Product Details

• Actors: Timothy Bottoms, Jane Seymour, Bruce Boxleitner, Soon-Tek Oh, Karen Allen
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 3
• Studio: Anchor Bay
• VHS Release Date: September 4, 1990
• Run Time: 480 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301813596
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,038 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Bringing to life the bestselling novel by Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck, this TV adaptation faithfully follows the history of the Trask family from the Civil War to World War II. A recreation of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, East of Eden follows estranged half-brothers Adam and Charles (Timothy Bottoms and Bruce Boxleitner) as they reunite after the death of their father, Cyrus (Warren Oates). They live together on their father’s land, constantly quarreling, when they meet the manipulative and beautiful Cathy Ames (Jane Seymour), a prostitute with a dark past. The theme of good versus evil runs rampant throughout and entangles itself in the Trask family legacy through each generation. Jane Seymour’s brilliant portrayal of Cathy through three decades, from young runaway to aging mother, earned her a Golden Globe. Fans of Steinbeck and Seymour alike will be pleased with this retelling which won an Emmy for best art direction and Golden Globe for best miniseries. This three-disc set features a biography on John Steinbeck, exclusive interview with Jane Seymour, and cast filmographies. --Amanda Faddis

The Oprah Winfrey Show (interview)

OPRAH: I think there was no other Kate. In my mind, you personified all that she was and captured that in a way that I still marvel. JANE SEYMOUR: I think it was the best role of my career. I felt that it just happened...somehow it came through me.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Version Ever Made, February 18, 2007

By 

Donald J. Keck (Powder Springs, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
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This is by far the best version of Steinbeck's "East of Eden" ever made; far, far better than the superficial James Dean version, which was little more than a vehicle for the then popular teen idol. (Contrary to all the Hollywood hype I never thought much of Dean as an actor.)

Steinbeck has always been my favorite American novelist; and "East of Eden" is, in my opinion, his finest work - superior even to "The Grapes of Wrath." It is a substantive and timeless work, in which Steinbeck transcends his earlier novels, bounded as they are by his conception of the nobility of the poor. Here, in "East of Eden" he goes beyond his earlier sociological obsessions with poverty, exploitation and radical politics to explore somthing much deeper: character, the essence of good and evil, betrayal and guilt. This is a book of Biblical proportions, based on the story of Cain and Abel; and the meaning of God's pronouncement upon Cain.

All of which is captured beautifully in this TV mini series; just as it is ignored, overlooked or simply not grasped in the James Dean movie. Needless to say this version is true to Steinbeck's conception. And the many memorable performances by the cast - Jane Seymour, Timothy Bottoms, Bruce Boxleiter, Lloyd Bridges, Soon-Tek Oh, Sam Bottoms, Hart Bochner, Karen Allen -(a number of which I can still visualize in my mind 25 years later) bring clarity to the meaning of Steinbeck's story - something one can rarely say about contemporary Hollywood acting.

A movie not to be missed.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the Grapths of Wrath, June 19, 2003

By 

pamelajsico "Pam" (Lancaster, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: East of Eden (TV Mini-Series) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I never thought I would read a better book than the Grapes of Wrath, then I read East of Eden. I immediately ran out to get the movie and was so disappointed. Then I saw the mini-series and it was wonderful. Usually, these made for TV things don't work, but I have been trying to find it for years and was thrilled that it mimicked the book almost perfectly. The movie is haunting, beautifully done, and something that you will never forget. The original movie does absolutely no justice to this novel. This tape will keep you so absorbed, troubled and in tune with what is good and what is evil.

66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Seymour's best performance EVER. So WHERE's the DVD???, October 22, 2004

By 

Vorthog (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: East of Eden (TV Mini-Series) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I am very happy to see that some of those wonderful mini-series that TV once upon a time used to be able to make, such as "Roots", "The Winds of War" and "North and South", have actually made it to DVD.

But unfortunately this one, which I also consider to be right up there among the very best I have ever seen, seems to have been totally forgotten by everyone (--well maybe not by the fans, but by everyone making those all-important marketing decisions as to what gets released and what doesn't).

All I ever see anywhere is the so-so James Dean movie which only covers part of the Steinbeck book. Yeah, yeah, so Dean is a cultural icon like Marilyn and Elvis and they figure his name alone will make it sell. But why not release this one as well? It deserves to be released for another very good reason: QUALITY!!

Forget Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. THIS is the role that Jane Seymour deserves to be remembered for. She proved to doubters once and for all that she truly CAN act. It's a pity that younger viewers have never had the opportunity to see what I consider to be her finest performance ever.

So I send out a loud HELLOOOO~ to the marketing geniuses out there in DVD-makerland to try and wake them up and remind them of the greatness of this wonderfully sprawling mini-series. Yes there ARE people out here who remember it well and can't wait to see it again. Come on DVD-making people. Give us the FULL mini-series, uncut and remastered.

And after that, how about "Rich Man, Poor Man", "Captains and Kings", "Roots: The Next Generations" and "Centennial"? Ahh, I sure do miss those glory days of the heyday of the TV mini-series...