Customer Reviews

Wings of Fame [VHS]

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

 

 

I'm a huge Colin Firth fan and love Peter O'Toole as well. This film has a really original idea. Firth and O'Toole are both sent to a hotel in a place in the After Life that looks like the Riviera. You are allowed to stay there as long as you remain famous back on earth. Firth is famous for murdering O'Toole and O'Toole is exactly what he is in real life: a famous actor. There are no other souls who can check into this hotel besides the famous. The joke, of course, becomes that what do all of these self-centered, self-obsessed people do when there is no one else around to prop them up? There are no hangers-on or spouses in this place! You see a little bit of everyone here: artists, inventors, musicians, poets, shrinks and even Nazis from the past. It is really funny to see them deal with losing their fame. I really enjoyed the film and the writer certainly had an excellent sense of the surreal and absurd. My one complaint is that it is basically a one note, one joke movie and you may start tiring of it once you thoroughly are into its concept.

Peter O'toole & Colin Firth work wonderfully together as a famous movie star and his murderer who go to a hotel that COULD be the afterlife OR a "waiting room" to above or below. When Firth gets a 2nd chance at life, he reluctantly takes O'toole with him. The ending is surprisingly touching. Each character learns something about himself, and each seems to get exactly what he deserves. Excellent acting -- especially by Colin Firth.

When I first watched it, back in 1990, this movie has amazed me by its grotesque, irony and sarcasm. Peter O'Toole's answer on the question what he thinks about the British cinema is priceless. I won't give away the answer, you should watch the movie. This little masterpiece instantly became my favorite movie ever. It is the one of those films you need to watch more than 1 time because every time you will definitely find something new in it. "Wings of Fame" is an absolute must-have for every O'Toole fan. It is an exceptional work and is definitely worth of a DVD treatment. Hopefully, Paramount will release it one day with some nice bonus features, and when it happens I will be the first on the line to buy it.

This movie deals with one of the possibilities of what happens after one dies. Colin Firth and Peter O'Toole, as murderer and famous actor, respectively, are linked forever in the "Hotel of the Rich and Famous". The price one is willing to pay for one's actions, including fame, seems to be the point of this film. I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was well acted and very funny in parts. It seems on the brink of answering in part the "why are we here" question without giving any answers. I came across this movie via my girlfriend, who is a confirmed "Firth-a-holic". There is a lovely French actress in this movie whose name escapes me...so there.

Otakar Votocek is the genius who penned this imaginative and insightful film which he also Directed WINGS OF FAME is a rare treasure in a world full of bad scripts where "personalities are replacing the true thespians" and worshipped as stars.Beautifully haunting in a world that is an island unto itself and the ocean is nowhere.Having Jello, Edie Sedgewick and Lassie all converge with the Lindbergh Baby on this island paradise is just the tip of the iceberg.Marie Trintignant is hauntingly beautiful as a lost siren whose song is mesmerizing.Peter O'Toole is an over the top movie star who demands to be worshipped and is so odious you really want to toss him into the pool with a scotch chaser.Colin Firth as O'Toole's stalker and killer is a bit of a puzzle at first.He seeks out a brilliant therapist to find himself while Einstein rolls around as vapid socialites use others as a form of entertainment and torment those they look down upon as they are self proclaimed great lovers and muses to the greatest people in history and literature.Is it Purgatory Island or Paradise Island?.A brilliant gilded cage.I hope it appears on DVD and that I can find the song that Marie Trintignant is eternally tied to.

This movie deals with one of the possibilities of what happens after one dies. Colin Firth and Peter O'Toole, as murderer and famous actor, respectively, are linked forever in the "Hotel of the Rich and Famous". The price one is willing to pay for one's actions, including fame, seems to be the point of this film. I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was well acted and very funny in parts. It seems on the brink of answering in part the "why are we here" question without giving any answers. I came across this movie via my girlfriend.

Yeah, the writing and directing gets a little confused. Yeah, Peter O'Toole plays himself really well. But if you're a Colin Firth fan, this movie is a must. Lots of CF screen time--and he does an excellent job with a minimally workable script. Despite the fact that he's a murderer, you still like his character.

Overall, I liked the quirky premise, too, despite the confusion.

It it refreshing to see how fleeting life can be and how many movies with powerhouse actors like Peter O'Toole and Colin Firth can be overlooked in such an original script. I think it is best viewed twice to really understand all of the interesting characters and how they landed where they did without spoiling the story line as it has been described already. This MUST be released on DVD as I have kept my VHS player just to watch this film among a few others that are classics.

Superb acting and an interesting premise make this movie well worth watching, and watching more than once.

Ahh, just watched this video. The story was very strange but the performances by the principal players were excellent. I could stare at Colin all day! A must see for any Firthaholic!