Amazon.com: The Brother From Another Planet [DVD] : Joe Morton, Daryl Edwards, Rosanna Carter, Ray Ramirez, Yves Rene, Peter Richardson, Ginny Yang, Steve James, Leonard Jackson, Bill Cobbs, Maggie Renzi, Olga Merediz, John Sayles, John Sayles: Movies & TV

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The Brother From Another Planet [DVD]

Joe Morton (Actor), Daryl Edwards (Actor), John Sayles (Director, Writer) Rated:

R

Format: DVD

241 ratings

IMDb6.7/10.0

Audio CD
—

Genre	Fantasy
Format	Closed-captioned, Anamorphic, DVD, Subtitled, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
Contributor	Yves Rene, Ginny Yang, Ray Ramirez, Leonard Jackson, Maggie Renzi, Bill Cobbs, Peter Richardson, Rosanna Carter, Joe Morton, Daryl Edwards, Olga Merediz, Steve James, John Sayles See more
Language	English
Runtime	1 hour and 48 minutes

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Olivia Hussey
2,555
DVD
$28.99
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

241 global ratings

5 star		68%
4 star		15%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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5 Star Movie on a 1 Star DVD

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2002

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NOTE: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS FOR THE UNITED AMERICAN VIDEO DVD RELEASE, NOT THE MGM DVD VERSION RELEASED A YEAR AFTER THIS REVIEW WAS WRITTEN - I saw this classic movie back in the mid '80s, and I must say that it is memorable. What really makes this movie is the performance of Joe Morton and the supporting cast. Joe doesn't say a word of dialogue throughout the movie, but his facial expressions and body language prove that he has an undisputed talent for acting. He plays an intergalactic slave running away from bounty hunters. Crash landing in New York City, he gets to experience what the world has to offer. The comedy in this movie is subtle, but very witty which adds to the charm of this movie. I was hesitant to buy this movie on DVD because of the reviews & the price. On the back of the keep case, there is a disclaimer stating that there are picture imperfections due to the master used. I've never seen this on a DVD before! The good things about the DVD is that it's very clear & in focus. The colour looks normal (people are not flaming pink or morbid grey looking) & the disc plays continuous & doesn't freeze after each scene. The bad things are: The master used is not even acceptable for broadcast standards. There are a lot of artifacts throughout the movie (periodic horizontal noise lines & pixelling around the 45minute mark) It looks like a worn out BETA SP master was used. This is where the price comes in, for a DVD it's really low priced, but it shows that you get what you pay for. It's unfortunate, because this movie deserves the respect of being digitally remastered and reissued on a properly produced DVD.

59 people found this helpful

Morton is Magnificent, Brother Endures Time

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2006

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If you appreciate fine acting, in particular, the artistry of silent acting, you will want to watch Joe Morton over and over again in this low-budget classic from John Sayles. Part Chaplin, part Keaton, even part Harpo, Morton is simply magnificent. His gestures and movements, his body language and facial expressions encompass a huge physical vocabulary from frightened innocence to gleeful joy, from tired resignation to bold determinism. In a heroic dash up and down Harlem, Morton's character pulls the audience along on a sometimes comic, sometimes gritty extraterrestrial flight from intergalactic cops.

The Brother from Another Planet, Sayles's funky sci-fi, grand metaphor of sanctuary and immigration, immortalizes Morton as a great silent star. Probably best known for his supporting role in Terminator 2 as the self-sacrificing scientist, he ironically enough got his start in the 1968 Broadway production of Hair and later earned a Tony Best Actor nomination for his performance in a musical version of A Raisin in the Sun. BTW, the first music you hear in Brother is a clip of rap that Morton's character "hears" from the graffiti-covered walls on a deserted back street. (Yes, he is able to pick up "lost" voices from walls and chairs and public spaces.) Watch the credits at the end and you will discover that the rapper is Morton himself!

Of course there is more to Brother than Joe Morton's sterling performance. Endless metaphors of racial inequality, issues of otherness, bureaucracy, drug trafficking, alienation, slavery, and the funny sadness of people constantly wrapped up in themselves resound throughout the film. Not as rough as a Sun Ra flick, but certainly as genuine and homey and wise, Brother endures time and looks just as current as when it was made in 1984.

9 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2021

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So stupid I laughed so hard in places. A little slow at times! Funny to see how movies were made back in the day!! Lol

An odd look at life through the eyes of an alien

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2021

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An alien (Joe Morton) lands in New York City and ends up in Harlem. He doesn’t speak, looks like a black man with dreads and can fix things by touching them. The story is one of discovery as he wanders around the city and meets people and observes things. He finds the kindness of strangers, he sees drug abuse, he experiences the love of a woman and more. It’s just an odd look at life. Sometimes it’s interesting. Sometimes it’s a bit slow.

2 people found this helpful

Great Film Noir

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2022

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A great movie that has the right of humor and social commentary.

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2022

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I was told this was funny. He never says anything, though, so it is boring. I never fast forwarded so much through any movie. Watched it in under 15 mins. No laughs in it. Very dated.
The misfit idea is better in "Twins" or "Being There" or "Encino Man."

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2003

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Having bought the UAV release of this movie and being disappointed in the playback, I was thrilled to see a major label like MGM has picked up this gem of a movie and released it rrecently on DVD. The picture is crystal clear, and the sound is great. This is how this movie should have been released on DVD in the first place. There are no noise lines or pixeling in the MGM version. There is just vibrant colour and clarity. Parts of the movie show graininess, but that is not the fault of the DVD, it's just the film used, plus this movie is from 1984, so there wasn't digital filming at that time. I am very happy to finally get this movie that has been properly transferred onto DVD. This disc features a running audio commentary from John Sayles, plus an interview with him too. If you were not happy with the UAV version of this movie, I strongly recommend picking up the MGM release, because the movie looks how it should look on DVD and that's great!

48 people found this helpful

Jan M, caretaker of 3 cats

A must-see if you're a 90s movie fan

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2020

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Another great film from a young black filmmaker! This is the first I saw of Joe Morton before he began appearing in Hollywood films and it is an engaging, funny and thoughtful film - comparing in some ways the concept of being an alien to being black. It seems dated as it was made in the 80s or 90s but is well worth watching, it is history in the making.

Top reviews from other countries

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gillian sewell

Very good film!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2021

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Brilliant film, that I first watched as a child. I was so pleased to find in on dvd and thoroughly enjoyed watching it again after all these years. Good quality dvd and arrived in a timely manner.

FERNANDO

UNA AUTÉNTICA RAREZA

Reviewed in Spain on June 4, 2022

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Una auténtica rareza esta peli, y lo digo para lo bueno y lo malo. Entre lo mejor cabría destacar la originalidad de la propuesta y la ambientación ochentera. Sin embargo, no nos engañemos. La historia está débilmente construida, apenas se sostiene y algunos de los gags que la atraviesan directamente sobran. Pero no se hacen películas así, ni antes ni mucho menos ahora. Influencias: Starman, el hombre que cayó a la tierra, ente otras (hombres de negro, expediente X). Fascinante en cualquier caso.

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M Armstrong-Roper

An 80s Lo-Fi, Sci-Fi Classic

Reviewed in Australia on June 26, 2021

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This Desert Island Classics version while not best picture quality is still worth a purchase. It is one of the most enjoyable Sci-Fi films and shows what a talented Director like John Sayles with great actors like Joe Morton can do on a miniscule budget. Fantastic also to see 1980s New York.

Jonathan G. Lloyd

Slant on ET

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2010

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If you thought ET was a cute little goblin-like being, think again. The Brother is from another world who intergrates himself into Harlem with an culture class like no other. Sex, Drugs and Motown music. A Must See

3 people found this helpful

Marti Marin Corbera

Un director para tener muy en cuenta

Reviewed in Spain on April 9, 2017

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Magnífica película del entonces joven John Sayles, pese a la falta de medios. Al fin, lo que cuenta es la imaginación...

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