Product Details

• Actors: Anthony Edwards, Robert Mitchum, Lauren Bacall, Harry Dean Stanton, Anjelica Huston
• Format: Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Anchor Bay
• VHS Release Date: June 27, 1995
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303566537
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,886 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

T. Theopholis North (Anthony Edwards) is an aspiring adventurer making do as a tutor and reader to the upper-crust in 1920s Newport, Rhode Island, in Danny Huston's enchanting if rough-edged adaptation of Thornton Wilder's comic novel. Equally at home with the rich (Robert Mitchum's blustery but big-hearted philosopher millionaire) and the poor (butler and all-around-town character Harry Dean Stanton), the young man with an electric personality (literally) becomes a liberator, a matchmaker, a reluctant faith healer, and a tonic for a community in the thrall of charlatans. Huston, son of the great John Huston (who helped script the film), is not a deft filmmaker, but he has a welcoming warmth and a contagious affection for his colorful characters. If his cast (which includes Lauren Bacall, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Anjelica Huston, Danny's sister) tends to overplay their parts, it's in the genial spirit of this lighthearted lark. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Film - Ignored by many and under rated, July 2, 2002

By 

K. Ramsdell (S. Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. North [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A delightful film! Anthony Edwards is supported by a tremendous cast of characters including Robert Mitchum, Mary Stuart Masterson, Anjelica Huston, Lauren Bacall, Harry Dean Stanton, and Virgina Madsen. Based on a novel by Thornton Wilder and directed by Danny Huston, the film, filmed on location in Newport, Rhode Island, captures the charm and innocence of the 1920s. Anthony Edwards carries this film and makes the film, which would otherwise be simply mediocre, come to life. A charming film well worth watching.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You've gotta love this movie!, April 3, 2005

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr North (DVD)

Based on Thornton Wilder's novel THEOPHILUS NORTH, this is, in its own quiet way, a magical picture. It's about a young college man who gives off electrical charges from his body (an old parlor trick); he comes to Newport one season early in the 20th century and begins to transform people. There is an exuberance and optimism that rub off on these stuffy summer people, and they begin to come to life in a way they've never experienced before. And, of course, there are those electrical charges, which some residents swear to as having magical healing powers. As reality, this movie would never work, but it has a fairy tale quality about it that transcends believability and allows us to just enjoy the proceedings. Definitely worth a watch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taste of the 20's, June 7, 2009

By 

Martha Loeb "Robin Williams major fan" (in MASSACHUSETTS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mr North (DVD)

What a movie !!!! What a cast !!!! Anthony Edwards, Robert Mithchum, Mary Kay Place, Anjelica Huston, Harry Dean Stanton, Lauren Bacall and so many more..... What a great idea to have a novie that says to kids.....you can try something out once,but it may not work. If it does great but always be on the lookout for things not to work. It was great.