Customer Reviews

Hotel [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the score to this movie described as "dreadful"! I turned on this movie shortly after it started, and probably would have turned it off if the wonderful score hadn't grabbed my attention. The music and the Technicolor beauty drew me in, and the complexly woven plot kept me watching intently, rather than just listening to the music! And the end was great; I thought it was triumphant; very uplifting! If you want to watch two hours of distilled style, a portrait of a bygone era when men still wore suits and hats, when style and luxury hadn't lost out to cheap plastic imitations, get this movie!

I love this movie! It's a wonderful escape back to an era when hospitality was in and everyone not only knew how, but were expected to "dress" (it makes me want to buy white gloves and hats just to do lunch).

Catherine Spaak and Merle Oberon are luminous in Edith Head gowns, although Catherine's posture is noticably askew (her mother should've reminded her to sit up straight). Rod Taylor's performance is marvelous, but somewhat restrained for his typical style. However, no one does a love scene with more tenderness than Rod, so it's small wonder Spaak would dump McCarthy's character for Taylor's regardless of money!

Melvyn Douglas is at his best as the curmudgeon hotelier (stroke and all), Kevin McCarthy is the takeover louse you love to hate and Karl Malden almost steals the entire movie as the hotel thief who just can't make a killing. There are also delightful performances by bit players throughout the movie; McCarthy's "oily" sychophantic male secretary and the hotel staff, especially the errant bell captain who's on the take.

The background music is sometimes annoyingly loud (the editors should have caught that!), but Carmen MacRae's all too brief appearances as the hotel saloon singer make up for any soundtrack problems. Carmen could "turn a lyric" as well as Ella!

With all of the sub-plots, you just can't wait to see what happens next and of course, what's not to love about a mostly happy ending.

My only complaint is the common mistake of mispronouncing New Orleans. If you've spent any time there, you already know it's pronounced New "Or-luhnz" not New "Or-leeeens". LOL

I'm moving and giving up my VHS plyer, having got most of my favorite flicks on discs. But I won't give it up if it means never seeing "Hotel" again. It sets such a mood; puts you right into the hotel and the era.
Almost everything about it is perfect, and what isn't, is campy.(like the decor of the hotel lobby) Rod Taylor is one of the sexiest men ever to hit the screen, i agree that while C. Spaak is gorgeous and classy,and a good actress; her spine is not straight, she looks kind of deformed about the shoulder area, and i guess no effort was made to hide it, but she's still lovely. I love the score, it has just the right haunting quality, and each character has his own theme. Larger-than-life, as always, Kevin McCarthy nearly steals the show, as the heavy. And that heartbreaking moment when Merle Oberon tries to pretend that her husband had died still loving her.I cry every time. And the icing on the cake; the ever wonderful Michael Rennie, who always makes "the earth stand still" for me! I could go on raving, but why NO DVD????!!!! This is a classic; let's get with it!!!! LJ

"Hotel", with its lavish sets, believable characters, and well-constructed plot, is one of the better movies I've seen this year. Always busy, always hosting important people, this hotel reminds me of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York for its grandness and the Peabody in Memphis for its homeliness. Karl's performance stole the show, while Rod's role and character were the most believable. To add a cherry on top (no pun intended), one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen stars as a used and abused French woman. Her performance was exquisite as well. And the sad ending makes you dread the real-estate business. SEE THIS MOVIE! (By the way, the score really wasn't that bad at all.)

I seen this movie at least two times and found it very entertaining. Great subplots and characters. I felt the movie had a major undertone to it regarding personal service and hospitality versus non personal, efficiency,corporate driven profits which defines the hospitality business as it today.

The opening sequence was a very original one, and the character of the Duchess Of Lanbourne, may have been a thinly veiled characterization based in part on the Duchess Of Windsor (Wallis Simpson). The costumes worn by Merle Oberon in this film appear similar to the fashions worn by the Duchess Of Windsor herself during the late 1960's.

It's wonderful to see the great reviews for "Hotel" posted here. I've waited over 40 years to see this film get the recognition it deserves. I saw in in the theatre when it came out in 1967 and have loved it ever since. It is symbolic representation of America in the 60s before all the changes altered it for the worse. You feel something valuable and precious coming to an end, symbolized by the closing of the St. Gregory. Melvyn Douglas as the hotel's owner balks at the modern changes on the horizon, represented by Kevin McCarthy as the man who wants to buy the St. Gregory and turn it into a cheap, automated sleeping factory. The film has elegance and class, like the hotel. The actors are wonderful, with Karl Malden as "Keycase" Milne stealing the show as the hotel burglar. Catherine Spaak is still one hawt babe and Rod Taylor as the General Manager is the rock on which the film rests. Leonard Maltin gave this film only two stars. ALL the critics dissed it when it came out, but as time passed the public has seen it as the gem it truly is. Hey Warners, release it on DVD! My VCR is getting old!

Like many others, I've long since ditched my VHS player in favor of a DVD machine. I've searched and found most of my favorite films on disc, but this one has eluded me. I wish someone would wise up and put Hotel on DVD for us.

The story itself, multi layered and multi plotted, is entertaining to watch. However, the costumes, the ambiance, and especially the music combine to take the viewer out of his seat and into the inner workings of a wayfarer's inn of quality. There really were and are hotels of gentility like the one in this movie. All presented without a car chase, a martial arts brawl, or a single gunshot fired.

Usually, Rod Taylor is throwing punches, chasing bad guys, or otherwise bruising himself and others in breakneck action sequences. Here, he's urbane, educated, well tailored, and the kind of business manager I always wanted to be. Tough and tender by turns. The two female leads, especially Merle Oberon are absolutely lovely; lovely to look at and beautiful to watch capturing their characters. And has there ever been a more sophisticated figure than Michael Rennie? Or a sleazier house detective than Richard Conte? Also there are reminders of where New Orleans was on civil rights changes in the late sixties. From start to finish, what's not to like about this film?

I saw this movie several times when it was in movie theaters. As soon as it came out on VHS, I got a copy and nearly wore it out. Over the years I've introduced many friends and family members to the Hotel St. Gregory through this medium. I'd love to continue enjoying it and passing on it's images of a different, more elegant, slower time in a city struggling to move forward. Alas, my VHS tape is no longer servicable and my VCR is gone.

Along with the original Love Letters(Joseph Cotton and Jennifer Jones)and No Regrets(Edward Albert and Kate Jackson) Hotel is a romantic trip everyone can enjoy....over and over and over.

There are two reason why I like this movie. First and foremost, I've been a big fan of Rod Taylor ever since "The Time Machine". I've also been a big fan of Arthur Hailey, on who's novel this movie is based. All of the characters slip into their roles and wear them well. Melvin Douglas as the crotchety southern inn keeper who has pretty much turned the running of the St. Gregory Hotel over to his General Manager, played by Taylor. The vindictive Hotel Mogul play by Kevin McCarthy, there to try to buy the St. Gregory to turn it into a tourist trap, his French Gal Pal, played by Catherine Spaak, who falls for Taylors character and one my favorites, Karl Malden as the hotel thief. You would think that a movie about an aging New Orleans hotel would drag and have slow spots, but this movie keeps the pace going and is very watchable. The quintessential 1967 car chase is replace in this movie by a hotel elevator rescue, and a laundry shoot escape by the hotel thief. A very enjoyable movie.

I read the book and saw the movie back in the sixties. I can't remember the movie that much but the book was terrific. I bought this film and watched it again 40 years later. Although it had lost much in the 40 year translation, I still enjoyed it. The movie could not possibly present all of the detail that was in the book (it would have to be a miniseries to do that) but it was still watchable. Mild compared to today's movies. The print and sound quality is excellent. A bit pricey compared to today's average cost of a DVD.

Based on Arthur Hailey`s book of the same name, it is a pleasant enough film. We follow the lives of the staff and a number of the guests. Rod Taylor is the very efficient Hotel Manager, Merle Oberon the Duchess and Michael Rennie her husband, the Duke. My favourite was Karl Malden as the thief who showed us a number of ways in which he got keys to rooms other than his own!

Set in New Orleans we see some lovely parts of the old city. The leading lady was European actrss Catherine Spaak. Very attractive but I don`t think she made a lot of American films.

A nice film but not a world beater.