Customer Reviews

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Film Collection (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf 2-Disc Special Edition / The Comedians / The Sandpiper / The V.I.P.s) 5 Disc Set

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Only one film in this set, IMO, is a classic, and that's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF, and it receives a nice two-disc special edition. You can get it separately, and I can't complain too loudly if you go that route. But 2 of the other films, the Haitian-based, Graham-Greene written THE COMEDIANS, and the glossy soap-opera THE VIPS are both very much worth seeing, relics of a long-gone widescreen full-colored, full-bodied era. VIPS has a great credit sequence, and if you like airports like I do, the great cast and highly competent production will make it a winner, although it certainly isn't a 100-best flick of any sort. Same with the COMEDIANS; a great cast and international-intrigue atmosphere, plus good widescreen photography make it one I'll return to, even if it isn't THE THIRD MAN.

That leaves THE SANDPIPERS, which Pauline Kael called a classic; yes, she meant a classic of bad cinema, but a classic of bad cinema is not the same as lousy cinema, and any film directed by Vincent Minelli, starring Burton, Taylor and Charles Bronson as a sculpter (!) is worth a look. It's not good, but it's not one you'll regret seeing if you think you're curious, with typical glossy Hollywood production values and good Big Sur footage.

So one great, two good (and rewatchable) and one compelling turkey. And I like the slimline cases, I have no room as it is; more box sets, Warner -- a Vincente Minelli set of the many MGM flicks he made with Sinatra, Douglas, Mitchum, etc. would be welcome.

The movie BOOM was obviously not included as it is a Universal release, whereas the 4 titles are Warners and MGM[library owned by Warners]. My big gripe is the fact that Elizabeth Taylor's MGM movies from the '50s are still not available on DVD: Beau Brummell, Rhapsody, a decent transfer of The Last Time I Saw Paris, Raintree County, The Girl Who had Everything. These are now owned by Warners, and it's a disgrace that they have never been released on DVD. Hopefully, with the new Liz/Burton collection, someone at Warners is paying attention. A gem in the new collection is THE VIP's - made after Cleopatra and rushed into release before Cleo hit the screens, to capitalise on the red-hot duo, the movie is glossy, all-star fun.

As a great admirer of Richard Burton's filmwork, I snatched this set up immediately. All the films, save for Vicente Minnelli's "The Sandpiper" held my interest throughout, with "Virginia Woolf" and "The Comedians" (based on the Graham Greene novel) taking top honors.

"The VIPs" was a pleasant surprise as I was completely unfamilar with this Burton/Taylor venture. Supporting cast is excellent with Rod Taylor, Louis Jourdan (as Tayor's lover), and the unmistakably impressive Orson Welles, in a semi-comedic role opposite Elsa Martinelli.

Melodrama to be sure, but done with class, wit, and an engaging storyline that holds one's interest throughout its entire 119 minutes. It is amazing how some actors, like Burton and Taylor can take a relatively bit of fluff from Terrence Rattigan's screenplay, and transform it into something absorbing and grand.

What makes these films work? One would have to argue that the chemistry between Burton and Taylor in so many of their films was unmistakable; certainly Mike Nichol's "Virginia Woolf" is a masterpiece, but these are performers who have a intrinsic quality that is rarely seen in actors today--I think we would call it PRESENCE--players ultimately in command of their material and the roles they play who make acting seem effortless and entirely convincing. Burton is a master of roles. He can play the burnt-out professor in "Virginia Woolf" as well as a conflicted, upstanding minister and school headmaster whose life, contrained as his clerical collar, tempts an extramarital affair with the free-spirited mother (Taylor) of one of his students in "The Sandpiper."

The commentaries and extras on "Virginia Woolf" are both ample and exemplary, while shedding a new critical light on this classic play.

Author Graham Greene wrote the screenplay for THE COMEDIANS based on his intricate novel. To translate it to the screen would have been impossible with another writer--it would fizzle out. Granted, the movie is uneven, but it is extremely watchable thanks to great location backdrops and some fine performances by an all star cast.

The story of common last-named people set against the backdrop of the tumultous reign of terror under Papa Doc in Haiti is the setting for this relatively long movie. "The Comedians", is anything but comedy. It is the mask everyone wears to conceal their true selves. People have affairs but are not in love. They play parlor games to amuse themselves, but never get to the truth of the matter. Some are frauds, and others cynics.

Richard Burton is quite good as the hotel owner who believes in nothing. Elizabeth Taylor plays a diplomat's wife who is having an off/on affair with Burton. She is the weakest link in the movie. Her German accent is atrocious and her character completely unbelievable. However, Alex Guiness and Peter Ustinov are outstanding, as are Lillian Gish and Paul Ford as pacifistic vegetarians. Also look for early performances by James Earl Jones, and Cicely Tyson (in a bit part).

This movie has been transferred in Widescreen to DVD and is clean. The soundtack drops a bit now and then, but overall, the quality is excellent. It is housed in a "slimline jewel case" which many may assume is a bootleg. But it is an official Warner Brothers release.

This is not a movie to watch leisurely. It requires your complete attentiion in order to understand the characters. The violence of Papa Doc's Tontons Macoute is at times vividly graphic. The movie contains a voodoo scene that is not for the squeamish (it was performed by a real Haitian voodoo priest).

The movie runs 152 minutes and can be found on the "Burton/Taylor" 5 disc film collection. It is difficult to find separately, but well worth the look.

Vips, Sandpiper and the Comedians all were transfered with the true aspect ratio of the film which is great (no picture cropped out)!

Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf you will find the widescreen is cropped when compared to the fullscreen. This is unfortunate: no film should be cropped!

All transferes are great, clean crisp and clear as a DVD should be!

I too would have liked to have "Boom!" included in this set - but we cant have everything all the time?

Here's an interesting, long-overdue batch of films from the First Couple of Whatever. Any fan or film student will want to add these 4 titles to their collection--sort of.

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?: Definitely their best--and one of the best, period. Mike Nichols's film of Edward Albee's landmark play is awesome, start to finish, with four of the finest performances you'll ever see. The ladies both won Oscars, but the men deserved them, too.

THE COMEDIANS: Graham Greene in the Caribbean, and an interesting tale of political hugger-mugger. Look for early performances by James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, and Gloria Foster. And Alec Guiness and Peter Ustinov, who are great in anything.

THE V.I.P.s: Absolutely. Classy, all-star soap written by Terence Rattigan (SEPARATE TABLES) that is stolen from the glamorous leads--not by bombastic Orson Welles or even Oscar-winner Margaret Rutherford, but by a young, intense, surprisingly beautiful British girl named Maggie Smith in one of her most touching performances.

And then there's THE SANDPIPER, and all I can say is...not so much. I never warmed up to this Vincente Minnelli oddity, mainly because the two lead characters (Liz and Dick, natch) are so off-putting. Poor Eva Marie Saint! And what's up with Charles Bronson's character? Is he gay, or what? Throw in that crashing, insistent, Oscar-winning theme song ("The Shadow of Your Smile"), and the result is almost surrealistic. It's a mess, but a fascinating one--kind of like a train wreck with nice clothes.

All in all, these 4 films show us the power couple at work together--and what a team they were! At their best or at their worst, they were unforgettable.

Echoing the same all-consuming desire that epitomized their mercurial off-screen reltaionship, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor deliver superlative performances in this powerful drama of politics and passion. Adapting his own best-selling novel for the screen, distunguished author Graham Green delivers a devastating indictment of Haitian dictator "Papa Doc" Duvalier and his regime of terror. Starring: Elizabeth Taylor Alec Guinness Richard Burton Peter Ustinov From the novel by Graham Greene Co Starring: Paul Ford Lillian Gish Screenplay by Graham Green Produced and Directed by Peter Glenville

This is a great set of 4 of their best films together, but it is missing at least two other great works: The Taming of the Shrew and Boom!. Under Milk Wood would have been nice, too (though I haven't seen it yet).

If you're thinking of buying Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf for the special features, just get this for $17 more (everything on the 2-disc is on this one). The VIPs is at least worth it, and there's enough interesting bits between The Sandpiper and The Comedians to rewatch later.

If Z was the champion movie dealing with the Authoritarian regimes, there were another two: Battle of Algiers and this one. Powerful political drama focused on the repressive regime of Doc Duvalier. The script is intense and realistic; the cast is glorious; Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Peter Ustinov and Alec Guiness. A team very difficult to get in those times.

I came across "The Comedians" while researching films about Haiti. The film is an agonising portayal of a nation rotten with corruption, betrayed by the world's indifference and paralyzed with fear by the secret police of former dictator Papa Doc Duvalier.

While the TonTons Macoute is about as amusing as Hilter's SS, I have to give credit to the late South African actor Zakes Mokae (of "The Serpent and the Rainbow" fame) for creating an all time great villainous screen presence in the role of the TonTons Macoute killer "Michel".

He is absolutely terrifying despite his diminutive size - his mere presence indicates murder like an angel of death and it would be worth the time of any horror film fan to check this out in spite of his relatively brief screen time.

In retrospect, I have to wonder if the wraparound black sunglasses of the TonTon Macoute were not mimicked by the 1960s Black Panthers intentionally, and once the American public was exposed to this film was that the association they made?
They should've known: fear only begets fear.