Customer Reviews

The Hideaways [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw this listed in the late-night TV program as From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and with the synopsis of "two kids run away from home and hide in the metropolitan museum of art" so I taped it and watched it a few nights later. What a marvelous surprise! This is a wonderful movie, billed as a children's movie, but so well done that adults will thoroughly enjoy it. The two children are terrific, especially the girl, Sally Prager, who unfortunately it seems did not continue her acting career, and Ingrid Bergman is absolutely wonderful (and there's a delightful appearance by the great comedienne Madeline Kahn). For most of the movie, it's fun to follow their "adventures" in the museum, which are not, don't worry, cartoonish and childlike (in fact, if you have never been there, it will certainly make you want to visit the Met) but then the ending gets a bit more serious as we are given some "life lessons" which are in fact good lessons, worth learning/remembering, and the movie closes in a bittersweet tone, with perfect acting and direction right to the end. Here's one reason why this movie is so good: the early scenes are of the children living a normal life at home with their parents. Then they run away, hide in the museum, and...we never see their parents again! You keep expecting, okay, now it will cut to the frantic parents, but it never does. We get the childrens' story, through their eyes, and that is the whole of it. Wonderfully good judgment on the part of the director. The book is probably like that, but I'm sure the temptation to show the parents again was great, and he wisely resisted it. Watch this movie, with your children if you have any, and you will be glad you did. (I notice that there is a companion video for use as a teaching aid, which doesn't surprise me - I was planning to mention it to our junior high school principal. It's a 30-year old film and I'm sure most teachers these days don't know of it, but they should.)

I found this movie by chance at my local Circuit City a few years back in the bargain bin. I had actually been searching for it for some time. I paid all of about $5 for it then. However, it appears to be out of print, now, so used may be the only way to get it.

While I've always really liked this version of the movie better than the remake, I should warn potential buyers that this DVD edition by Platinum Disc Corporation is truly bad. Apparently, this was mastered, not from the film, but from a video tape copy meant for TV.

Unfortunately, the tape is in poor condition. Not only do many defects pop up throughout the movie, but nearly every shot change has a color shift.

Overall the tape master didn't hold up well at all.

I posted some screen grabs of it above. Those show the worst of it. The whole thing isn't that bad, but the colors are often off (and shifting from shot to shot) and the overall image is fuzzy and dirty looking with lots of video noise.

It's a shame, since it really is a fun movie to watch. I'm happy I own it, but disappointed with the quality. Hence, only two stars. Even the cover is hacked together using publicity stills of much younger versions of the adult actors. For that matter, the two children on the cover aren't even the actors that appear in the film.

Of course, this is a common thing with this particular distributor. "The Gate", also from PDC, is a poor transfer, as well.

So, be warned. If you like the movie, it's worth the poor presentation. Just be sure you're aware of what you're getting. Since this may be all we'll ever get (I doubt another, better release is on any future horizon), it requires eating the bad picture to get it. So, buy it only if you really want the movie.

I've seen this film with my daughters 12&15,we loved it.If you love Art,New york City,and family films you'll love this one.

This movie is for the whole family and is filled with adventure.
It is the story of a brother and sister who run away to the New York Metropolitan Art Museum. It is based on a book and I loved the book too and so did my daughter. You will love this movie. It is a lot of fun!!!

This is the movie I have been trying to think of, and find. I was thrilled to have found it. Although it may not be as entrancing as it was when I was about 12, I am very happy to have it to share with my children.

After reading From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler to my class, it was a nice treat to watch the movie. My Third-graders loved it and it presented many discussion points on being a kid in the 70's!

What a sweet movie, they don't make them like this anymore.( cliche I know, but it fits ) Two children run away on an adventure for KNOWLEDGE. All kids should see this film instead of playing video games!!!!

"Who knows the secret of Mrs. Frankweiler's mixed-up art files?
THE HIDEAWAYS, THAT'S WHO!
Three-time Oscar winner Ingrid Bergman joins Richard Mulligan, Madeline Kahn and newcomers Sally Prager and Johnny Doran in The Hideaways, an all-family film based on the beloved Newbery Award-winning book From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler....."
[from the back cover of the video case]

BOUGHT THE VHS COPY RECENTLY IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE AVAILABLE ON DVD. ITS AN EXCELLENT FAMILY FILM WITH BERGMAN AND SALLY PRAGER

This was a movie even my kids liked. It was something that the whole family can enjoy and it goes well with the book entitled: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. My kids read the book and then watched the movie to find the differences and similarities. Great reading and great movie.