Customer Reviews

Uncle Tom's Cabin [VHS]

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

 

 

I was a little hesitant to order this DVD at first, especially after reading some other reviews and comments about racial issues, but I decided to get it anyway. I'm an Australian living in Sydney so I don't know much about US History or the details of social and racial issues of the US, nor have I ever even heard of the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" but none of these things prevented me from being deeply moved, impressed and inspired by this film. It has some very heart-wrenching scenes, great suspense, deep emotions and overall extremely good acting. It didn't bother me that some white actors played black roles or that some actors appeared older than their characters because I tend to follow the story and the emotions, ideals and feelings expressed in a film. Another feature that impressed me was the music that suited each scene perfectly, and I have to admit, I was moved to tears by the scene of Topsy crying over the death of Miss Eva while a choral version of Dvorak's New World Symphony Largo played - one of my favourite pieces, but never so deeply moving as in this scene! In my opinion, the musical score added a special touch and extra dimension.I would highly recommend this DVD for all non-Americans, or even to anyone who enjoys a very high quality silent movie because a knowledge of US history or other issues is definitely no prerequisite to enjoying this excellent film!

I was hesitant to use this DVD with my classes because I knew they would resist watching a silent movie. As I introduced the movie to my students, they complained but a hush soon fell over the crowd as shortly after I pushed play.
Students were captivated by the music and sound effects and I was amazed at the quality of the acting I saw.
I believe that teachers can do more with this version of the movie than any other. This movie follows the book very well and chapter seven is especially gripping as Eliza crosses the Ohio River.
I highly reccommend this movie as a supplement to the novel. Students will be captivated by the emotion evoked through the heart-wrenching scenes and you will be amazed at the appreciation they have for early cinematography.

Faith is only seen by the beholder. This is what this movie is about. It moved me to my very soul. It was very well directed and the actors were wonderfully picked to fit the characters. It really demonstrated the events in the novel, by the 18oo woman writer Harriet Beecher Stowe. Of course there were some parts taken out of the novel, and some that were added. I was very disturbed by how they took out or replaced scenes from the novel. The movie really brought out the true nature of slavery and how people treat other people, who are different then they are. It was just like the novel, except you were able to see the actual events happen, instead of just reading about them. This is a real work of art that can be loved by people for generations to come. This movie has fantastically displayed all of the emotions of the characters and the situations. It was a movie I would not mind watching over and over, again. I feel that this kind of movie is just the type we need in the world today. It gave a new meaning to the word hope and love. The movie is great for teens to adults. I think that children under the age of 12 will not understand the context of the film. It will not be suitable because of some of the scenes in the movie which contain violence and adult situations. I had a great time watching this movie. The plot was very easy to connect with, and to follow along with. Faith is only seen by the beholder. This is what this movie is about. I give this movie a five stars rating, for the grand display of acting, the perfect selection of casting, and the excellent work with the camera. I really give this two thumbs up.

I wanted to like this film more than I eventually did. It has some very fine moments, not least Eliza's flight across the ice, which is only just behind Lilian Gish's ice flow scene in Way Down East. This adaptation of Uncle Tom's Cabin however, has a number of flaws. The biggest difficulty is that it is set just prior to and during the civil war. Stowe's book was published in 1852 and really the story only makes sense when it is depicting a time prior to the 1850's. It must also be said that some of the acting in this film is not too good. James Lowe, who is the only major African American actor in the cast, is very good indeed. His performance is dignified and in the end heartbreaking. But we have to accept a quite absurd Topsy played by a teenage white girl in blackface. Moreover, Eliza (played by the director's wife) is patently too old for the part, she looks about the same age as her mother. Also the makers of this film decided that all of the 'fair-skinned' African American characters would be played by white people with so little make up that they look scarcely different from the white characters. This was to avoid offending contemporary audiences. This leads though, to some initial confusion regarding the status of characters and somewhat undermines the anti-slavery theme of the story. The print used on this DVD is pretty good. I would have preffered some colour tinting, but it is clear and has very little damage. The DVD also has the bonus of two interesting deleted scenes and some stills of some further deleted scenes. The music on the DVD is on the whole fine, but has a number of scenes where there is singing on the soundtrack which does not synchronise with the singer. This is a feature of some late silents, but I must admit I do not care for it. This film is interesting and worth seeing, but it is not the masterpiece the director was intent on making.

Ok, this film is like many of the silent era, it takes its story from a novel and retells it in a totally different way. Sometimes it's ok, sometimes it's not. In this film, it is Ok! I had heard that this film wasn't very good and I wasn't going to buy it except that I love the book the story came from. A sale for 50% off prompted me to purchase the DVD. I watched it thinking it wasn't going to be good but "interesting". I ended up loving it! The movie takes the story and gussies it up with exciting scenes and even adding the civil war as an added bonus. Remember, the book basically started the civil war so ther was no hope in the novel. The acting is very good and the movie direction is quite creative. I highly recommend this movie to anyone with interest in silent films and Uncle Tom's Cabin. Don't forget to take a look at two deleted scenes included on the DVD. They involve Topsy's distress over being black and how little value is placed on her humanity. She feels she cannot behave because she is "not good" and making herself white would change that situation.

i think this silent movie was excellent,it was close to the novel.great cast.just terrific.

I am writing this review as someone who has not read the Harriet Beecher Stowe novel (probably a mistake on my part), but am extremely into film analysis and history. I wll stay away from any social commentary other than that which is related to this movie.

This is Universal Studio's feature film which portrays African-Americans in silent era cinema (as opposed to "The Jazz Singer" - Warner Bros - or UA's "The Birth of a Nation", for other studio examples). There are numerous black actors in the movie, but they are given highly stereotyped roles (dialogue, facial expressions, costumes, hair styles). However, this was a rule in Hollywood, and still is to some extent. It is also a large problem that I have with this movie. To be fair, it is also, probably, how the novel portrays them. What bothers me more with the movie is how none of the main "lighter-skinned black" characters are portrayed by African-Americans, even though several are background characters that could have easily be given those roles, and it would be an even more important film if the producers did such.

This movie was made for a huge budget: $1.8 million! It was one of the last silent movies. It was produced by German-Jewish ex-pat Carl Laemmle (founder of Universal). It has a mainly African-American cast (although they are in much lesser roles). It is based on the "notorious" book from the 1850s. These are great reasons for it's historical importance.

As far as a movie, it has many problems. It includes the Civil War years. The young girl, Eva St. Clair, and Harry (or anyone else) never age. I constantly questioned whether Harry was male or female A title card says male, but....). Very little story is about Uncle Tom. The use of non-African-American actors and actresses in the main roles is silly. The narrative, mostly starting with the New Orleans story becomes muddled. Mona Ray's performance in blackface is surreal and way over-the-top.

However, there are many pluses. We are given a movie that is excellent for analysis on cultural and historical reasons. This DVD has a great feature which reconstructs missing and edited scenes that have quite a bit of cultural and historical value that make the version that Kino released more narratively sound. I almost wish these parts were put into the presentation and a second disc would have the version that is presented in this DVD. For example, the disjointed dialogue between Eva and Topsy is makes more sense with the (now considered) "derogatory" dialogue between them (the scene where Topsy talks about being "bad"). This extra feature is invaluable and shows how the final product is edited (censored) to keep a type of universal audience while trying not to denigrate anyone. This is the main reason for my 4-stars, otherwise the movie is nearly surreal and confusing.

Also worth noting is the excellent transfer and some interesting special effects through the pre-CGI process known as optical printing.

4 stars for the importance and transfer by Kino. 4 1/2 for the extras. Well worth the purchase for the student of films!

Casual film watchers will probably be bored, annoyed, especially by the heavy use of melodrama, a staple of silent cinema.

Watched this after reading the book which helps following the story.
Good movie.

If you look to utilize this DVD to supplement curriculum, to make the production of the same "come to life" for your lackluster reader, DO NOT USE THIS VERSION OF THE DVD (1927). I love silent films, but for many boys AND girls who are reviewing the book for curriculum, it just won't cut the mustard! You would be better off having them do their own production.

This is not the version that I thought it would be. Old-time film with no talking. I only watched the first 10 minutes. I had ordered it to show to my history class. It was not what I was looking for. Those who are into old-time movies without words may appreciate it.