Customer Reviews

Stanley Kramer Film Collection (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner / Ship of Fools / The Member of the Wedding / The Wild One / The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I ordered this Stanley Kramer collection because it had a copy of "The Member of the Wedding" on it--one of my favorite movies, and it is almost impossible to get a copy of this as a single. It is a fantastic collection and I have seen all of the movies before, but of course I had to view "Member" first and then "Ship of Fools." The actors that stand out in this collection are Tracy and Hepburn plus Poitier in "Guess," Marlon Brando in "Wild," Vivien Leigh in "Ship" with equally fine performances by Lee Marvin and Michael Dunne, and of course Julie Harris and Ethyl Waters in "Member." The most stellar performance of the whole pack is the young Brandon de Wilde in "Member." If it were re-windable, I could re-wind and watch this young man over and over and over. Too bad we lost this actor, although his skill seemed to disappate with maturity. The odd movie in this pack is the "1000 Fingers." It is a heroic undertaking, the making of this movie, but instead of being the surrealistic masterpiece it could have been, the sets and props seem amateurish. I must review this one several more times to fully appreciate it--the acting by Tommy Rettig is quite good--and I may finally decide that I love it BECAUSE of its faults, instead of in spite of them. (I have given more detailed reviews of the individual movies, previously) Stanley Kramer was a genius as displayed here on celuloid.

It's long overdue! Put out a single DVD of Julie Harris's great performance in this great story.

I have been looking for The Member of the Wedding for years after seeing it on TV and only saw the book until last week. I love this movie I am actually watching it right now. I think I got a great deal 5 movies for $18.26!!! You can't beat that. Even if the other movies aren't good to get The Member for that price is a steal!

Stanley Kramer had an interesting career, and this collection reflects that. Most interesting for me was "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T," the only live action movie of a Dr. Seuss story that he allowed in his lifetime. Even though he wrote the story and all the song lyrics, he disowned the film after it was poorly received by critics and audiences. He didn't even mention it in his autobiography - but it's interesting to see nevertheless - the film looks well produced and the colors and sets seem very Dr. Seuss like.

I read a review from someone lamenting the fact that "The Member of the Wedding" is not available on DVD by itself. I ask you; Where can you get 5 classics for $5.00 apiece? This outstanding Stanley Kramer Collection boxed set features "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner", "Ship of Fools", "The Member of the Wedding", "The Wild One", and "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T." There is also a bonus "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" disk with special features. Anyone waiting for "The Member of The Wedding" to be released on DVD by itself might be waiting a long time! Not to mention a single release could easily cost what these 5 films together are selling for. I believe this package provides an excellent opportunity to add classic films to one's collection!

i had seen guess who's coming to dinner earlier.but this dvd gives it a breath taking quality.background music is just exquisite.dialogues are such that may inspire you in real life.all the actors are great.an eternal movie.

special features could be better,may be an elaborate documentary on Stanley Kramer.

With most boxed DVD sets, the discs are linked by something in common, usually an actor, director or genre. The producer is rarely the common link, which makes sense: there are not many producers who are really recognizable as far as film-making abilities go (to me, one of the few is Val Lewton, whose horror films all have a distinct feel). This is the main problem with The Stanley Kramer Film Collection: while the five movies within all have their merits, they are all so different that it is hard to find true commonality among them.

The first of the five (in rough chronological order, which is how I viewed them) is The Member of the Wedding, an adaptation of a Carson McCullers story centered on a 12 year old girl whose feelings of exclusion drive her to obsess about her brother's upcoming wedding and thoughts about running away. For all its virtues, this is also a flawed movie (and probably the weakest in the set): it is an adaptation of a play (itself adapted from a book), and has a distinctly stagy feel with lots of dialogue and little action. Also, Julie Harris--in her mid-twenties when the movie was made--is not very plausible as a 12 year old, either in appearance or speech.

The Wild One is perhaps the most well-known movie in the set, a tale of a gang of bikers who run riot in a small California town. Although it is rather dated by today's standards, this was quite the hit when it came out and was one of the films that made Marlon Brando a star. Though

My favorite in the set is the bizarre fantasy The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, written by Dr. Seuss and with a distinctly Seussian look. The story--a child's dream--involves an evil piano teacher's attempt to get 500 child pianists (with 5000 fingers) to play his music, but that only vaguely describes this truly off-beat film. It was the first Seuss work to be put to film and remains the best live-action adaptation of his work.

Ship of Fools is a soap opera on a cruise ship heading from Mexico to Germany in 1933. The all-star cast includes Vivien Leigh (in her last role), Lee Marvin, George Segal and Simone Signoret, among others. Along with the intertwining plots is the looming threat of Nazism and the denial that Hitler and his cause would actually put their talk into action.

If The Wild One isn't the most familiar of the five titles, then Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is. This film features Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy (in their last pairing) as parents surprised when their daughter comes home with her new fiance, Sidney Potier. In today's world, where interracial romance is far more common, this film may appear rather quaint, but in its era, it was a more daring film. Unfortunately, it is also almost all talk and no action, with plenty of speech making, making this a movie that is more well-meaning than truly good.

The only real connection between these five movies is Kramer, who produced all five movies and directed the last two. Kramer was involved with many films beyond these, including Westerns like High Noon and comedies like It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. There is a bit of unifying theme with Kramer's belief in liberal social values, but even that is often elusive. So as a boxed set, this collection is only moderately successful, a case where the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Nonetheless, with some decent-to-great films and lots of extras, this set earns a low five-stars.

Stanley Kramer directed only the 1st 2 films. The other 3 he only served
as the producer. He made many great films. This collection does not do
him justice.

and- Ship of Fools, but- mostly Member. Bought it used. The other films i "gave away". Generally 'piss poor" collection but the only way to get 'The Member of the Wedding". They'll "phuque" ya every time.