8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the BEST RANKIN/BASS Live action films...., January 4, 2001
Finally! A wide-screen release of this wonderful RANKIN/BASS Production. The short ANIMAGIC Production of the song "Peace Berries" by Maury Laws/Romeo Muller is worth the price of admission alone. Romeo Muller (RANKIN/BASS writer) even appears in the film and can be seen shouting right at the beginning of the film. I especially like the performances of Zero Mostel as Kublai Hhan and Desi Arnaz as Marco Polo. Jack Weston and Cie Cie Win Are also GREAT! There are some minor flaws in the way the film moves BUT overall it is enjoyable and features a GREAT Maury Laws score! Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass Proved they could make an enjoyable film and snuck some ANIMAGIC in for good measure! Rick Goldschmidt (Author of the upcoming RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: The Making of a RANKIN/BASS Television calssic/Christmas 2001 )
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, September 19, 2008
A harmless film that will surely entertain. Most of the film is forgettable and some scenes in the film, though fantastical come across a bit heavy handed and forced. It looks and feels like a film made for an older crowd.
It may not be appropriate for young children.
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2 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Marco is somewhat entertaining, but NOT sadly family fare.:(, June 2, 2001
Being a fan of the GREAT Arthur Rankin jr., Jules Bass, and Romeo Mullar team (The men who brough us "Frosty the Snowman", and "Here Comes Peter Cottontail") I immediately jumped at being able to own this forgotten treasure. Being a feature length Rankin/Bass production I was not expecting anything but pure entertainment, with a little bit of filler and padding here and there, which is customary of ever Rankin/Bass feature film I've ever seen. I was greatly entertained by the story between the relationship of young Marco Polo and the wise emporer, Kubla Kahn. The songs were fantastic, the peace berry sequence was excellent (the best part of the entire film) and I was VERY impressed with how the Emporer was teaching of fatherly responsibility with his hundreds of children.
Things stayed pretty enjoyable until about 40 minutes into the picture. The shock came when a Character who is a warrior Princess came onto the scene and started shouting "By DAMN!" with every sentence she sates. She even sings a song about it (which she reprises two more times throughout the course of the film.) At this point it started to go away from being family entertainment and becomes something that is only fit for adults. Anyone with young children knows that they pick up on stuff, and I could see a young childing shouting "By Damn!" a lot after watching this.
Another WARNING about this film, it contains 2 scenes with questionable material, that is unsubtable for children. One scene involving the Emporers dancing girls contains some explicid camera shots and camera angles, wich hint at a sexual induendo. Another scene contains VERY BRIEF nudity, where the "by damn" character rips her clothes off. There are also a few instances where God's name is taken in vain, which may be an issue for some families.
I reeally am a great fan of the men who made this film, but I was very disappointed in some of the choices that they made with the content. With a little bit of editing this film would be enjoyable for a family audience and I have edited my copy for my children. If you are able to edit it, then this definately is a family film that you will want to own. I'm sorry that I couldn't give it a higher rating, but the flaws with the content of this film hurt it in my book.
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