunning film and it is quite remarkable the way the story of Milk's life s pieced together and retold. The film covers a piece of America that few know about and everyone should. The movie is for all people, not just gays. It is a film about politics or San Francisco. It is about a man who was murdered at the prime of his life who happened to be a gay San Franciscan politician. The move takes you in and shows you how Milk affected lives including the life of the man who assassinated him. Just as Harvey Milk's life is impotent to us, the aftermath of his death is jest as important as seen in this amazing film. As an openly gay politician, Milk filled an important place in history. Milk was an intense person as to how he dealt with human rights. How he fit into society is amazing.
The director, Robert Epstein, has made a movie he can be proud of and the fact that it won an Oscar is validation of that. This straightforward portrait of Harvey Milk is fascinating and inspirational. It shows the tenaciousness of a man who was articulate, charming and intelligent. With gay rights being the biggest issue facing him, he fought equally of other disenfranchised groups and recognized their need to come together to fight for the rights of all. He was a hero of the entire movement for human rights and the film shows how much has changed since the film was made in 1984. Harvey Milk is a part of the history that we as members of the GLBT community have to be proud of and as long as we have this film to remind us, we know that everything is possible.

An Essential Documentary.......2006-12-09

After watching this documentary on Harvey Milk, all I could think to myself was how this story escapes high school history books. Harvey Milk is the gay community's MLK, Jr. - everyone should know about his plight for justice.

Amazing. You laugh, you cry, and you try your best to live your life with hope........2006-11-16

I just finished watching The Times of Harvey Milk and I struggle to find the right words to express how amazing this documentary is.

Focusing on Harvey Milk in the context of San Francisco and California in the 1970's, this film is as much about the gay community as it is about Milk himself.

Yet it captures Milk's passion without portraying him as a saint. He has temper tantrums, he lacks patience at times, but he calls on ALL of us, gay or straight, as members of the human condition, to make our world a better place. He calls us to see the links between the oppression of gays, asians, blacks, women, the poor, etc and challenges us to rise up in our own communities and fight for every one of these causes because it is the right thing to do.

The film is exquisitely made, using photographs, news reports, radio broadcasts, and interviews with Milk's friends and political cohorts. It reaches down into you and tears at your heart, it enrages you when White doesn't really get the full brunt of the law, and it inspires you with that most difficult of things... hope.

Interesting documentary.......2006-08-14

I didn't know a lot about the murder of San Francisco Board of Supervisor Harvey Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. At that time I was too busy raising my sons and wasn't politically minded at that time of my life. I wanted to learn more about this incident so I saw this movie.

Dan Brown (another supervisor) resigned from his position. Family, friends and supporters said he shouldn't have done that and he asked for his job back. When he heard he probably wouldn't be reinstated he killed them. He had a gun and bullets in his pockets. Yet a jury let him get away with pretty much a slap on the hand. He served only five years incarcerated. His defense was he was under pressure and eating too much junk food. The Twinkie Defense. As people said in the film, if he only assassinated Mayor George Moscone instead of also killing Harvey Milk (who was gay), he would have done hard time.

One of the faults I suppose of the jury system is that since it is a jury of your peers is that sometimes they will let you get away with a "hate crime". I feel that's is what happened in the OJ trail. I wish this could be fixed somehow.

Essential historical documentary.......2006-06-17

Robert Epstein and Richard Schmiechen have crafted an eloquent and touching documentary that brings to life a historically important political figure in our nation's history: Harvey Milk, the first openly gay public elected official in San Francisco. Milk, together with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, were assassinated in November 1978.

The film does not concentrate on a biographical portrait of Milk, but instead focuses on the eleven months he served as San Francisco supervisor. It brings life to history, albeit recent history, a quality that is lacking in so many historical documentaries. What makes this possible, in many ways, is the ample news footage that was available to trace the events that comprised those eleven months, and the personal commentary provided by witnesses and participants of the events documented. The additional footage and audio commentary that comprises this 2-DVD set sheds more light on the Harvey Milk legacy. Milk was a politician by nature, much in the same way as John Kennedy was, but without the money. It shows how much a charasmatic figure can accomplish when the mission seems clear. Milk's humor, candor, and intelligence shines through.

I first saw this film in the late 1980s on public television, and saw it a few times since. Watching it today, what shocked me the most is that Dan White, who served a little more than five years for the slayings, received no psychiatric treatment while incarcerated. White's defense attorney stated quite clearly in news footage that White was a suicide risk the day the verdict was announced. White killed himself less than two years after his release. I am clearly no apologist for Dan White, but he was failed by the very system that awarded him his freedom a scant five years after killing two men.

Milk was elected to public office in the few years after the notion of the "personal is political" became popular. Milk exemplified and capitalized on this notion brilliantly. What Milk's legacy shows me, today, is that personal authenticity is the most essential quality needed in our public officials. Integrity and intelligence springs from authenticity, as does clarity of purpose. And a sense of wit and humor is the second most essential quality. Milk possessed both.

P.S.: I thought of this after I originally posted my review. Milk was assassinated a few short years before the AIDS epidemic emerged as a public health threat within, and outside of, the gay community. Had Milk been on the scene at the time, I have no doubt he would have used his office and political power to the greatest extent possible to affect legislation and government accountibility in their response to the epidemic. His death really altered the course of history.

Average customer rating:

Great Film, Awful DVD

Intolerance
Starring: D. W. Griffith
Director: Lillian Gish
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007ODIJY
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Customer Reviews:

Great Film, Awful DVD.......2006-07-29

Note: this review refers to the Alpha Video release.

This is quite a compelling film. It was Griffith's follow-up to "The Birth of a Nation," and showcases many of that film's strengths while avoiding its weaknesses. Wonderful use of montage, and brilliant structuring to the story.

Unfortunately, this DVD is of rather awful quality. The image is frequently very washed-out. Inter-titles fade into the background and become illegible. Characters' faces because indistinct white blurs. The image is covered with scratches, and has a number of awkward jumps where frames are either missing or not properly aligned.

The soundtrack is also rather lacking - whoever put this together seems to have just thrown a "Best of Classical Music" cd on random and left it playing over the film. As a result, we get huge swelling fanfares accompanying shots of someone walking down a street, and battle scenes with "Fur Elise" and Can-Can music. It distracts from the film. It would have been better served by no soundtrack at all.

Average customer rating:

just plain weird
Peter Paige in a Black Comedy
perfect transaction
best educational comedy for select straights'
"People might get the wrong idea"

Say Uncle
Starring: Anthony Clark , Lisa Edelstein , Kathy Najimy , Jim Ortlieb , and Melanie Lynskey
Director: Peter Paige
Manufacturer: Tla
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ASIN: B000GPIPGU
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Customer Reviews:

just plain weird.......2007-07-09

I'm still not sure if I liked the movie or not. It was just plain weird watching throughout.

Peter Paige (Queer as Folk) plays Paul Johnson who is a gay godfather of one of his closest friend's son. When the family finally tells him that they're moving to Japan within the week, Paul is shocked and is left in a daze. As a result, he loses his job and binges on donuts.

Naive, Paul seeks to replace his grandson by playing with kids at the local park. At first, the mothers receive him warmly, assuming that he is a stay-at-home father. However, one by one, they began to interpret his behavioral patterns as of a pedophile. No thanks to Maggie (Kathy Najimy), who tells others that Paul fits the profile of a pedophile. (By the way, she looks good with all that weight loss!)

Oblivous to love, his best friend, Russell, tells him that his innocent behavior towards kids will get him in trouble. Plus, he tries to tell Paul that he's in love wit him. In denial, Paul continues his close ties with children. In digust, Maggie seeks to raise an awareness in the community that there's a pedophile among them.

All I can say that this movie was just really weird. I mean, it really is a hard sell that someone could really be that oblivious about some of one's approach to children just might be deemed inappropriate by others. Plus, the imaginary thinking and painting/graffitti by Paul on others borders on cheesiness.

I do look forward to Peter Paige's future attempts at writing and directing. I just hope he will improve dramatically from this one. This was just a little too freaky for me.

Peter Paige in a Black Comedy.......2007-01-15

"SAY UNCLE"

Peter Paige in a black comedy

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

We love Peter Paige. He was our alter ego in "Queer as Folk" as Emmett, the gay guy who never stopped being himself no matter the situation. He continues that in "Say Uncle" (TLA Releasing) his big screen debut film. Not only does he star in the film but he directed it as well and it is an auspicious foray into the world of filmmaking.
Paige plays Paul, a gay artist who has centered his life on his godson. When the family moves away taking the boy with them, Paul is beside himself. He begins spending time at a local playground but some of the parents find it alarming that a single man would want to spend so much time looking at the children and controversy ensues. Naturally the parents band together against Paul and are led by the always fabulous Kathy Najimy.
We do not have many comedies about gay pedophiles and admittedly the idea does not strike me as a good one. But surprisingly this is a very tender and funny movie. Paige is, as usual, superb as he reinforces the feeling that I had about him when I saw him on TV.
As a hapless loner after his godson and family move to Japan, Paige shows the gamut of emotion as he is labeled as a pedophile. Coming out of that depression, he decides to relive his happy times with his godson by visiting the local playground and he is warned to be careful by his boyfriend Russell (Anthony Clark of TV's "Last Comic Standing). Not only is Paul endangering himself but he is hurting the chance of a relationship with a guy who is sincerely interested in him. Russell warns him that "people might get the wrong idea". Paul responds by pretending that he has no idea of the idea that is mentioned, brushes the sand off of a little girl and takes another to the bathroom. As expected a group of local mothers led by Maggie (Najimy) steps in to do something.
I sometimes felt that "Say Uncle" was dealing with the issue of the persecution of gay people but instead I realized that this is where the movie lost itself. I could not understand the nature of homophobia here as it was muddled. Even with its faults, I loved this movie. There were great lines and a lot of wit. It could have been so much better but even as it is I felt as I had seen a really good movie and, of course, I recommend it. Some reviewers have been very hard on this movie. I can't understand why.
As I stated earlier, Paige gives a bravura performance but it could have been so much more and I think that the script is at fault here. Aside from the character of Paul, the other characters are poorly defined and those of us that know that Najimy is really out friend will have a hard time seeing her as an opponent.

perfect transaction.......2007-01-11

I got the item sooner than expected and it was in perfect condition.

best educational comedy for select straights'.......2006-12-18

this is a definite 'think about it' comedy from a gay person's point of view. it puts the typical uneducated select straight in his or her place on views of gays and children. sadly it shows how the majority of society (select straights') control by personal assumptions and/ or opinions. lives CAN BE permanatly changed. look at religion and politics in the u.s. concerning gays.

"People might get the wrong idea".......2006-10-10

Paul (Peter Paige) is one of the innocent, self consciously nerdy people, who just don't want to listen. An artist and somewhat of a recluse, Paul is gay and well meaning, but he has a rather unhealthy attachment to the schoolyard and aggressive interest in other people's children. When his godson's family moves to Japan, Paul goes ballistic, bursting in on the distressed new owners of his godson's home and loitering in the local playground.

Paul isn't a pedophile, he just loves kids, but he doesn't really comprehend the ramifications of his actions. His best friend, Russell (Anthony Clark) - who at one stage tells Paul that he loves him - advises caution, because people will talk and he could get into deep trouble. After all, helping a little girl go potty in a toy store and brushing down children's bottoms whilst playing in the sandpit does come across as a bit creepy.

It doesn't take long for us to realize that Paul is playing with fire, the problem is while we are supposed to sympathize with him, in reality, he comes off as remarkably self-centered and juvenile and also frustrating. Following a brief period of denial, Paul soon trades gloominess and despair for fixation, and decides to work as a stock boy in a toy store and then offer his baby-sitting services as a "manny" who knows what children really want.

Leave it up to concerned local mother Maggie (Kathy Najimy) to lead the moral majority and decide - for no good reason - that Paul fits the classic profile of a child predator. Together with some of the other mothers she begins a type neighborhood watch in the form of a witch-hunt to "bring Paul in" before he actually commits any crime.

Because Paul is gay and kindly and sort of innocent, we are supposed to see him as the victim, and to a certain extent he is. Still, if you were a parent wouldn't you be concerned if an unknown single man approached kids in the park and started playing in the sandbox with them? If so, you may not find Paul, and his deranged Peter Pan complex, and his anger at the big, bad world of grown-up people quite as charming as Paige does.

Besides the obvious reticence to actually empathize with Paul, Say Uncle does do a good job of presenting a hot-button issue where mothers of young kids can often rush to judgment, becoming hysterical over this issue for no good reason.

Peter Paige wrote, directed and cast himself in the lead and while the film presents the results of two people's misconceptions about each other quite well, the results are still often wobbly, somewhat misconstrued and wildly out of balance. The moral subtleness of Paul and Maggie's dilemma just doesn't come across as well as it could and rather than trying to deal with gay persecution and social mistrust, Say Uncle mostly comes off as a wishy-washy study of one man's wildly inappropriate behavior. Mike Leonard October 06.

Unforgivable Blackness - The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Average customer rating:

Awesome.
The penultimate unboxed-in boxer
HAD NO IDEA THIS BOLNESS EXISTED in 1910
A Fitting Tribute To A Real Champion
Ken Burns' Documentary of the Life of Jack Johnson

Unforgivable Blackness - The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Starring: Jack Johnson (VIII) , Keith David , Samuel L. Jackson , Adam Arkin , and Philip Bosco
Director: Ken Burns
Manufacturer: Pbs Paramount
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ASIN: B0006FO8IY
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Amazon.com

Ken Burns's documentary style is so unencumbered; the subject matter is effortlessly presented. His regular mix of photos, subtle sound effects, excellent musical score, and actor readings of historical text hasn't changed since his breakthrough of The Civil War. And it doesn't need to. Even though this 220-minute production is a biography--on heavyweight champion Jack Johnson--the film resonates about the how race was dealt with in the early part of the 20th century. Four decades after the Emancipation, the American black was still struggling to find elementary terms of equality. Along came a strong and headstrong man who took on sport decades before Jackie Robinson and became the key figure in heavyweight fighting, a champion against the longest odds.

Samuel L. Jackson voices Johnson's words with great verve and helps create an absorbing picture of Johnson along with various historians and boxing experts laying down the tale of the tape. Here's a man so smart and patient in the ring who took great liberties in his day-to-day life, unafraid to showcase his success, and ruffle the morals of the time (including, most scandalously, marrying a white woman). Viewing film of his prizefights, the amateur eye can understand Johnson's style and bravura. Burns's certainly takes his time and, as usual, has a vast awry of facts of how the world reacted to news of Johnson's success and the conspiracy which led to his downfall. The highlight, natch, are two of Johnson's epic fights near the end of his reign as champ (and the search for a "Great White Hope"). The appearance of James Earl Jones (who won a Tony for his portrayal of Johnson in 1959) and Wynton Marsalis's musical score are grand touches. --Doug Thomas

Description

From the celebrated director of Academy Award-nominated "Brooklyn Bridge" and "Statue of Liberty," UNFORGIVABLE BLACKNESS: THE RISE AND FALL OF JACK JOHNSON follows Jack Johnson's remarkable journey from his humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas, as the son of former slaves, into the brutal world of professional boxing, where, in turn-of-the century Jim Crow America, the heavyweight champion was an exclusively "white title." Despite the odds, Johnson was able to batter his way up through the professional ranks, and in 1908 he became the first African-American to earn the title Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome........2007-05-13

I have seen it twice now and I just love it. Such a great part of history that I did not know anything about before watching this film. I wish Ken Burns would do more of these smaller (comparatively speaking) niche features. If you like history and Ken Burns' documentaries, there is no way you won't like this.

The penultimate unboxed-in boxer.......2007-02-06

After I'd seen "The Great White Hope," in 1969 or so, the name burned and simmered util the 2005 showing of this Ken Burns documentary. Even though the turbulent sixties shaked loose forgotten times and names, the bold frankness of this towering figure of an athlete,in public or private, did not achieve the treatment required to do justice until Burns applied his painstaking examination of period stills and movies. What he reveals is pure gold, a self-made man who grew beyond the racial and social bonds to achieve his dream. No handlers. No PR men. No hype. Whether rising in the first part or falling in the second half of this documentary, Jack Johnson burns with integrity, confidence and manliness, in a manner that no man or situation could shame. The heroism of his slow decline and public withdrawal was an equally inspiring lesson to anyone seeking the spotlight and letting go of it. His desire, courage and self-development(mental and physical) are worthy of emulation. This documentary, wonderfully narrated and written, leaves Jack Johnson standing alone at the top of the boxing greats. Not only do you feel the changing times at the turn of the century, you get to see the changing landscapes of the countryside and the booming cities as you travel with Johnson on his road to greatness.The bickering pettiness of today's athletes bathed in luxury and leisure today, pale against the backdrop of this great man.

HAD NO IDEA THIS BOLNESS EXISTED in 1910.......2006-12-10

Excellent biography.
After looking at the first DVD only, I must say i am totally shocked at some of the brazen behavior of a black man in the early 1900's. This man was with white women openly, used to threaten white men when they didn't pay up, even drove an expensive car in the roads of Chicago then he was doing well. I kept looking at him saying had it been me, would I have been they gutsy and brave! Not only that. At his peak, he was making 3000.00 per week In the 1900's this is unbelievable for black man. I came back with such a sense of pride. He was more than a fighter. He showed us he was a man unafraid of confronting what society said he could not do. Plus he was alone. Remember, civil rights marches in droves really took off in the 60's. So, to see Jack Johnson at this early time being so confronting was a real educator for me.

A Fitting Tribute To A Real Champion.......2006-11-15

Jack Johnson was larger than the boxing ring that made him the greatest heavyweight champion ever and should have had a lasting positive impact on race relations in the United States, but he was continually thwarted by a government and a majority of society who feared his words sometimes more than his fists.

Ken Burns does a masterful job in presenting Johnson as a major figure both inside and out of the squared-circle. Through photos and film, Burns brings to life a man who firmly believed in a color-blind society, which ultimately led to him becoming perhaps the most misunderstood athlete of the last century.

The haters had repeated the lies for so long that the truth became muddled for too many years. The documentary is arguably the finest work of Burns and is a fitting tribute to a great champion.

Ken Burns' Documentary of the Life of Jack Johnson.......2006-11-13

Ken Burns' documentary of the life of Jack Johnson is somewhat long but very informative about the meaning of Jack Johnson's life, and even purports, at certain level, that he is one of the most important figures of the first two decades of the 20th Century.

The documentary relies mostly on still photographs a few, rare videos of Jack Johnson both in and out of the ring - along with interviews of boxing experts, biographers, and others who have studied the life and significance of Jack Johnson as the first black heavyweight champion. Burns did an excellent job of taking the material he had and weaving into a tapestry.

Following is my summary of Johnson's life from my review of the companion biography of the same name by Geoffrey C. Ward -

Jack Johnson was the boxing world heavyweight champion from 1908-1915. And he was the first black heavyweight champion, which dominates the story of his life inside the ring and out. Johnson became heavyweight champion at a time when boxing was just barely out of the bare knuckle era, and while more organized as a sport, was still a rough and tumble and often illegal activity. Boxing, even as it is today, was often surround by unsavory characters. During that era throwing fights for money or to set up matches wasn't uncommon. Johnson learned his craft literally starting from the bottom up in local tough man or boxing contests and his skills eventually lead him to the top of his sport.

What make Johnson's story so interesting are two things - race and his profligate lifestyle. Race played a key role in his life even though he himself ignored race and didn't let it interfere with how he behaved or what he did. He often sported white women on his arm and eventually married a white woman, and did not defer to anyone, black or white. This made him an even more incendiary figure for the race conscious press and America at the time. Many white heavyweights wouldn't fight Johnson - most notably Jim Jefferies who held the title at a time when Johnson was the obvious deserving opponent for a shot at the champion. Eventually Jefferies retired and "conferred" his title on Tommy Burns, a bulked up white middleweight. Johnson chased after Burns and through the pressure of the press he eventually landed his title shot and dominated his lesser opponent, winning the heavyweight championship of the world.

This eventually lead to one of the most pivotal heavyweight boxing matches in history - and certainly the most pivotal fight of Johnson's career - a match with former heavyweight champion Jim Jefferies. Jefferies was obviously reluctant to come out of retirement to fight the new champion but pressure from friends and many in the press and boxing world, who didn't want to see a black man hold the championship, more or less forced his hand. The fight eventually took place on July 4, 1910 in Reno, New Mexico. Thousands were in attendance but millions throughout the country waited for the result. Johnson dominated Jefferies through much of the fight, eventually knocking him out in the 15th round. Johnson's win legitimized his title as heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, it also touched off violence against blacks throughout the country.

Jefferies utter defeat also lead to a search for a "great white hope" to defeat Johnson. Eventually, Johnson was beaten by a huge but less skilled Jess Willard in Havana, Cuba on April 5, 1915. Johnson probably lost as much because of age, he was around 37 at the time, and the rather unfortunate events in is life from the time of the Jefferies victory to his match against Willard in Cuba. During that time he appears to have spent most of his money, married a white woman who eventually committed suicide, and married another white woman against the violent protests of her family. This led, in a rather convoluted way, to his fleeing the country with his new wife in tow after being brought up on charges of violating the Mann Act. During all this time, and the only reason to mention the ethnicity of his wives, was the vilification Johnson received in the press across America and the hatred he engendered among some, including those in law enforcement, who wanted to bring him down. Thus, Johnson had to go through convoluted negotiations and travel arrangements to even defend his title again Willard in Cuba. Eventually, Johnson decided to come back to America but had to face a jail sentence, which he served. After getting out of jail, broke because he spent most of his money, he mostly earned a living through boxing exhibitions and similar activities.

Johnson's lifestyle some would call raucous. He made a lot of money for his era and he spent it freely on clothes, cars, and the women he kept as companions some of which were prostitutes or former prostitutes. One can look up to Johnson for not letting racism stand in the way of living his life the way he wanted to live it and kowtowing to no one. One could also look askance as his philandering, spendthrift way of life, but who are we to really judge? Undoubtedly Johnson brought some of his problems on himself. Also undoubtedly he was treated unfairly because of the era in which he lived in. Had Johnson lived today he might get some negative press, but more likely he would have a legion of fans who willing to overlook some of the things he did in his private life.

Cars were relatively new invention in early 1900's and Johnson loved cars and bought several of them. He often liked to drive fast. This too eventually caught up with him as, while speeding, he swerved to miss a truck and rammed his car into a tree. He died in 1946 after an adventurous 68 years.

Griffith Masterworks (The Birth of a Nation / Intolerance / Broken Blossoms / Orphans of the Storm / Biograph Shorts 1909-1913)

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Stunning DVD Quality
IN RESPONSE TO ART FOR HATES SAKE
Amazing, bravo!
Art for Hate's Sake
A Comment about "His Trust"

Griffith Masterworks (The Birth of a Nation / Intolerance / Broken Blossoms / Orphans of the Storm / Biograph Shorts 1909-1913)
Starring: D.W. Griffith , and Lilian Gish
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Special Interests | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913
Battleship Potemkin
Edison - The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918)
The F.W. Murnau Collection (Nosferatu/The Last Laugh/Faust/Tabu/Tartuffe)
Treasures From American Film Archives - Encore Edition

ASIN: B00007CVSB
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Amazon.com

Although the DVDs included in Griffith Masterworks are available separately, they gain even greater significance in this stupendous boxed-set compilation. The title is no understatement: These four features and 30 short films comprise the crowning achievements in D.W. Griffith's pioneering legacy, spanning the director's progress from cinematic innovator (the Biograph shorts, 1909-13) to his ambitious creation of the controversial epics The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916), and his mastery of the emotionally intense melodramas Broken Blossoms (1919) and Orphans of the Storm (1921). Griffith's artistic growth is evident throughout, as he moves from the static camera of the Biograph years to his groundbreaking development of cinematic grammar including close-ups, parallel editing, and mobile-camera action. The historical importance of these films has long been established; they're available here in the best available condition, carefully preserved with the illuminating perspective of history.

That perspective extends to the set's impressive bonus features, representing an unprecedented wealth of archival material exclusive to these DVDs. Appropriately, The Birth of a Nation is closely examined through vintage and latter-day materials, including a peculiar 1930 prologue featuring Walter Huston and Griffith himself, musing over the film's ongoing battle with censorship; archival documents further examine the charges of racism that plagued the film for decades. Other highlights include Lillian Gish's introduction to Broken Blossoms, filmed for the 1970s TV series The Silent Years; two filmed introductions featuring Orson Welles (for Intolerance and Orphans of the Storm); and a rare look at Griffith acting in the 1908 short "Rescued from the Eagle's Nest." A veritable goldmine for home or classroom viewing, Griffith Masterworks is an essential addition to any collection of classic silent cinema. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Stunning DVD Quality.......2006-11-29

Hi, D.W. Griffith fans. I am not particularly a very big fan of D.W. Griffith, but my aunt knew I liked silents so she got it for me for getting good grades. I was pleased, but COME AWWN! D.W. GRIFFITH IS NOT VERY INTERESTING, EVEN FOR ME, A SILENT-LOVING KID! I woul've preffered IT, starring Clara Bow, but this collection is pretty good. BIRTH OF A NATION is extremely racist. I only reccomend buying this if you've seen some of his work before. It might shock you. I liked INTOLERANCE best. It is a lovely movie with a great story. ALL FILMS IN THIS COLLECTION ARE RESTORED BEAUTIFULLY AND LOOK GREAT! SOME OF THE BEST RESTORATION WORK I'VE EVER SEEN! There are some nice rare Biograph shorts that are work watching. I watch any of these movies on Jan. 22, becuase that is D.W. Griffith's birthday. Did you know that musical movie star June Knight shares his birthday? She is my fave actress, and I reccomend that you watch her movie Brodway Melody of 1936, MY FAVORITE MOVIE, if like musicals and you want to see Robert Taylor sing in a movie for his first and last time.

IN RESPONSE TO ART