Green Mile, The / Robin Hood / Last Of The Mohicans (DVD)

...sense of the word. The Green Mile is a quality film though. I suppose it could be said that Robin Hood and The Last of the Mohicans are similar in that they are both costume pieces, but they have very different selling points and standards of production. I have to say that when you buy these trios, one is usually a bit of a turkey, and I think here Robin Hood Prince of Thieves takes the chestnut stuffing. Don't expect too much in the way of DVD extras ...
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The Green Mile is an adaptation of a story by Stephen King set on the death row of a prison during the 30's depression. This is one of the types of film that the yanks do best. A feelgood allegory. Stephen King wrote it, so you won't be surprised to hear that a certain amount the supernatural is involved. It was made by the same guy that made The Shawshank Redemption and has the same mix of human despair and cruelty and tummy warming ... more

This is one of those three film compilation sets that you find on the bargain racks of most of the big stores. As usual, there is a tenuous link between the films, if any, and that is also the case here. The only link really is that they are all controlled by the same distribution company, Morgan Creek. All three are feted on the box as blockbusters, and I suppose they were in their time. Although the best of the three, in my opinion, wasn't really a blockbuster in the strictest sense of the word. The Green Mile is a quality film though. I suppose it could be said that Robin Hood and The Last of the Mohicans are similar in that they are both costume pieces, but they have very different selling points and standards of production. I have to say that when you buy these trios, one is usually a bit of a turkey, and I think here Robin Hood Prince of Thieves takes the chestnut stuffing. Don't expect too much in the way of DVD extras either, we are talking bargain basement!

The Last of the Mohicans is, of course, based on the novel by James Fennimore Cooper and takes place during the 18th century struggle between the English and the French for control of the North American colonies. Daniel Day Lewis plays the main protagonist and does a lot of running around in forests without his shirt on. It is basically a love story (Madeleine Stowe) with as much adventure and battle action as you would expect. It is a more than adept interpretation of the book and is well worth the blockbuster tag. DVD extras include the usual cinema trailer plus a music only version of the film with subtitles.

Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Do I really need to say anything about the film? We've all seen it or at least used it as background noise at some time on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, then once again on Easter Sunday. It's an extremely Hollywood version of the old English myth, saved gloriously by the ham acting of Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Mercifully, there are no DVD extras not even a trailer.

The Green Mile is an adaptation of a story by Stephen King set on the death row of a prison during the 30's depression. This is one of the types of film that the yanks do best. A feelgood allegory. Stephen King wrote it, so you won't be surprised to hear that a certain amount the supernatural is involved. It was made by the same guy that made The Shawshank Redemption and has the same mix of human despair and cruelty and tummy warming optimism. Tom Hanks is brilliant, as is his number two, David Morse, one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. The DVD includes a trailer (I always find the trailer thing strange when you've actually bought the film!) plus a documentary on 'The Making Of'' which is actually quite interesting for once, and includes some rare one-to-ones with Stephen King.

I bought this DVD really just for the Green Mile, but the 'Mohicans' DVD is a welcome bonus. If I could extract the scenes with Alan Rickman from the Robin Hood DVD I would use it as a coaster, or for flinging at the neighbours cat. Well worth the discount price overall.
 

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