Romancing The Stone / The Jewel Of The Nile (Double Pack) (DVD)

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Romancing the Stone
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In Romancing the Stone, Kathleen Turner plays Joan Wilder, an author of trashy (but hugely successful) romance novels. Her life is turned upside down, however, when her sister is kidnapped while in Columbia, and she sets off to rescue her. The thing is, just before leaving England, she receives a map that her sister sent her…

When in Columbia ...
...with terrific performances the cast, Romancing the Stone is a really pleasing film.

Of the performances, the three that stand out are, not particularly surprisingly, the lead pair's. Douglas is energetic physically and laconic verbally to give his character just the right balance of loveable rogue and someone you wouldn't trust to take care of your least favourite child (or maybe you would, depending just how much you don't like them). ... more

Film reviews first:

Romancing the Stone
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In Romancing the Stone, Kathleen Turner plays Joan Wilder, an author of trashy (but hugely successful) romance novels. Her life is turned upside down, however, when her sister is kidnapped while in Columbia, and she sets off to rescue her. The thing is, just before leaving England, she receives a map that her sister sent her…

When in Columbia she meets rugged adventurer Jack T. Colton (Michael Douglas), who - somewhat unwillingly, it has to be said - decides to help her. Can they rescue Joan's sister from the ruthless bad guy and his incompetent goons (including Danny DeVito)? Will they find whatever treasure the map is leading to? Will they fall in love? Will Joan Wilder be able to write a best-selling trashy romantic thriller out of it? Is Jack T. Colton (The "T." is very important) just using Wilder to get to the treasure?

Since it's directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), it's no surprise to find that this is a fast-moving action movie with plenty of action in it. (Okay he may have bucked the trend somewhat with movies like Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, etc, but we're talking pre-nineties Zemeckis here.) Overall I wouldn't say it's exactly brilliant, thus the 4-star rating, but it is extremely enjoyable and very funny in places, so it well deserves its place in my Top Ten Action / Adventure Movies list. With some great photography added into the bargain, along with terrific performances the cast, Romancing the Stone is a really pleasing film.

Of the performances, the three that stand out are, not particularly surprisingly, the lead pair's. Douglas is energetic physically and laconic verbally to give his character just the right balance of loveable rogue and someone you wouldn't trust to take care of your least favourite child (or maybe you would, depending just how much you don't like them). Apparently the role was turned down by both Sylvester Stallone and Christopher Reeve before Douglas got it; I can't honestly see either of them in the role, so perhaps it's just as well they turned it down. Turner is perfect as a strong yet easily flustered woman, not a typical damsel in distress but not quite sure of herself. The chemistry between the two is excellent, really believable. Oh yeah and Turner has very nice legs, which are very important to the plot. (As important as Cybil Shepherd's were in Moonlighting!!) If she didn't have nice legs, I'm sure the whole thing would fall apart. (Or at least, the cameraman wouldn't quite know what to do in several scenes.) Danny DeVito gives a typically gruff performance as one of the bad guys and gets a few laughs along the way.

It's all good fun but not for younger children. The UK rating (well, re-rating for the uncut version) is 12, USA rating is PG. Some countries have ratings as high as 16 (not to be seen below the age of 16). There's nothing terrible in it but there is some back language and a few reasonably intense scenes. I would advise parents of younger children to watch it themselves before deciding if it's too much for their kids or not. The runtime of 105 minutes goes by very quickly.

The film won a handful of awards , most notably Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture (Comedy / Musical) and Best Actress for Turner.

Quotes
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Jack Colton: My minimum price for taking a stranded lady to a telephone is 350 dollars.
Joan Wilder: Will you take 275 in traveler's checks?
Jack Colton: American Express?
Joan Wilder: Of course.
Jack Colton: You've got a deal.

[Jack shows off his new, crocodile skin, boots, made from the crocodile he has killed]
Joan Wilder: I like the boots.
Jack Colton: Yeah, that poor old yellow-tailed guy... developed a fatal case of indigestion. He died right in my arms.
Joan Wilder: I can't blame him. If I were to die there's nowhere on earth I'd rather be.

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(After Jack takes the heels of Jaon's shoes.)

Joan Wilder: These were Italian.
Jack Colton: Now they're practical.

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Jack Colton: What did you do, wake up this morning and say, "Today, I'm going to ruin a man's life"?

The Jewel of the Nile
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Jewel of the Nile carries on the adventures of Jack Colton and Joan Wilder, lovers thrown together by fate in the previous film as they tried to rescue Joan's sister from an evil dude in Columbia. Now however, Joan is an internationally famous authoress, Jack is… well, he's Jack, and they're living the life of luxury aboard a yacht. Until…

Omar (Spiros Focás), an African leader, turns up wanting Wilder to write his biography for him. Off she goes with him, only for Jack to find out that this leader has ulterior motives for wanting Joan with him. Reluctantly teaming up with the sleazy Ralph (Danny DeVito), one of the kidnappers from the first film, they set off in pursuit. The legendary Jewel of the Nile becomes the focus of everything that is about to happen, but only one man knows where it is… the race is on to find the Jewel of the Nile… but just exactly what does one do with it once one has found it? Why do so many people think it's so important? You get the picture.

Reprising their roles from the previous year's Romancing the Stone, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner again make a very good onscreen couple, albeit they argue more than before they were officially "together" (in the film, I mean). DeVito has a bit more to do this time, with a "good guy, bad guy" persona that means you're never quite sure whether he's really trying to help or not. Avner Eisenberg is very funny in his role, but I can't tell you much about his character or it would give away a major part of the plot. None of the cast disappoint, and the stars throw some gusto into their performances.

The script is possibly better than the one for Romancing the Stone, with more plot twists, even more humour, certainly more inventiveness (rare in a sequel!), and an overall slickness that the first film didn't quite have. (In contrast, that had a more "raw" feel to it.) Taking over the directorial reigns is Lewis Teague, who seems to have done a bit of everything in his career (see http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0853546/). I'm not really familiar with most of his work but if this wasn't his finest hour, it must certainly be close, and almost definitely his most well-known film. Taking over the helm from Robert Zimerkis would be no easy feat for anyone, but Teague manages to inject this film with the same madcap style of action and humour, perhaps even improving on it somewhat. Everything about the film, from the acting to the music to the script, seems almost perfect. I'm sure that there are many things that critics have picked holes in this for, but for sheer enjoyment factor it has rarely been equalled since. The only real thing I can level against this is the profanity and some slightly dodgy humour, which means younger children will probably not see a film that they would quite enjoy. There's not a huge amount, but enough to make it inappropriate for most minors.

Overall this is one of the most enjoyable, and funniest, action movies I've ever seen. Doesn't suffer greatly from repeated viewings, either.

Runtime: 106 minutes
Rating: PG (UK & USA)

Quotes
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[Omar has put Jack and Joan in a deathtrap copied from one of Joan's own books]
Jack Colton: So how'd your guys get out of that one?
Joan Wilder: My hero used a hidden knife to cut through the ropes. You don't happen to have a knife on you?
Jack Colton: I'm not even wearing underwear.

Joan Wilder: Don't be ridiculous! Jack would never die without telling me.

[While surrounded by native Africans]
Jack Colton: Just keep smiling. Maybe they'll think we're with National Geographic.

DVD Double Pack
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The DVD features the films, scene selection, and the original theatrical trailers for both films. If you're an extras junkie not for you, but for the rest of us it's great value.

I bought the double pack for £7.99 at MVC, but since they've gone bust I'm not sure if it will be available for that price anywhere else.

Amazon.co.uk have it new for £14.99, or (for some reason) you can get it from Amazon Jersey (delivery to UK only) for £10.99.

Hurrah! Just checked Play.com, and they have it for £7.99 :-D

 

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