Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)

Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)
Sunrise (1927)
There are those who rate Sunrise the greatest of all silent films. Then again, some consider it the finest film from any era. Such claims invite a backlash, but do yourself a favor and give it a look. At the very least, you'll know you've seen a movie of extraordinary visual beauty and emotional purity. This universal tale of a farm couple's journey from country to city and back again was the first American film for F.W. Murnau, the German director of Nosferatu and The Last Laugh whose everyday scenes seemed haunted by phantoms and whose most extravagant visions never lost touch with reality. Hollywood afforded him the technical resources to unleash his imagination, and in turn he opened up the power of camera movement and composition for a generation of American filmmakers. You'll never forget the walk in the swamp, the ripples on the lake, the trolley ride from forest to metropolis. This movie defines the cinema. --Richard T. Jameson

How Green Was My Valley (1941)
John Ford's beautiful, heartfelt drama about a close-knit family of Welsh coal miners is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden age--a gentle masterpiece that beat Citizen Kane in the Best Picture race for the 1941 Academy Awards. The picture also won Oscars for Best Director (Ford), Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography; all of those awards were richly deserved, even if they came at the expense of Kane and Orson Welles. Based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, the film focuses its eventful story on 10-year-old Huw (Roddy McDowall), youngest of seven children to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan (Donald Crisp, Sarah Allgood), a hardy couple who've seen the best and worst of times in their South Wales mining town. They're facing one of the worst times as Mr. Morgan refuses to join a miners union whose members have begun a long-term strike. Family tensions grow and Huw must learn many of life's harsher lessons under the tutelage of the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon), who has fallen in love with Huw's sister (Maureen O'Hara). As various crises are confronted and devastating losses endured, How Green Was My Valley unfolds as a rich, moving portrait of family strength and integrity. It's also a nod to a simpler, more innocent time--and to the preciousness of memory and the inevitable passage from youth to adulthood. An all-time classic, not to be missed. --Jeff Shannon

Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Elia Kazan directed this sometimes powerful study of anti-Semitism in nicer circles, based on Laura Z. Hobson's post-World War II novel. Gregory Peck is a hotshot magazine writer who has been blind to the problem; to ferret it out, he passes himself off as Jewish and watches the WASPs squirm. Seen a half-century later, the attitudes seem quaint and dated: Could it really have been like this? Yet the truth of the story comes through, in the wounded dignity of John Garfield, the upright indignation of Peck, and the hidden ways bigotry and hatred can poison relationships. That's particularly true in the Oscar-winning performance of Celeste Holm, who finds more layers than you'd expect in what seems like a stock character. --Marshall Fine

All About Eve (1950)
Showered with Oscars, this wonderfully bitchy (and witty) comedy written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz concerns an aging theater star (Bette Davis) whose life is being supplanted by a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing ingenue (Anne Baxter) whom she helped. This is a film for a viewer to take in like a box of chocolates, packed with scene-for-scene delights that make the entire story even better than it really is. The film also gives deviously talented actors such as George Sanders and Thelma Ritter a chance to speak dazzling lines; Davis bites into her role and never lets go. A classic from Mankiewicz, a legendary screenwriter and the brilliant director of A Letter to Three Wives, The Barefoot Contessa, and Sleuth. --Tom Keogh

Customer Review: An Absolute MUST for Film Lovers
Put simply there is no better deal in all of DVD-dom than this 4-disc box set from 20th Century Fox. What you get is 3 masterpieces and one good film all restored to pristine visual and audio quality as well as a ton of extras in a nice keepsake box. SUNRISE - 1927; Directed by F.W. Murnau EXTRAS: -Audio Commentary by John Bailey (ASC Cinematographer) -Outtakes with Optional John Bailey Commentary -Original scenario by Carl Mayer with annotations by Murnau -Murnau's Lost film: Four Devils -Original Four Devils Screenplay -Original Sunrise Screenplay -Theatrical Trailer -Aspect Ration 1.20:1 -Original movietone score (Mono) -Alternate Olympic Chamber Orchestra score (Stereo) REVIEW: One of the most influential films of all time, Sunrise is perhaps master director Murnau's most enduring masterpiece. Filmed in the last year of silent film it remains one of the pinnacles of that lost art. It is undoubtedly one of the most poetically beautiful films ever shot. The stunning visuals reveal the lack of modern films' visual substance. Cold CGI can hold nothing to the organic purity of Sunrise and many other unforgettable silent films. The story is simple enough; a man from the country is tempted by a woman from the city to drown his wife and come away with her (there are no names given to characters in the film). The man struggles with the thought and the action of doing so while Murnau expresses his inner conflict with visuals that would come to be termed German Expressionism and would later serve as the visual basis for film noir. This is a case where what is said isn't nearly as important as how it's said. The acting is melodramatic, indicative of the classical silent era. The story is so simple that it requires almost no discussion. But Murnau's visuals express everything that is unsaid louder than 1000 pages of dialogue ever could. Yes, watching this film is like watching a moving painting. It is indeed closer to classical visual arts than narrative driven films. It's because of this that it lingers in the memory long after viewing it. It's simply as beautiful, poignant, poetic, and haunting a film as you'll ever see and it deserves a high place on any list of the greatest films ever made. The extras are plentiful and all very welcomed. Four Devils, however, is not an actual film, but rather a kind of recreation using the art designs and screenplay. The commentary has wonderful insights to Murnau's visual techniques. The screenplays are excellent to those wondering how a masterpiece begins its life. HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY - 1941; Directed by John Ford EXTRAS: -Audio Commentary by Anna Lee Nathan and film Historian Joseph McBride -AMC Backstory Episode; "How Green Was My Valley" -Still Gallery -Theatrical Trailor -Full Frame Format (Aspect Ratio 1.33:1) -Audio: English Stereo, English Mono, French Mono, Spanish Mono -Subtitles: English, Spanish REVIEW: This infamous film is perhaps best known as the movie that beat Citizen Kane for Best Picture in 1941. But seeing as how Welles was a huge fan of Ford and revered him as THE film master, it's appropriate that this film more than any other should've bested the film widely considered best ever. Ford also took home best director and Donald Crisp best supporting actor. Valley was often cited as Ford's favorite film, and it's not difficult to see why. It's a beautiful and sentimental film about a Welsh family of coal miner's struggling in their small town. The cast is uniformly superb, including a young Roddy McDowall in one of the finest child acting performances ever. But more than anything, it's Ford's traditionally and consistently wondrous visuals that perfectly create a sense of environment and the vivid people in it. The characters are all superbly conceived and each brings the story of their various struggles to life. Whether it's Mr. Morgan (Crisp) trying to hold his family together in the face of socialist union uprising, Huw (McDowall) growing up and dealing with sickness as well as other childhood problems, the unrequited romance of Angharad (Maureen O'Hara) and Mr. Gruffydd (Walter Pidgeon), or Mrs. Morgan's (Sara Algood's) ability to be the vocal and strong cornerstone. It's difficult to lend much insight into the poetic and, at times, spiritual tone that Ford exhibits and maintains in the film. It's really something that simply must be seen to be appreciated, and it's often the details (such as his carefully timed moving camera, or his ability to know when and when not to cut to close up) that give the film that extra something. The music is among the best ever used in a Ford film and together with the visuals, story, and characters creates a marriage that's entirely poignant. The ending (without giving too much away) is quite sad. But Ford elevates the film above maudlin sentimentalism with both the lyrical images and the heartfelt final speech. It's heartbreaking but also spiritually refreshing. Since its release people have disagreed just where Valley ranks among the other masterpieces in Ford's oeuvre. Some think it's one of his weakest "great" films, while others think it's among his best. For me, it's a notch below the absolute classics (Searchers, Clementine, Grapes) and falls somewhere in the second tier of masterpieces along with Stagecoach and Liberty Valance. Valley is a film that can put you off for a number of reasons such as the stilted romance or the obvious sentimentality. It's also not as complex as Ford's later films. But it's one that is full of possible poignancy, and if it happens to hit you then it might just become a favorite. The extras are nice, but not as robust as with Sunrise. The commentary is very good as is the AMC backstory episode. GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT - 1947; Directed by Elia Kazan EXTRAS: -Audio Commentary by Celeste Holm, June Havoc, and film Critic Richard Schickel -AMC Backstory Episode: "Gentleman's Agreement" -2 Fox Movietone Newsreels -Stills Gallery -Theatrical Trailer -Full Frame Format (Aspect Ratio 1.33:1) -Audio: English Stereo, English Mono, French Mono, Spanish Mono -Subtitles: English, Spanish REVIEW: This is easily the least substantial film of the 4 in this set. This 1947 film was full of zeitgeist, dealing with anti-Semitism and bigotry directly. It's the story of a journalist, played by Gregory Peck in an Oscar nominated role, assigned to write an article on the subject. Needing an angle, he poses as a Jew and begins to experience intolerance first hand. Dorothy McGuire plays his romantic interest, and Dean Stockwell his son. Even though this film handles an important subject with the seriousness it deserves, the problem is mostly not with the message but the delivery. The audience is essentially allowed passage into the subject through the son, and treated with as much respect. This film really seems shallow and naïve today. Its lack of a visual voice doesn't give it the aesthetic pleasures of the two above films, and its often awkward dialogue makes it pale in comparison to Eve. That said, the film is still good if taken on its own. It's perhaps one of the best films about bigotry. Its unadorned style allows for nothing to get in the way of the ideas. Gregory Peck also does as well as could be in the role, and makes even the most cringe worthy parts watchable. The extras are plentiful, though due to my lack of interest I haven't viewed either the documentary or the commentary. ALL ABOUT EVE - 1950; Written and Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz EXTRAS: -Audio Commentary by Celeste Holm, Christopher Mankiewicz, and Kenneth Geist (Author of "Pictures Will Talk: The Life and Films of Joseph L. Mankiewicz) -Audio Commentary by Sam Staggs (Author of "All About `All About Eve'") -AMC Backstory Episode: "All About Eve" -Original Interviews with Bette Davis and Ann Baxter -4 Movietone Newsreels (Movie Premiere and Award Shows) -Restoration Comparison -Theatrical Trailer -Full Frame Format (Aspect Ratio 1.33:1) -Audio: English Stereo, English Mono, French Mono, Spanish Mono -Subtitles: English, Spanish REVIEW: Widely considered the best screenplay ever written, Joseph L. Mankeiwicz incomparable masterpiece is one of the few `talky' films ever to win over cinephiles as much as audiences. It's not difficult to see why; the dialogue is endlessly witty and sharp, but the delivery by the cast - truly one of the best ensembles ever - makes everything work with a razor sharp precision. This may be Bette Davis's best performance, the role that resurrected her career and seemed to have her written all over it. She is riveting as the aging Broadway actress/diva Margo Channing. The titular Eve, played by Ann Baxter is her seemingly charming and naïve but actually devious successor that seeks to usurp Margo's place. In a way, Baxter had a much tougher role to play in the film, needing the audience to fall in love with her early - echoing Margo and her group's acceptance - and slowly realize her conniving ways. The supporting cast including Celeste Holm as Karen Richards (in perhaps her best performance), Gary Merill as Bill Simpson, Hugh Marlowe as Lloyd Richards, and George Sanders as Addison DeWitt are all outstanding as well. For many this film will be the centerpiece of this collection, and not unjustifiably so. Its story is as timeless as theater itself, and its themes speak on everything that deals with the nature of fictional theater in all its inner workings and parts, and its relationship with reality. It is simply the most intelligently written film about an age-old subject. It's equally cynical as it is funny, as biting as it is charming, as enjoyable as it is artful, and it is undoubtedly one of the finest films cinema has ever produced. The extras are, again, plentiful and all welcomed. The two commentaries are a bit overkill, as most everything of note is given in one of them (ether, really). The backstory episode is very nice and the rest of the extras provide nice looks at the film for its fans. CONCLUSION: Overall, this set may be the best ever produced of its kind. I'll just repeat the title and say that every film-lover should own this. At this price, I may buy two just to protect my invaluable copy of Sunrise.
Customer Review: Sunrise is Worth the Price Alone
This is one of the first box sets released and it has three of the greatest films ever plus one really good film. But the main thing is that this is the only way you can get Sunrise. Sunrise has the distinction of being only film to win the Oscar for Most Creative Film (The original classification of Best Picture). This is a very interesting silent film. But what makes this DVD a great deal are the extras. It has outtakes with commentary, scenarios and screenplays but the best is a recreation of Murnau's final film Four Devils. This appears to be a lost masterpiece. I say appears because it is only a recreation but what is recreated is fantastic. Add to this 20th Century Fox's greatest film All About Eve. This is Bette Davis' greatest film. She creates the indelible Margo Channing, a fading Broadway star who takes a fan under her wings, Eve. But Eve has plans of her own. It features Cleste Holm, George Sanders and the incredible Thelma Ritter. This film has the classic line "fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night". Then you have John Ford's classic How Green is Your Valley. This is probably his most complete film. It is the story of one family who live in a Welsh mining town. It stars Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara and Roddy McDowell. Finally, there is Gentlemen's Agreement. This is problably the one film that has not held up like the others but you can understand why it was a success. This is one of the first films about the unspoken Anti-Semitism in America. This stars Gregory Peck as a reporter who poses as a Jew to explore the segregated society with in America but gets a surprise closer to home. Dorothy McGuire costars as his girlfriend and Celeste Holmes won her Oscar for this film. Even if you have all the other films buy this just to get Sunrise!