Falstaff - Giuseppe Verdi DVD

Advantages: Great script, acting and plot. Super music.
Disadvantages: No extra features

...station scene is a masterly exercise in tension building and the bit with the pram (reminiscent of The Battleship Potemkin) is near genius. Both the visuals and sound are crisp and clear, as you would expect from a DVD. Cast: Kevin Costner - Eliot Ness Sean Connery - Jim Malone Charles Martin Smith - Agent Oscar Wallace Andy Garcia - Agent George Stone / Giuseppe Petri Robert De Niro - Al Capone Richard Bradford - Police Chief Mike Dorsett Billy Drago - Frank Nitti Patricia Clarkson - Catherine Ness Steven Goldstein - Scoop Robert Swan - Mountie Captain Directed by: Brian De Palma Running Time: 115 minutes Certificate: 15 DVD Features (Region 2): Theatrical Trailer Subtitles: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, English for the hearing impaired, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian... Read review

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Advantages: Educational, entertaining and historical.
Disadvantages: Iambic pentameter isn't for everyone. Almost no extra features.

...Henry V is available on DVD in a 1989 production directed by, and starring, Kenneth Branagh. This is a direct and edgy story about England’s war with France in which the flower of the French aristocracy were slaughtered in the mud of Agincort beneath a rain of arrows from English longbow men. Derek Jacobi is the chorus who introduces the stage on which this ‘muse of fire’ will burn, and it is a modern one with electric lights and props. I’ve seen many great plays lessened by attempts to insert images and allusions of contemporary culture none of which have the slightest relevance. Thankfully – mercifully – this is not. Once Jacobi pushes open the doors on that modern set we go into a believable world in period costume and make-up appropriate to the historical tale that is about to unfold. The political machinations of the church... Read review

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Advantages: Robert Downey Jr, old fashioned romance, Italy
Disadvantages: No real chemistry between the leads

...doesn't quite achieve it, this is mainly due to the modern stars lacking the class of such Hollywood greats as Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. What Jewison does do extremely well, is to capitalize on the picturesque scenery of Italy, from Venice to Rome and onto the Amalfi coast. Plus, for anyone who has had the pleasure of driving one, the inclusion of an original Fiat 500 is a great bit of nostalgia. The soundtrack to the film is typically soft and romantic with pieces such as "Some Enchanted Evening", " Only You (and Only You)" and "Once in a Lifetime" setting the mood. But with the film being set in Italy, there is strong musical reference to Italian works both new and old, with pieces composed by Giuseppe Verdi as well as modern songs such as "Amore Contro" by Eros Ramazzotti. = The Cast = Marisa Tomei .... Faith... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful