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188 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
This is not so much of a review..., July 27, 2005
This review is from: Historic Classics 50 Movie Pack (DVD)
as it is an announcement of the titles that are in this collection.
Constantine and the Cross- 1962 Cornel Wide
A Bolt of Lightning- 1951 Studio One TV show- Charlton Heston
David Copperfield- 1969 Michael Redgrave
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court- '52 Studio One-Boris Karloff
Abraham Lincoln-1930 Walter Huston
Yellowneck-1955 Lin McCarthy
Saul and David-1964 Norman Wooland
Captain Scarlett-1953 Richard Greene
The Jungle Book-1942 Sabu
Oliver Twist-1933 William(Stage)Boyd
Old Testament-1962 Brad Harris
Little Men-1940 Jack Oakie
Eagle in a Cage-1972 Ralph Richardson
The Legend of the Sea Wolf-1975 Chuck Connors
Herod of the Great-1959 Edmund Purdom
Hearts in Bondage-1936 James Dunn
Cyrano De Bergerac-1950 Jose Ferrer
Scrooge-1935 Seymour Hicks
Esther And The King-1960 Joan Collins
Vanity Fair-1932 Myrna Loy
Martin Luther-1953 Niall MacGinnis
Becky Sharp-1935 Cedric Hardwicke
The Pilgramage Play-1949 Nelson Leigh
King Solomon's Treasure-1977 David McCaullum
David and Goliath-1960 Orson Welles
Fighting Caravans-1931 Gary Cooper
Svengali-1931 John Barrymore
Kansas Pacific-1953 Sterling Hayden
Daniel Boone-1936 John Carradine
Our Daily Bread-1934 Tom Keene
Tumbleweeds-1925 William S. Hart
Lady Windermere's Fan-1925 Ronald Colman
Henry VIII and his six wives-1972 Donald Pleasance
Man of the Forest-1933 Randolph Scott
Betsy Ross-1917 Alice Brady
The Three Musketeers-1921 Douglas Fairbanks
The Conquest of Everest-1953 Sir Edmund Hillary
The Jackie Robinson Story-1950 Jackie Robinson
Gideon and Samson-1966 Fernando Rey
Spartacus and The Ten Gladiators-1964 Dan Vadis
The Lady and the Highwayman-1989 Hugh Grant
The Green Promise-1949 Natalie Wood
Scott of the Antartic-1948 John Mills
The Emperor Jones-1933 Paul Robeson
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-1955 Climax TV show-John Carradine
The Nativity-1952 Studio One TV show- Paul Tripp
A Tale of Two Cities-1953 ABC Album TV show- Wendell Corey
Pontius Pilate-1952 Studio One TV show- Cyril Ritchard
Trial of John Peter Zenger-1953 Studio One TV show-Eddie Albert
The Night America Trembled-1957 Studio One TV show-Warren Beatty
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127 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
YOU GET MORE THAN YOU PAY FOR, March 18, 2006
This review is from: Historic Classics 50 Movie Pack (DVD)
This is a collection of 50 movies on 12 two-sided disks. All the films are historical classics, meaning they are based on history or famous literature, and that they are excellent productions, some of which are even famous. The collection includes both theatrical films and television productions from the 50's. There is also a companion, "Mystery Classics: 50 Movie Pack."
Many of the films are Biblical, including Constantine and the Cross, Saul & David, The Old Testament, Herod the Great, Esther and the King, The Pilgrimage Play, King Solomon's Treasure, David & Goliath, Our Daily Bread, Gideon & Samson, The Nativity and Pontius Pilate. Many are based on literature, like David Copperfield, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Captain Scarlett, The Jungle Book, Oliver Twist, Little Men, The Legend of the Sea Wolf, Cyrano de Bergerac, Scrooge, Vanity Fair, Becky Sharp, Lady Windermere's Fan, The Three Musketeers, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Tale of Two Cities. Others are based on the lives of famous people, like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther, Daniel Boone, Henry the VIII and His Six Wives, Man of the Forest, Betsy Ross, The Jackie Robinson Story, Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators, Scott of the Antarctic, The Emperor Jones and Trial of John Peter Zenger. There are many others - well, 50 in all.
All of these films feature actors of the first order: Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Warren Beatty, John Carradine, Jose Ferrer, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Hugh Grant, Donald Pleasance, Edmund Purdom, Oliver Reed, Michael York, Sir John Gilgud, Ronald Colman, Myrna Loy, Thomas Mitchell, Keith Mitchell, Boris Karloff, Richard Greene, Sir Ralph Richardson, John Mills, Dame Edith Evans and more.
None of these films have been restored, so you can expect the range in quality to be from poor to good. Some of the films are silent. Some, as I said, are television dramas. Many of the films are Brittish or of other nationality. It's a mixed bag, but it contains many gems. This is your chance to see productions that may not be restored or available individually for years.
I've only seen the first two so far; but based on them, I'd recommend the lot. The first one was Constantine and the Cross, and was excellent. When I say excellent, I'm not referring to the quality of the transfer; I'm referring to the quality of the film as best I can make out from a poor reproduction. It stars Cornel Wilde as Constantine and is filmed in Italy by an Italian film company, but it is in English. The acting, sets, costumes, etc. are all excellent, and, because of the setting and film company, is full of Italian flavor.
The second film was A Bolt of Lightening, a Westinghouse Studio One television drama that was directed by one of my teachers from college! It stars Charlton Heston and is superb. When I say superb, you have to understand how television dramas were shot back in the 50's. Everything was live, so there was no editing and no retakes. While one scene was going on, the crew was setting up the next scene, just like in theatre. There's even one shot where the camera panned too far to the left and caught a shot of some of the crew through a window getting ready for the next scene. The DVD even includes the commercials, which were also shot live.
The thing to look for in these productions is the writing. I expect the writing all to be excellent, expecially in the television dramas. These latter were 45 minute dramas that stood or fell on their writing. You can easily see how they're structured, how they build dialogue, how they develop plot, how they work the camera angles. It's kind of a cross between theatre and film, but would be a good model for a young, independent filmmaker to follow. The acting in these dramas is also superb; but, like theatre, they contain a few flubbed lines.
You may be disappointed in the quality of the transfers for most of these films, especially since they haven't been restored - and especially for the television productions; but you won't be disappointed in the films themselves if you give them a chance. And, as I said, there are many gems here. With the television dramas, just realize that that is pretty close to the way television looked in the 50's. So it's an education, okay?
Waitsel Smith
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56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth it for the right person, August 9, 2006
This review is from: Historic Classics 50 Movie Pack (DVD)
There are several of these 50 movie packs available (mystery, comedy, sci-fi, etc.) and for any fan of a particular genre, they are a good value even though the movies aren't top of the line entertainment. If you're in the mood to see a period piece and not really so interested in the quality of it, you can pop in one of these discs and be mindlessly entertained. Keep in mind that these movies were made without the budget and attention to detail of modern movies before purchasing them though. Many of the movies show the movie-making fads and limits of the eras they were made in. For instance, the movies made in the 50's through the 70's tend to be a bit overblown in their dialog and feature flimsy sets.
The packaging for these discs is actually pretty good considering the price. Two movies are on each side of 12 two-sided discs (4 movies each). Each disc come in light cardboard sleeve with the title of the movie, a synopsis of the plot, the main star and the running time. The sleeves come in a box which is about as big as two regular plastic DVD cases.
Personally, I'm rather glad these sorts of sets are released with the type of movies that will never be released in any other way. At about $16 for 50 movies, it doesn't take many hidden gems in the collection to make it well worth your while.
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