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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential video
Filmed in the widescreen splendor of "Panavision Super 70" and blessed with the finest production values that Hollywood clout can buy, this tale of spunky Irish immigrants forgot one crucial ingredient: a decent screenplay. The film is entertaining enough, and director Ron Howard brings his technical proficiency to the simple plot, culminating in a dynamic, breathtaking depiction of the Oklahoma land rush of 1893. But the movie is really just a vacuous vehicle for married stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as (respectively) the poor tenant farmer and rich landlord's daughter who flee Ireland to be American pioneers. The scenery and the stars are never less than stunning, but Howard falls short of the mark in his attempt to match the epic sweep of films by David Lean. On the other hand, this movie is certainly never boring even if it rarely makes sense, and Lean's own Irish epic, Ryan's Daughter, is a snoozer by comparison. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Ron Howard's epic romantic drama stars Tom Cruise as a 19th-century Irish farmer who is joined on his pursuit for land and freedom in America by the daughter of a wealthy land baron (Nicole Kidman). The couple encounters a series of adventures and hardships en route to claim territory during the Oklahoma Land Rush. Robert Prosky and Thomas Gibson co-star. 140 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Surround, French Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: Spanish; biographies; theatrical trailer; interactive menus; scene access.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
When I first viewed this film when I was 10 years old on May 23, 1992, when fell in love with it from the very start. It was so rare a feeling at that age to actually feel good in a very human way, not just as a spectator. The movie's theme seems to be a very trite one: Always follow your dreams. Many films have tried to exercise this theme and failed miserably. They will pump a lot of cheesy moments into one finale, without any kind of supporting events to show that it is an earned pay off. FAR AND AWAY succeeds where these other films fail. The journey starts at point A and goes straight to point B without any pishposh in between. You are with Joseph and Shannon through their fortunes and misfortunes and see almost every step they take from getting to rural Ireland to Boston and finally to Oklahoma. What also makes it work is the onscreen chemistry between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The two had only done one movie together (DAYS OF THUNDER) before teaming up for this one. At the time, they had only been married for a year, so their new found love for each other was fresh in their minds and ready to be shared. The advantage Cruise has for playing a scrappy Irish boxer is his star status and the amount of time he spends with a personal trainer. His bulging muscles in the boxing scenes show that he's no longer the little bugger in RISKY BUSINESS. It also doesn't hurt that the film is beautifully shot, taking adavantage of the rich Irish coast and the vast farmland of Oklahoma. This beautifully illustrates the long journey of the films location and plot. How exceedingly different the images feel and how far must one travel to get to each! Perhaps another reason this film is so special to me is the complete and utter romantic feel it has. The beautiful scenery, the love between the two lead characters and actors, and the gorgeous music. The score is one of John Williams' best setting all the right moods in all the right places. He starts with traditional Irish folk sounds and moves into Coplandesque America. Watching this film, my heart always goes a flutter, thinking about how I want to achieve my dreams and ambitions. One of my dreams is true love. The way Joseph and Shannon find love is striving for their dream, not knowing it was there all along. I am madly in love with a girl right now. In my fantasies, I always picture myself as Joseph and her as Shannon, kissing on an open wheatfield, our land. Whenever I hear Enya's book of days played at the ending credits, I almost weep with joy thinking about holding her and sharing my love with her. Watching FAR AND AWAY is the closest I get to fulfilling my dreams at this point. Leonard Maltin complains of no story. If there was no story, there'd be no kind of journey and I would be completly detatched. I give FAR AND AWAY 5 stars because it has stirred almost every emotion in me for over 8 years. A movie like this deserves no less.
23 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I might I have only been intrigued by this movie because I was bored (first saw it at 12:00 at night on TV when I couldn't sleep), but I was shocked at what a MIRACULOUS film this is. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. For critics to say there was no story, WHERE WERE YOU DURING THIS MOVIE? All the twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. It was in no way predictable. All throughout the movie, I thought Shannon and Joseph would kiss and live happily ever after, but something would tear them apart. Films like this come few and far between. I highly recommend this epic!!!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is easily the most underrated film of the last decade. So ujust was its nasty reception, I sometimes wonder if everyone else saw the same film I did. I think the problem may be that it simply came at a time when no one wanted a film of this kind. A closer look at Far And Away reveals it has all the hallmarks of a glittering success. Here's the story: A century ago, a rich girl escapes from her suffocating fiancee, setting off to a new life across the Atlantic and falls for a poor boy who shows her a love she's never known. Sounds like a certain £1.8 billion grossing epic historical romance, right? Well, Ron Howard beat James Cameron to it but got the timing wrong. Charming, funny, exciting, and eventually awe-inspiring, Far And Away has everything you could hope for in a movie. As for the disc - picture and sound are dandy, but decent extras are sorely missing.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good but foreseeable plot
Far & Away- A love story that shows that love will always triumph as long as both live. I found it to be a bit too sweet & to telegraph its plot too often. Read more
Published 3 months ago by C McGhee
it's closer than you think...
When I recieved this movie, the plastic disk that the DVD clips into on the DVD case was broken. The DVD was scratched up a bit because of this, but it played. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Brandon
Not my type
Not my type of movie -- can't say too much but didn't have the patience to sit through the whole thing / thanks to fast forward.
Published 5 months ago by Reza Ganjavi
Incomplete
When is the full film going to be released? I saw a special edition on television a few years ago that included a wealth of footage that greatly expanded and enriched the story. Read more
Published 7 months ago by N. Pote
Never Finds Its Rhythm
I remember telling a friend recently I couldn't think of a single film directed by Ron Howard that wasn't very, very good. Read more
Published 8 months ago by D. Mikels
Classic Oldie
Updating from VHS to CD for my collection. Arrived within given time and was packaged well. Good buy.
Published 14 months ago by Ellen M. Peacock
Far and Away
Excellent acting and story , and photography. Kept you on the edge of your seat, and you relished in the happy ending.
Published 15 months ago by Regina Berman
You dont get movies like this anymore....
ok, i'm just a kid who for some reason just hates my generation and loves anything before it, including led zeppelin, the who, beatles, the stones, the byrds, the doors, the... Read more
Published 15 months ago
Great Movie
My husband and I love this movie. It is well written with several "quotable" lines. Great music, great plot, and great acting. I don't know why more people haven't seen it!
Published 16 months ago by Michelle Ogden
One of my favorites.
The story is standard historical melodrama but it is thoroughly enjoyable viewing. Cinematography is lush and vibrant, costumes are detailed and to period, the acting isn't half... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Robot B
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