Customer Reviews

Best of Enemies [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you enjoy a straightforward, clever comedy, wit h a lot of laughter and without the usual long moody, depressing, or murderous stretches of celluloid, then you will certainly enjoy this film. David Niven stars along with a very fine Italian comedian whose name escapes me. They are both officers in their respective armies, serving in North Africa during WWII. Neither one of them has quite gotten a 'handle on things' in a military way and the men serving under them are not too confident. The story opens with Niven in a light reconnaisance plane being piloted by an RAF type complete with flowing silk scarf (another nut-case). They spot Italian troops below them and go down for a look... The Italian officer in charge rushes out of his tent and delivers what some might refer to as the 'fascist salute,' but which most would recognize as a rather insulting gesture involving the use of both arms. The RAF lunatic dives his plane down behind a hill in order to go around for another look. There is the sound of a diving aircraft, followed by a long silence, followed by the high pitched sound of a straining engine as the plane climbs straight up behind the hill and comes around again. The same sceene is gotten through several more times until, finally,the diving sound is followed by a much longer period of silence, followed by the unmistakeable sound of a plane crashing into the ground. The scene shifts to Niven, the RAF type, and the plane, all sitting on the ground in great disarray with the lunatic pilot saying: "I say, I could have sworn we were going to come out of that last dive." At this point the Italian officer rushes up screaming "Aha... You are my prisoners!" It gets even better... As we used to say, "Don't miss it."

This movie is a classic. Saw it once on TV and have been trying ever since to obtain a copy. The two previous reviews capture the essense of the movie. If it ever possible to obtain a copy I would like to be notified.

I watched this movie when it first came out in Italy and I was a kid. David Niven and Alberto Sordi are absolutely great! This film captures the basic humanity of ordinary men of different cultures who are thrown into events they find very hard to control. The ending still brings tears to my eyes. In Italian it was known as "I Due Nemici" or "The Two Enemies" but I think the English translation comes out much better.

This is a wonderful Little film comedy produced by Dino de Laurentis and starring David Niven (as the British major)
and the very gifted Alberto SoRdi (as the Italian major) in this offbeat WW2 movie about the campaign in ethiopia between the British and the Italians in 1941. A refreshing WW2 movie with hilrious performances by the stars. Niven and Sordi have great comic timing and chemistry. David Niven turns in one of his typically great performnces, but Alberto Sordi is a Very funny comic actor. This is just one of my all time favorite movies of all time! I have been looking for this movie in a studio release for years.I occasinally seaarch amazon.com for this title and I could not believe it when I found it listed. Until now I didn't have any idea it had ever been relesed on home video. It certainly deserves to; I only wish it would come out on DVd! By the way if anyone out there has a copy of this Vhs they are willing to sell, please let me know.thank you -- Paul