Customer Reviews

Silver Streak [VHS]

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This movie is one I can watch over and over again. While Gene Wilder's cluelessness may seem to wear a little thin in places, the chemistry between the characters works. Admittedly when Richard Pryor appears the movie goes from humorous to hilarious, but in the meantime the Hitchcockian flavor will keep most viewers entertained.

Gene Wilder is a book editor travelling by train from Los Angeles to Chicago. Jill Clayburgh is a professor's assistant. During a romantic interval in Jill's compartment Gene see's a man killed. Of course the man is the professor. Let the fun begin.

Gene Wilder is a perfect straight man for this movie. He is clearly intelligent, but unused to crime and guns. His bravado is likely that of a typical suburbanite, and while we laugh at his actions, we also identify with his character.

Other stars make this movie an absolute joy to watch over and over. Richard Kiel of James Bond "Jaws" fame makes another silent appearance. Ray Walston is a sleazy hood. Clifton James, another James Bond movie character, also makes an appearance about the same time as Richard Pryor. Ned Beatty plays a government agent and Scatman Crothers plays a conductor. An all-star cast of characters actors in somewhat stereotypical roles, but they are so instantly recognizable that their appearance is enjoyable.

The train is a center piece of the movie, and the most important action scenes take place on or around the train. Train buffs who also enjoy comedies will find this movie to be fascinating. The end of the movie is particularly spectacular and intense as we wonder whether Jill, Richard, Gene and Scatman are going to survive to the end.

This movie was nearly an instant classic when it was released. Light comedy and very good entertainment, this movie is worth having on DVD.

More than a quarter of a century has passed between the release of this movie and my review. It looks current, exciting, and brand new. I highly recommend it. The pace is great, the suspense is ubiquitous, but not overblown (as it tends to be in so many contemporary movies), and the comedy is fantastic. I believe this is one of the best comedies of the last thirty years.

Gene Wilder displays more energy in this one than Richard Pryor. He is still quite young here and runs all over the place, being thrown off the train and all. But when Pryor shows up, the overall tempo of the movie picks up somehow, and we move from the middle to the conclusion so quickly that one can hardly stop to catch his breath.

The train wreck conclusion was nicely done. Somebody mentioned that this was the forerunner of Speed, and I think that is right one the mark. Nice comedy/suspense that made me feel a litte better after I watched it. I have not taken a train since I don't know when. In Southern California, the car is king. This movie made me almost nostalgic about the place I grew up--in a universe far away--where people used trains all the time, and I was among them.

Of all of the collaborations between Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, this one is my favorite. The characters are well drawn, the plot is balanced nicely between the elements of romance, adventure and mystery, plus the dialogue sparkles wittily.

The story is about a man who decides to combine a business trip with a little bit of relaxation, by taking the train from Los Angeles to Chicago. Along the way, he is involved with a beautiful woman, murder, a loveable thief and slate of "bad guys" well worthy of black hats.

The film is a charming diversion from the world; one that can be enjoyed by most of the family. It is a must have, either as a family film (for kids over 13) or a "date" movie. If you like to laugh, then add Silver Streak to your collection.

This is a great movie. I've watched this on various occasions over the years and it is always a pleasant joy. The thing that actually bothers me is when I remember that it STILL is not on dvd despite how much this movie is loved by the fans. WAKE UP call here. Release it to dvd please. This is probably the best Gene Wilder movie ever. Silver Streak was a hit when it came out and remains a hit with fans after all these years. That says it all.

SILVER STREAK needs to come out in a restored letterboxed DVD (adding the reminiscences of the stars on an alternative track would be great - but seems unlikely given Gene Wilder's and Richard Pryor's health concerns). Sitting down to watch this movie is like embarking on a weekend holiday with a group of terrific friends. You feel the excitement as you step on the train with Gene Wilder's character, and you're off! For anyone nostalgic for the 70's, this has the clothes, the cheesy decor, the innocent sense that saying "dirty words" was naughty and funny, and of course it has Pryor and Wilder -- two of the decade's greatest icons. Wilder in his prime here projects a sweetness and grace that is one-of-a-kind, and so endearing. Pryor is at the height of his hilarious talent and skill. Their pairing produced magic. Fine direction from Arthur Hiller following a warm-hearted script by Colin Higgins.

I've waited for this title on DVD ever since the format arrived. Even though the disc is essentially bare-bones (although the original theatrical trailer is included), you do get an anamorphic widescreen transfer--I've never seen the movie look this good. For the price, not a bad deal. I'm not sure what the other reviewer meant about the DVD being too dark; the colors and brightness look just fine to me. As to the movie itself, I always thought it was best described as a screwball comedy on rails. Only drawback (for some) might be that a lot of the comedy was probably unintentional! If you're a train freak like me, you know you have to have it.

Talk about a winning combination of humour & romance spiced up with a pinch of violence and derring-do. Gene Wilder gets lucky ridin' the Silver Streak train (with the rather charming Jill Clayburgh [what happened to her?? woulda liked to see her in some other films... ]). Enter Richard Pryor, stage [back seat]. Wilder as 'Mr Normal' and Pryor, a thief of dubious reliability make for a truly amusin' comic duo. One really funny 'leitmotif' throughout the film is how George Caldwell (Mr. Wilder's character) keeps gettin' tossed off the train... and everytime he does, he's astonished and damned pissed off (usually shouting, "Son of a bitch!").

Have to mention the delicious soundtrack by Mr. Henry Mancini (the Master, himself) - there's the theme, a broad, sweeping all-violins melodic arc (first played as the train pulls out of L.A. at the beginning of the movie) - AND... watch for the scene in George's and Hilly's [Ms. Clayburgh's character] suite when they first get together - the slow track playing 'on the radio' is pure 70's romance - subtle, easy-listening like and (I feel) kinda makes ya wanna shed a tear - such vulnerable music.

If you haven't seen it, do so.

I have always loved this movie. Please, Please, offer it on DVD.

It is a movie my 26 year old son would love, and his children will too. But if it isn't available on DVD, it will be missed.

Let's not let it go into oblivion along with VHS players!

Richard Pryor, along with George Carlin, undeniably one of the greatest standup comedians of all time, had a much more spotty film career. Pryor was wasted in garbage like The Toy, Brewster's Millions and Superman III -- films that wasted his complex personality. In his best work, Pryor could somehow be edgy, profane, angry, sympathetic and sweet at the same time. Eddie Murphy crafted a much more successful film career overall, but he has never been able to project the combination of attitude and vulnerability Pryor was able to embody.

Silver Steak definitely is one of his best films -- his first and most successful pairing with Gene Wilder. Wilder plays a book editor who is falsely accused of murder onboard the Silver Streak, a luxury train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. The first half of the film is a Hitchcockian mystery with Wilder romancing Jill Clayburgh, tangling with villainous art dealer Patrick McGoohan and being chased by the law.

Suddenly, Pryor enters the film as a fugitive thief and the film immediately becomes a great buddy movie. Instead of the nebbish whimp Pryor was forced to play in too many of his films, Director Arthur Hiller trusts Pryor enough to let him project his own personality -- smart, sharp, funny, clever and, best of all, nobody's fool. But unlike Eddie Murphy, who always has to have the screen to himself, Pryor works with Wilder instead of trying to shove him into the background. The movie immediately becomes ten times as funny as the two interact as well as some of the great comedy teams of the past. In one hilarious scence, Pryor must try to teach Wilder to "be black" in order to slip past a police checkpoint. It's no wonder the duo were paired three more times after this.

However, my favorite moment in the film comes at a more quiet moment. After jumping from the Silver Streak, Wilder and Pryor manage to convince the law that Wilder is innocent of murder. Pryor stays behind while the FBI and Wilder go after McGoohan and his henchman on the Silver Streak. As Wilder leaves, Pryor, displaying obvious affection and friendship for Wilder, very softly tells him to take care of himself and "stay loose." There is a gentleness to Pryor's delivery of these lines that gives added depth to his character. Instead of a one-dimensional, fast-talking crook, Pryor has created a flesh and blood character with whom the audience identifies and sympathizes with. It's too bad more writers and directors didn't let Pryor be himself.

Richard Pryor was a groundbreaking, revolutionary comedian whose potential on screen was never fully realized. Silver Streak is one of a handful of films that show the depth of acting talent Pryor possessed. It encapsulates all that was best about Richard Pryor and all that we'll miss now that he is gone.

I am a huge fan of this film. I was greatly disappointed with the DVD version, however. Many of the scenes that are on the train, and in less than full sunlight, are much too dark. I was hoping to recapture some of the neat photography with the widescreen version (some is lost with the full screen VHS version) on a projection TV. Only those scenes that showed the outdoor panorama of the train passing was fully captured with the DVD.

I like the show, but I can't recommend this DVD.