Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my all-time favorites, at last on DVD in widescreen, January 11, 2005
This has always been one of my favorite films. Apparently it's supposed to be a guilty pleasure. I can't imagine why though. It's not a deep or socially important work of art, but it doesn't pretend to be. It's just a glorious, old-fashioned piece of entertainment, gorgeously shot on location in Germany, with one of the best scores the late Michael Kamen ever wrote.
Alright, so Melanie Griffith convinces Michael Douglas to send her as a spy into Nazi Germany because of her phenomenal streudel baking skills. It's that kind of movie. Either you let yourself be swept away by the storytelling, or it's just not for you.
The big news, however, is that this great movie is finally on DVD in the US. And it's in widescreen, a vital piece of information that was left off the listing here. I was really afraid I'd walk into Tower today and see a Pan and Scan atrocity and have to leave it there unbought. Worry not, the film is presented here as it was in theaters in 1992.
The makers of this DVD have also kindly left the original burned-in subtitles for the sequences in German, instead of replacing them with those ugly player generated ones you see so often. I always liked the font the filmmakers chose, so this was a pleasant surprise.
It would have been nice to have a director's commentary, or some of the approximately half an hour that was removed from the version that was shot. However for under $10 what we get (two trailers) is fine.
It took long enough, with the US just about the last country on earth to get "Shining Through" on DVD, but it's here at last, and looking as good as I could have possibly have hoped.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
IMPLAUSIBLE MAYBE, BUT A GORGEOUS ROMANTIC THRILLER!, February 22, 2004
Let's first quickly get the negatives out of the way. The somewhat doozy theme of Griffith and Douglas as WWII spies may be borderline incredible. That's pretty much all one could dislike about the film (frankly, it's all about the execution, and I loved the spy undercurrent.)Beyond that, as I was prepared to look because this is fiction, the movie enjoys top notch production qualities. The music is beautiful, the cinematography stunning, the script deliciously memorable. The screenplay is something budding artists should watch and learn from, it never lets up for a second throughout the entire movie. There're twists and turns, and you're always on the edge. Yet, quite admirably, amidst all these gripping moments, the film somehow also manages to couch a wonderfully moving romantic story. Griffith is great, and a part of her charm relies in the look she gives, that "shy-scary" look she projects, the look of the typical defenseless woman who inside is smarter and braver than any man on the planet. Were there women in that time who could be so accurately bilingual? Why, it doesn't sound all that impossible to me. If you enjoy watching romantic movies, don't miss this one. It's one of my favorites of all time, and it stands the true test of good cinema -- repeat viewing. Delectable!
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doesn't fit into any specific category, March 29, 1999
By A Customer
This film could be labeled a drama, a romance or a suspense/thriller. It is all of that and more. It's the story of a movie junkie who joins the war effort and ends up a jewish spy in Germany. Her only qualifications are that she speaks German and that she's seen a bunch of war films. I have seen this movie more times that I care to admit but it is one of my all-time favorites. The acting is great, the story is both touching and suspenseful and the plot is smooth. I'm not a big Melanie Griffith fan, but five minutes into the movie I forgot it was her and just enjoyed the film. She could have easily been docile and run to the big man to save her but her character is smart and sassy. The movie starts with Melanie's character telling the story in retrospect, yet the break in of the narrative is not obtrusive... just well done. On a side note, the love theme that runs throughout the movie is beautiful. This is an excellent film and would be enjoyed by men, women and teens alike. I definetly recommend viewing it when you have a chance.
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