Customer Reviews

Rich & Famous [VHS]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

"Rich and Famous" is a fabulous movie that has been utterly damaged by this new video release (with a street date of April 6, 1999). This film was not available on VHS until it was re-released this month. However, when I purchased and viewed this new release, I found that the film had been severely butchered. Two scenes of a sexual nature (in the airplane and in Jacqueline Bisset's hotel suite) have been almost totally cut out and there are several scenes where some offensive bits of dialog have been "bleeped" out. (In other words, you see the character's lips utter the words, but there is a brief silence on the soundtrack.) This video release is actually the edited, cleaned-up version that was shown on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. I am totally surprised that a major company like MGM/UA Video would release an edited version of a film, without stating this fact on the packaging. (I truly believe that this was a mistake on their part. They probably used the wrong original negative when they duplicated this video.) My comments ARE NOT based simply on memory of the film. I happen to own the MGM laser disc copy of this film and that version is the original, unedited version of this film. I truly hope that MGM/UA Video will recall this video release and re-release the original, unedited version of this film on VHS. To compound this situation, the master used in duplicating this video release is just plain awful. The picture has a washed-out, unfocused quality and the sound is muffled throughout the whole video. The public should expect more from an established company like MGM/UA Video. But enough of the complaints. If you are lucky enough to see or purchase the laser disc version of "Rich and Famous" you will be treated to a great film about the ups and downs of friendship between two women. I think that before this film came out, no one expected much in the acting talents of Jacqueline Bisset and Candace Bergen. With this film, veteran director George Cukor demonstrated that these two actresses are capable of delivering much more than their beauty.

Amazon.com owes it to their customers to print this review. It is not so much a review of the film as this new release of the video. I have been waiting for its re-release for years. There is a very good chance I am the greatest fan of this movie, having viewed it no less than 60 times since it debuted in 1981. I was fortunate enough to buy a $90 copy when it was available briefly in the early 80s. But my copy is wearing thin, and I have been eager to replace it. When I saw this available as of 4/6/99 via Amazon.com, I was ecstatic! I received my new copy 4/7/99! Such service. I raced home after work, got comfortable with my bowl of popcorn, all set to recite lines with Bissett and Bergen, and I was appalled!

The standard "This film has been modified from its orginal version. It has been reformatted to fir your TV." shows up. What it SHOULD say is: "This film has been radically altered from its original version. All adult situations have been cut out, all cursing has been erased, all sexually-charged, character-developing moments have been eliminated!"

There is a brilliantly-hilarious scene in the original in which Bissett has a "Mile-High Club" experience on a TWA Flight from LA to JFK. Cukor juxtapositioned this with voice-overs about plane equipment, flying and landing. All cut from this video.

There is amazingly sweet, erotic moment when Bissett has an encounter with an beautiful 18-year old gigolo, portrayed by Matt Latanzi. Tastefully filmed, great musical accompaniment by Georges Delerue. It changes Bisset's views about youth and opens her to her upcoming romance with a younger man. All but sliced from this version.

There is a great moment of dialogue in a diner with her new found love interest, portrayed by Hart Bochner. "I never preferred it with girls my own age," he says. "Why not?" Bissett asks. "They're always looking out for their own orgasm," he explains. She laughs. "What should they be looking out for? YOUR orgasm?" "No," he replies,"OUR orgasm." It is an intense, relationship-defining moment, and the new owners of this film (Turner?) thought it was innappropriate to even use the word orgasm?!?!

Yet the distributors have the gall to use the original reviewers' quotes on the packaging: "Elegantly raunchy, unexpectedly touching and grand fun!" A lie, given what they have done to this film.

This film is my favorite all-time movie because it shows true human feeling and emotions and behavior, and translates it all into the world of writing and creativity. But this version cannot successfully do so in its current state. It is a travesty. And if there is a law against butchering a movie and lying to the viewers about what has been done, the distributors should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.

A travesty that key sections of this movie were cut in the video release. I wanted desperately to replace my well-worn copy. Now will not even consider a purchase of this video. The events that were cut are artfully portrayed and so key to the character played by Bissett that her role may as well have been eliminated entirely. So...I wonder whether Ted Turner's company has had a go at editing the film "Barbarella?"

Let me begin by saying that the original theatrical version of the film "Rich And Famous" (1981) Rated "R" 117 mins. is a 5 star choice!
As you may have read in other customer reviews the "MGM Movietime" VHS copy of this film is the edited television version!
Now Warner Bros. (which owns all "MGM" films made by the studio before 1986) has issued this title on VHS again with new cover box art that is beautifully packaged including the original movie poster artwork and ever the "WB" logo on the box!
But, guess what! You open the plastic wrap and it's the same VHS tape that contains the edited version complete with the "MGM" logo! That means that Warner Bros. went through the trouble to design a new cover box and again sell the incorrect version of the film with no disclamer on the package!
The tape begins with the caption "This film has been modified from it's original version, it has been formatted to fit this screen" (as do all non widescreen / letterbox formats) What the caption should include is "This film has been edited for content and is not the orginal theatrical R rated version of this film"
The new cover box artwork (which is not as pictured at Amazon as of this writing 11/21/03) is what compelled me to purchase this "WB" edition. I figured the error has been corrected and I could enjoy a fresh, new video transfer of one of my all time faves!
No such luck!! This is the worst VHS edition of all!!! The picture quality is so poor and blurry, it seems as if there is plastic wrap over my TV screen! The sound quality is so bad that I need to have the volume almost all the way up and even then it's as if the dialouge is being spoken into a tin can!
I have an original VHS 1984 MGM Video edition of this film which I have owned for almost 18 years now (it is somewhat worn out due to time and the technical limitations of early 80's video) my 80's video edition is still far superior to this latest edition!
*************************BUYER BEWARE***************************
The current VHS copy of "Rich And Famous" manfactured by Warner Bros. Video IS NOT the true version of this film!!! Printed on the cover box is the theatrical version running time of 117 mins. The video tape itself reads "Running time, Aprox. 1 HR 57 Mins." The actual time for this edited version is 113 mins. which means that 4 minutes have been edited out! I won't go into the specific cuts at this time. True fans of this film will know what I mean, since I'm sure they too have fallen victim to this manfacturing error of this title!
I am going to write to www.warnervideo.com (which is actually printed on the cover box.)and voice my opinion about this matter! I urge all of you reading this to do the same.
Who knows, maybe one day there may be a DVD release of the original theatrical version of "Rich And Famous" in a crisp, clean looking widescreen digital transfer and Dolby Digital or THX Sound! Hey, while I'm wishing here, how about an audio commentary by Ms. Bisset and Ms. Bergen!!! I always say, If you're going to dream, dream big!!!!!
Really though, send an e-mail to www.warnervideo.com about the matter with the edited VHS edition and if they receive enough complaints they will at the very least release a corrected VHS edition of this wonderful film.

This George Cukor film typically gets slammed for a variety of reasons, but I've always found its treatment of friendship (and how relationships change over time) to be right on the money. Candace Bergen, years before Murphy Brown, showed her talent for comedy. I would also suggest that the ending is one of the most satisfactory and touching of any film in recent memory. So let's hope this underappreciated film gets a royal DVD treatment: uncut and in widescreen, for starters. George Cukor had a real gift for directing, in general, and for directing women, specifically. This film serves his memory and reputation well.

I have loved this movie ever since I first saw it back in the early 80's. I've seen it so many times I can recite dialogue . I was sorely disappointd when i finally got a VHS copy and found that things were missing-not exactly neccessary things -but it's still not the complete film. I would have thought that the releasing of George Cukor's LAST film would would garner more respect. After all, he's directed Kate Hepburn. And this is just the kind of character driven comedy that she would have been great in in her time.Jacqueline Bisset and Candace Bergen make this movie work because you really believe these two people are the friends they portray.And under Cukor's direction, the friendship ebbs and flows as most friendships do-and have to-in order to be better.
If they can release DVD versiions of lesser known and surely lesser quality movies, then WHY can't the studio release a DVD version of the FULL film. I will be awaiting patiently.

I was both disappointed and frustrated when I opened the video and found that after I started playing it that it was the "cut" for TV version.
I had been looking for this movie for quite sometime after seeing it in the 80's. Finally I had it in my hands, or so I thought.
Dialogue and complete scenes are edited out from the original!

It's a shame. How can I "take down that book and slowly read" if it's been censored?!

Hoping for a DVD of the uncut version in the near future.

Yep, the good news is that MGM-Warner has finally done the right thing and has released the UNCUT, UNBLEEPED version of this fine film. No only that, this time (unlike the last awful VHS release) round the video and audio quality are nice. The color of the video is nicely saturated and the audio is clear. Finally, a decent copy of George Cukor's final film. This movie grows on you and it has two wonderful performances by Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen.

This film is very interesting, considering that the director's career began all the way back in the classic film era. I agree with the other customers-- the editing of this video is totally destructive. It has the same negative effect that colorization has on the great black and white films. The distributors obviously have no respect for filmmaking whatsoever. This purchase was a waste of money.

As a previous posting revealed, the opening scene is cut by a few seconds when Bergen & Bisset climb the stairs to the train platform. Why? A few words of dialogue that helped build the background of the story were therefore lost. Unless the master was damaged in that spot, Warner have no excuse for editing this film on DVD. Aside from that, it is a great DVD and the parts that many people, myself included, were worried may be cut are not. The two extras are nice, and if it wasn't for that stupid little edit by Warner, I would rate it 5 stars.