Customer Reviews

Operation Dumbo Drop [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The movie is extremely accurate in its depiction of a US Army Special Forces by-the-book Captain, Ray Liotta, coming to a strategic hamlet in Vietnam to relieve his predecessor, Danny Glover. The movie is entertaining but at the same time accurate in many of the details about this time and war that the rest of Hollywood as chosen to ignore. To Hollywood there is no humor in the Vietnam War, except to deride and satirize the sacrifice of those that served there. Danny Glover is excellent as the SF officer who has served his time, but doesn't want to leave his second family. Ray Liotta gives an excellent performance as the new guy on the block who has his own view of how things should work. Even the performance of Dennis Leary is surprisingly controlled, compared to his other performances. The story concerns how these two American officers conspire to get a replacement elephant for the village, which views it as a good luck charm, after their own elephant is killed. The Americans try every trick in the book, and some not in the book, to get an elephant to this village. The story is a true one, although the elephant was not parachuted into the village as depicted in the movie. The villagers are not Hindu, as a previous reviewer claimed. They are Buddhist, with a strange smattering of animism, as were so many Nung tribesmen in that region. There is very little bad language, no overt violence, no gore, and no sex scenes. The movie tells a simple story of kindness, and heroism during wartime, which is seldom seen in theatres anymore.

The version I saw in theater had subtitles for what the Viet Cong were saying. Due to the film being in Full Screen scan and pan the subtitles for the Vietnamese is missing, so you're missing out on 25-50% of the story of what's going on. Additionally you miss the final comment by the VC soldier, which was funny. It's still a great movie, but Disney really screwed this release up by not reformatting the subtitle to fit the full frame edition they stuck it in.

** EDIT** Had English subtitles on, so the Vietnamese wasn't shown as it loaded thru the captions. I leave my rating at 3 due to no Widescreen version or special features worth mentioning though. It wasn't a bad movie, it deserves a better DVD treatment, esp from a company like Disney.

What do you get when you combine:
- a near-retirement, throw-away-the-book officer that has been stationed in the middle of nowhere with no supervision and only Vietnamese for friends for years
- a hardcore airborne officer that goes strictly by the book
- a nearing ETS soldier who's scared out of his shoes that he will be killed just before he catches the freedom bird
- an Iowa farm boy that left the farm to get away from those doggone animals ... animals that never did like him
- a fast-talking romeo-type acquisitions officer
- a cantankerous female elephant
- a Vietnamese boy whose only remaining friend is a cantankerous female elephant

and send the group on a cross country journey through enemy territory?

You get a Walt Disney classic that will have you feeling every possible emotion. I have seen this movie hundreds of times and still end up in tears when I watch it. It is hilarious. Oddly enough, it is based on an actual true event. Only the 101st Airborne would do something like this.

This has my favorite parachuting scene. When they drop Botat out of the plane, her static line has been severed by a bullet and does not pull her chute. Geez, the next couple of minutes will stick with you for the rest of your life!

The casting was absolutely perfect. Each person played his role to the max! This is the movie that really brought Ray Liotta to our attention. Playing opposite Danny Glover was the ideal combination. They really rock in this movie.

Get this one for the entire family to enjoy! Also order the soundtrack. Once you see the movcie, you will picture Botat in the back of that old truck every time you hear "Hang On Sloopy" and you will see the flying adventure when you hear "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher." Order both today.

We purchased this DVD because we had the VHS tape and wanted the updated format. Sounds good, right? WRONG! The subtitles are not there! That is outrageous. What numbskull decided that? Who do I complain to? I hope there is a new widescreen edition in the works that has the bloody SUBTITLES, in English please!

I really like this movie, USUALLY. However, what makes it worth watching is the subtitles for the Vietnamese. When I ordered this DVD, I was expecting subtitles I could read. The only options for subtitles were "Spanish" or "None". I was extremely disappointed and angry that I can't even get subtitles in my own language in America!!! The storyline is nice because it is based on a true story but when you don't know what the VC are saying, you lose a lot in the emotion of the movie.

I agree - UNLESS YOU ALREADY SAW THIS MOVIE on DVD, you may not know what we (other previewers and myself) are talking about.......BUT, the omission of the SUBTITLES takes away ALOT from the movie. Walt Disney studios has robbed the people purchasing the DVD.

Its such a small thing to include the SUBTITLES, so it really makes you wonder WHY they didn't!?!?!?!?! I refuse to buy it without the SUBTITLES, and will tell everyone else NOT TO, as well!!!! : (

My rating is for the dvd itself, not for the movie. The movie is delightful and heartwarming, but Disney trashed it by leaving out the subtitles which are so necessary here to get the full story. Even though I've seen the original version and can somewhat remember what was "said", anyone trying to watch this for the first time on DVD would be lost several times during the movie, and miss much of what happens.

Shame on you Disney! We expect better!

This movie was a very funny movie that left you with a good feeling.It had absolutely no foul language in it and had a good perspective on the Vietnam culture and religion.A great movie for the whole family to watch!Two thumbs up!!

Operation Dumbo Drop is a slightly funny, heart-warming tale of a group of American soldiers, fighting in the Vietnam War, trying to do the right thing.

The story revolves around two Special Forces Captains, Capt. Cahill (Danny Glover) and Capt. Doyle (Ray Liotta). Capt. Cahill is the older, more relaxed soldier who goes with the flow and isn't afraid to do things in an unconventional method. Capt. Cahill has assimilated into a local Vietnamese village while monitoring the Ho Chi Minh trail. Capt. Doyle is the younger, uptight, by the book soldier who is sent in to replace Capt. Cahill.

An unfortunate string of events tips off the Viet Cong to the fact the village is helping the Americans and kill the village's elephant in retaliation. The two Captains put together a small band of misfits to find a new elephant and deliver it to the village by the end of the week.

The movie is based on a true story. Violence in the movie is minimal. It is a refreshing change from the typical violent Vietnam themed movie. I think the movie is meant to be funny, but I would more describe it as "cute". Not much in this movie really made me want to laugh out loud. The acting in the movie wasn't bad. I thought Ray Liotta, Dennis Leary (Lt. Pool), and Dinh Thien Le (Linh) all did an excellent job with their parts. However, I wouldn't describe the acting by anyone as extraordinary.

The DVD lacks any extras on it. As mentioned by previous posters, there are no subtitles when the people are speaking Vietnamese.

This isn't one of those movies I'd recommend scrambling out to get. If you find a good deal on the movie or can find it at a video store to rent, by all means give it a try. However, I do not think the movie is worth $15.00. This movie is probably a good compromise between a chick flick to watch with a date and a violent action movie you watch with friends.

OPERATION DUMBO DROP( 1995) Directed by Simon Wincer.
Starring Danny Glover, Denis Leary, James Hong and Ray Liotta.

In 1968 during the Vietnam War, when the Communists murder the elephant of a Montanard village loyal to the United States and South Vietnam, a special forces officer is given the unigue task of finding a replacement and getting her 200 miles upcountry in time for a religious ceremony. The Vietcong--partly because they wish to show that America does not keep her promises and partly because they think it must be a plot by the Republicans and Richard Nixon(The Elephant is their symbol)--strive mightily to stop the small force and their large charge.

Sort of like APOCALYPSE NOW only with the Montanards not being portrayed as subhumans and an elephant, this is a unigue and charming film about the Vietnam War. While touted as a comedy, it is only occaisonally humorous and really more just a story of group of decent American soldiers trying to do what America does---help the downtrodden and the oppressed. While there is one moment near the end that beggars belief, this is apparently based on a true story and the film's intentions are so honorable and earnest that I am willing to let it go.

The cast is okay but surprisingly Liotta walks off with the honors in my opinion. A good solid film about Vietnam and morally miles and miles above the usual porn that Hollywood usually spews on this subject. This is also probably the only movie where you will get to see an Elephant get seasick and the ONLY Vietnam War movie where instead of White Rabbit or Imagine or Country Joe and the Fish, you get to hear "If I see an elephant fly" from DUMBO.

A pleasant viewing experience. Recommended. This is the type of film Hollywood should have been making about the War from the beginning. How many millions would have been saved if only our creative community embraced the ethos of this film instead of the nihilism, hatred and love of death of Jane Fonda?

Liberal warning; The film does not portray American soldiers as drooling drug addicted repressed homosexual nazi rapists and does show the Vietcong as being nasty...save for one token good one. So you should probably pass. This is not for you. Go see AVATAR again instead.