Customer Reviews

Guilty Conscience

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've purchased several other budget DVDs of "Guilty Conscience" (from other companys such as Direct Video), and this double feature release has the best picture quality of all of these so far. But this isn't saying much, because the video/audio quality still leaves a lot to be desired. Worst of all, this double feature DVD has several technical problems that are very annoying. (At first I thought that I had a defective copy, so I bought another one and experienced the same problems.) What are the problems? First, after the first 20 minutes or so of "Guilty Conscience", the video "jumps" and you completely skip a scene where the Blythe Danner character is supposedly shot by her husband. For some reason, you cannot key in a reverse chapter jump or scan. Also, throughout the rest of the movie, there are occasional spots where the picture just freezes (on its own) for a few seconds. Very, very bad technical flaws in this DVD.

However, you're either going to have take it or leave this DVD, because this is the only way you can get this wonderful movie on DVD. Hopefully, a major company that cares about the products they release will reissue this movie on DVD, but since this movie is, I believe, out in the public domain, it's not very likely this will happen.

Anyway, buy this DVD at your own risk if you like this movie.

Avoid this DVD! As another reviewer said, it's remarkable bad. I wish I'd read his comments before I bought mine. I recommend buying instead a used VHS tape from a rental store. Its quality will be far better than this DVD.

The DVD is a poor transcription of a second- or third-generation videotape. It has the tape's tracking problems. The colors are very weak. It is blurry to the degree that you want to say it has *no* resolution. The audio is terrible. Besides being blurry, we had to adjust our volume control to full volume to be able to hear much of it.

Possibly the most overlooked Anthony Hopkins performance ever. Please check this one out (my favorite DVD find!). He plays multiple roles, in an ala Columbo murder mystery (we-already-know-"who-done-it"). He's a lawyer trying to figure out how to do away with Blythe Danner (his wife). He has Swoozie Kurtz on the side. Hopkins fan, you say? This is an absolute must then, I say.

Before watching "Guilty Conscience", one must first come to terms with the DVD's technical problems. The picture is bad, it looks like a 16th generation VHS tape, not a DVD. The sound is horrid, one must crank the volume way up. It's a TV movie from 1985, so there are Princess Di haircuts, huge shoulder pads, and a rhythm to the admittedly smart dialogue that viewers used to today's television might find strange.
Okay, enough of the bad. The good news is that I liked this movie much more than I ever thought I would. Anthony Hopkins gives a wonderful and inspired performance as Arthur Jameson, a wife-beating, two timing, crooked lawyer who plots to [do away with] his black mailing wife. He is great, and it is always a joy to watch him, especially when he's so YOUNG! His character even says "Quid pro quo", which alone is worth the price of the DVD.
Sir Tony is a delight, and he looks gorgeous.
Since this is the only way I know of to see this good flick, I would recommend it.

I suppose it's a good vehicle for Hopkins, but the DVD version suffers terribly from technical problems. The audio track is weak and the video looks like a twice copied VHS tape. I couldn't get past the poor technical quality to really enjoy the film.

I really enjoy this movie, but have been unable to find a DVD with quality graphics. I have purchased 4 different versions of this movie and all look like they were recorded from a VCR tape. Would be nice if anyone out there knows where I can get this movie that views like a DVD instead of a bootleg copy.

One of the best made-for-TV mysteries from the writing teamWilliams & Link, starring Anthony Hopkins as a doctor ponderingthe murder of his wife, is UTTERLY trashed in this atrocious DVD release. The use of a poorly-recorded source combined with a pitiful transferring effort resulting in artifacts galore, make this one of the worst DVDs I've seen.

I really enjoy this movie, but have been unable to find a DVD with quality graphics. I have purchased 4 different versions of this movie and all look like they were recorded from a VCR tape. Would be nice if anyone out there knows where I can get this movie that views like a DVD instead of a bootleg copy.

I had hoped that the criticisms of the DVD quality did not apply to the later 2001 edition of the 1985 film, but it is blurry and hard to watch. I remember the film from years ago and it came through on VHS tape (rented) very well.

Arthur Jamison (Anthony Hopkins) is a brilliant and successful criminal defense attorney. There's just one problem. His wife (Blythe Danner) has decided to file for divorce and is planning to milk him for all he is worth. Since Arthur doesn't want that, he needs to figure out a way to kill his wife. But, being the attorney he is, he knows that he'd be the first suspect. While he plots various ways to bring about her demise, his mistress (Swoosie Kurtz) shows up unexpectedly. Now what will Arthur do?

This is an interesting little made for TV movie from the mid-80's, made long before any of the stars were a success. It has a bit of a low budget feel, but all three stars do a great job acting. It almost feels like a play since almost all of it takes place in Arthur and Louise's house and these three characters are the only real characters.

The plot is hard to discuss without giving anything away. We get several sequences of Arthur's plots to kill his wife and then the cross examination he images he'll have when the case goes to trial. I was getting a little bored with the movie, but half way through there's a great twist that grabbed my interest for the remainder of the film.

While the movie itself is 5 stars, I had to take a couple off for the DVD transfer. It's absolutely horrid. The picture looks like it is a third of fourth generation VHS recording. The transitions at the original commercial breaks are jarring.

While this is great movie, the DVD is a disappointment. If you must have this movie, go ahead. But be forewarned this is not the quality we normally get these days.