Customer Reviews

The Parent Trap [VHS]

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Although the split-screen technique had been around for a decade or so, it was usually more noted for its failures than its success, and the actor required to play dual roles usually took tremendous heat for their failure to create two physically identical but distinctly different characterizations on screen. But with THE PARENT TRAP, with the difficult dual role resting on the shoulders of an extremely young star, Walt Disney struck gold. It would be the single highest grossing film the studio had released up to that time, and even some forty years later the baby-boomers who flocked to see it in 1961 regard it as one of their favorite movie experiences.

But THE PARENT TRAP has a lot more going for it than mere nostalgia. The cast is really, really good, featuring the ever-likable Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in leading roles and a host of great character actors (including Leo G. Carroll and Nancy Kulp) in minor roles. And then there is Haley Mills. The daughter and sister of noted English actors, Mills was no newcomer to the screen when THE PARENT TRAP went before the cameras--she had even picked up an Oscar for her earlier Disney film POLLYANNA. Even so, this was no guarantee that she could pull off the feat of double roles, something that had daunted even the legendary Bette Davis. But she did.

The story has been told so often that surely every one knows it by now. A wife delivers twin daughters--but shortly afterward divorces her husband, and each wins custody of one child. The children are raised without any knowledge of each other's existence... until they unexpectedly bump into each other at summer camp, put two and two together, and devise a scheme to get their parents back together again.

Even today, and in spite of its familiarity, it's an amusing idea, and while the actual script is weak in spots the cast, and especially Haley Mills, makes the most of it. There's plenty of slapstick, lots of laugh-out-loud scenes, and enough charm to beguile all but the most cynical viewers. And Haley Mills clearly demonstrates why she was regarded as the single most gifted child actor of her era: although she plays both Susan and Sharon with the same edge of mischievous fun, they do indeed come off as completely different personalities.

Of course, digital technology has left the old split-screen technique in the dust, and today its easy to see the flaws in the technique that weren't so obvious at the time. And the quality of the film transfer is not the best: while this isn't the worst transfer I've seen, it is full of artifacts nonetheless. Even so, the appeal of the story, the cast, and most particularly Haley Mills make up for a lot, and this Disney double DVD comes complete with a host of bonuses (including a making-of documentary and an audio commentary track by director David Swift and Haley Mills) that fans will enjoy quite a bit.

If you were a fan of the film then, you'll remain a fan of it now. And if you want to introduce your family to a truly charming movie experience, you couldn't make a better choice.

--GFT (Amazon Reviewer)--

The Parent Trap is, by far, my favorite movie. I couldn't tell you exactly how many times I've seen it, but it would probably be somewhere around 300 times. I know it word for word, and can actually quote the movie for someone at any time, which I have done quite a bit, along with my sister, Jennifer. The Parent Trap stars Hayley Mills playing twin daughters of a divorced couple (Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara). The girls, who have long been separated, meet accidentally for the first time at summer camp. After discovering they are long-lost twin sisters, the two concoct an outrageous scheme to switch places in an effort to get their parents back together. Personally, I don't like the new Parent Trap. The old one is just... classic. Although, I have done a "survey" with my friend, Elizabeth (another fan of the old one), and found that kids born from 1990 and up seem to like the new Parent Trap better than the old one, while it's opposite with people born from 1989 and below. No matter how old you are, however, I know you'll love The Parent Trap (1961). I highly recommend it to you. Feel free to e-mail me at TennVol86@cs.com and tell me your thoughts on the movie or my review.

Disney is finally becoming smart and are releasing their classics for the first time on DVD.
I was very impressed with the Parent Trap 2 cd set. The commentary between the director David Swift and star Hayley Mills was VERY interesting. Hayley talks about how difficult it was playing two parts as well as many other pieces of trivia and interesting facts about the movie. The sound is really good since it is THX certified, and the picture is crisp and clear. The behind the scenes documentary is a great plus along with the animated short that is included as well. There is alot more extras than are even listed on the back. There is a jukebox that plays songs from the movie, a documentary on the woman who played Hayley's twin, and much more!
You will want this movie for your collection, because it still has the charm of a Disney classic with a twist of modern technology with TONS of extras included. I was very satisfied with my purchase and I highly recommend that if you like this movie or have it on vhs, get the DVD while you can!

I never write reviews, but thought I had to do so, after reading Spanish Jack's comment. There is no need for me to tell you about the film because the other reviewers already did. While Spanish Jack may have had some good intentions in his writing, he ultimately could close the doors on viewers who appreciate the arts and classics, but are not white. This movie is a family, fun-loving movie for anyone who truly appreciates a combination of great acting, a well-told story and even pace. It's comical without stupidity or obscene language. Even though the cast is all white -- as most classics were in that time period, it is a movie to be enjoyed by all races and all age groups regardless of your family situation. You will not be disappointed.

Now this is the way a classic should be treated. Disney pulled out all the stops for the DVD's in their new "Vault Disney Collection" which has 4 different releases as of 1/29/03. I have always loved this movie, and you can read all the great things about the film itself from other reviewers and from the VHS reviews. First and most importantly it's WIDESCREEN. I think all DVD's should be. But the EXTRAS!! WOW, they put it all in here.

The 2 disc set has much more than is listed here or on the packaging. It is loaded with surprise features, but you have to hunt for them.

A featurette "Disney Legend Hayley Mills"; Featurette on the double used for behind the back shots called "Who's the Twin" with a recent interview from her; "Seeing Double" is a mini-documentary about the process used to make it appear to be 2 girls when there were one in may shots; A great interview feature with recently deceased animator Ward Kimball, and director David Swift; About 17 minutes from a classic Disney TV episode from 1961 "The Titlemakers", featuring work on the films title shots and music; several archive galleries with studio fan cards, costume design sketches, lobby cards, invitations, film production letterhead, posters, magazine ads, screenplay, and the complete exhibitors campaign book; audio features with production photos such as a Radio Spot from the original release, two songs, and 2 interactive "Sound Studio" demonstrations. There is a touching feature on the songwriting team, the Sherman Brothers, responsible for many of the memorable songs from movie history including Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and the non-Disney "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". More features include "Lets Get Together"; Another behind the scenes documentary with tons of modern interviews of the stars and film-makers called "Caught in the Act, the Making of the Parent Trap". Also more production archives; and the 1961 Disney Studio album which is a video showcasing all the Disney created in 1961 from Parks, to TV, to theater; Also included is the original theatrical cartoon released with the film.

To find all of these is not easy, so make sure you poke around and push on every icon you can and play the things that do not sound intersting since they can lead to another menu of goodies.

Thank you! Thank you, whoever at Disney pushed to treat this DVD like this. The extras have caused me to rave about the Vault Disney series to everyone I know and buy extra copies for my loved ones as Christmas presents. I hope all Disney fans buy tons of these so Disney understands it is worth putting the extra work into a DVD. On the other hand I and my friends have refused to buy some of the Disney discs they have rushed to the market lately with no extras and no Widescreen. Are you listening Disney??

The Parent Trap is one of the best family movies ever made. Hayley Mills shows that she is a terrific actress by playing the dual role of Sharon McKendrick and Susan Evers. The plot is simple. Mitch Evers (Brian Keith) and Margaret McKendrick (Maureen O'Hara) get married, but realized they have made a mistake. They decide to divocre. However, Margaret is pregnant with twin girls. When they divorce, one twin goes with Mom and the other with Dad. It's not until about thirteen years later that Susan and Sharon meet each other at camp. At first they don't get along, and are sent to the isolation cabin where they have to spend the entire summer together. While there, they realize they are twins, and come up with a plan to get their parents back together.

This movie is a timeless classic that will entertain viewers of all ages. Adults will love it for it's romance while kids will enjoy the comedy. In this day of age there are few things that a family can sit down and watch together, but this is one of them. A great movie. You'll love it, trust me.

I'll leave the critique of this movie to others. They all say basically the same thing anyhow, "This is a fun movie. Hayley Mills is a doll..."

What makes this DVD edition stand out is that it has an entire second disk of extras! As a person who is interested in documentaries and old film reels I was amazed how Disney made a superb disk of extras.

If you are thinking of upgrading your VHS copy to DVD, this is the time to do it. Disney has made a DVD edition that others should be measured by.

It has commentary by the director, Hayley Milles, the making of the movie and profiles the "hidden" twin for Hayley's from behind shots. If you look at the movie closely, there are a few shots where you can see the the actress full face on. This alone justified the DVD purchase for me.

A fun movie with many fun extras.

...For any Parent Trap fan, you need to get the DVD version. I was blown away by all the bonus footage in this version, most already mentioned by previous reviewers. There must be at least an additional 2-3 hours worth of extras. The version with Hayley and David Swift narrating is amazing, and is so interesting to listen to their commentaries. I was so happy to see so many of the cast interviewed, Hayley, Sharon (forgot her last name: who played the double in some of the scenes) Maureen O'Hara, Joanna Barnes, and even the Sherman Bros, whom I was so glad to finally see after all these (40) years! Even the commercials and a slide show that you can scroll through. Plus lots of scenes with Walt himself on the set. And biographies of the stars to boot with home movies! I still haven't seen it all, and I have watched about 2 hours worth besides the movie. I also have seen this movie about 30 times and never tire of it. One of my favorite scenes is when Leo G. Carroll discovers that Brian Keith has another wife (errr X-Wife)! He is just too cute for words! But the whole movie is wonderful, and Hayley is the best!
Buy the DVD, you will not regret it.

Both the movie and the DVD get 5 stars plus!!! I've loved this movie since I was a kid, and was so happy about it's release on DVD. What I didn't expect was that it's one of the best DVD's I own. It's great to see the film on disc one in letterbox. Prior to the film is the Donald Duck short that was seen in theaters when the film was released! The extras on disc two are phenomenal! This is where the magic really happens. There are interviews with Hayley Mills, Director David Swift, Hayley's double Sharon (yes her name is Sharon like the character) and related pieces with The Sherman Brothers, Ward Kimball, Kevin Corcoran and others which make it a must for every Disney fan. Plus there is tons of footage, clips, photos, music, drawings and storyboards, and so many clips from the disney archives. All this, but there are also documentaries about the film itself, discussions about the split screen effects, and more. It's obvious that the folks at Disney took their time and did their homework. Congratulations to the producers listed at the end of this DVD on a job VERY well done! Hope to see more soon.

I love this Disney movie. It stars beautiful Maureen O'Hara, handsome Brian Keith and gives us a double helping of a very young Hayley Mills who plays twin sisters. The movie may be sugary sweet, but it is a real tribute to children, parenthood and love. Brian Keith (Mitch Evers) and Maureen O'Hara (Maggie McKendrick) divorced when their twin daughters were very young. Each took a child--one parent lives free and open California style (he), the other lives in stiff Bostonian style (she). Their children reflect their respective parents lifestyle. By a fluke the girls end up in the same summer camp, of course they (Sharon and Susan) meet; and that's when the fun begins. After initially disliking each other, they find they have more in common than their disturbing identical looks. Once connected, they decide that their parents must be reunited. However, neither is counting on papa Brian Keith having a gold-digging sweetheart (Joanna Barnes) and her greedy mother lurking about. Never mind, the girls soon take care of that. The Parent Trap has some hilarious moments. Some are laugh out loud funny. Just watch Leo G. Carroll as Reverend Dr. Mosby.

The movie has a superb cast, Una Merkel is Verbena, Mitch's very wise and knowing housekeeper, Cathleen Nesbitt and Charles Ruggles are the wonderful and doting grandparents. John Mills (Haley's father) appears briefly as Mitch's golf caddy. I was happy to see that the movie is now available on DVD.

Vannie(~.~)

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