Classic Spy Movies:

  

North by Northwest - Special Edition ASIN: 0790743213 Our Price: $11.84 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Cary Grant on the Run in Hitchcock Masterpiece! Comments: 'North by Northwest' is the ONE Hitchcock movie no film lover's collection should be without! Suspenseful, funny, sexy, exciting, it works perfectly on so many levels that the film just gets better and better with repeated viewings! The story is really quite simple; a successful New York ad executive (Cary Grant, in superb form!) is mistaken for an American espionage agent by a group of Soviet spies (led by the ruthlessly suave James Mason, and his aide, a youthful yet sinister Martin Landau! ), and a cat-and-mouse cross-country chase begins, culminating on top of Mount Rushmore. Along the way, Grant is ridiculed by his mother (Jesse Royce Landis, who is hilarious, if actually YOUNGER than Grant!), seduced by double-agent Eva Marie Saint (in the sexiest role of her career!), chased across a cornfield by a lethal cropduster (in one of the greatest scenes in film history!), and recruited into the intelligence community (represented by future 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' boss, Leo G. Carroll!), while Bernard Herrman's unforgettable music punctuates each scene! Yes, the film has it's faults and a few technical gaffes, but for sheer excitement and fun, you can't top 'North By Northwest'! Hitchcock and Grant both considered this to be one of their favorite films, and you'll fall in love with it, too!

North by Northwest - Special Edition (Widescreen) ASIN: 0790750627 Our Price: $12.94 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Cary Grant on the Run in Hitchcock Masterpiece! Comments: 'North by Northwest' is the ONE Hitchcock movie no film lover's collection should be without! Suspenseful, funny, sexy, exciting, it works perfectly on so many levels that the film just gets better and better with repeated viewings! The story is really quite simple; a successful New York ad executive (Cary Grant, in superb form!) is mistaken for an American espionage agent by a group of Soviet spies (led by the ruthlessly suave James Mason, and his aide, a youthful yet sinister Martin Landau! ), and a cat-and-mouse cross-country chase begins, culminating on top of Mount Rushmore. Along the way, Grant is ridiculed by his mother (Jesse Royce Landis, who is hilarious, if actually YOUNGER than Grant!), seduced by double-agent Eva Marie Saint (in the sexiest role of her career!), chased across a cornfield by a lethal cropduster (in one of the greatest scenes in film history!), and recruited into the intelligence community (represented by future 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' boss, Leo G. Carroll!), while Bernard Herrman's unforgettable music punctuates each scene! Yes, the film has it's faults and a few technical gaffes, but for sheer excitement and fun, you can't top 'North By Northwest'! Hitchcock and Grant both considered this to be one of their favorite films, and you'll fall in love with it, too!

North by Northwest ASIN: B00005K2SD Our Price: Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Cary Grant on the Run in Hitchcock Masterpiece! Comments: 'North by Northwest' is the ONE Hitchcock movie no film lover's collection should be without! Suspenseful, funny, sexy, exciting, it works perfectly on so many levels that the film just gets better and better with repeated viewings! The story is really quite simple; a successful New York ad executive (Cary Grant, in superb form!) is mistaken for an American espionage agent by a group of Soviet spies (led by the ruthlessly suave James Mason, and his aide, a youthful yet sinister Martin Landau! ), and a cat-and-mouse cross-country chase begins, culminating on top of Mount Rushmore. Along the way, Grant is ridiculed by his mother (Jesse Royce Landis, who is hilarious, if actually YOUNGER than Grant!), seduced by double-agent Eva Marie Saint (in the sexiest role of her career!), chased across a cornfield by a lethal cropduster (in one of the greatest scenes in film history!), and recruited into the intelligence community (represented by future 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' boss, Leo G. Carroll!), while Bernard Herrman's unforgettable music punctuates each scene! Yes, the film has it's faults and a few technical gaffes, but for sheer excitement and fun, you can't top 'North By Northwest'! Hitchcock and Grant both considered this to be one of their favorite films, and you'll fall in love with it, too!

The Scarlet Pimpernel ASIN: 0784001847 Our Price: $14.98 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Sink me! What a great movie! Comments: OK...So call me obsessed...I LOVE this movie and have seen it a ton of times! I know all the lines...although you really don't want to hear me recite them... and think that Andrews and Seymore did the BEST acting in this film ever! Although the ending differs from the book, it is JUST if not MORE enjoyable than the wonderful classic. :o) Odd's fish, m'dear-- it's the best movie of the year! (You see, I'm a bit of a poet--and you did not know it! What?! heh heh.) And this is SO not a chic flick (even though okay, I AM a girl), but it also has a ton of adventure and guys-- listen up --if you want to REALLY impress your sweetheart, say some of Percy's lines. ("Chauvelin is very powerful in the government, Sir Percy." "The only power I can see at present, madame, is the power of your beauty." AHHH!) Buy it. Watch it. You'll LOVE it!

The Scarlet Pimpernel Box Set ASIN: B000031VPF Our Price: $49.95 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Richard Grant Does a Great Pimpernel Comments: This may well be my favorite version of the Scarlet Pimpernel. I had always adored the 1934 version with Leslie Howard. Richard Grant does not merely reprise Howard, he rethinks the character of the Pimpernel. The Howard version, done at a time when England was under attack by Germany, is solidly patriotic. Howard's Pimpernel is a patriot and a humanitarian. Richard Grant's Pimpernel obviously enjoys the thrill seeking, living on the edge of destruction. As someone else said, an adrenalin junkie. Rescuing aristos from the guillotine is an extreme sport for him. Lady Blakeney is played as an older character, about mid thirties, rather than 25, as in the book, which is delightful. She is more experienced, less an ingenue, and her mistakes arise from desperation, not pique. When they relax together, she and Sir Percy obviously enjoy one another, physically and mentally. Which brings me to the character of Chauvelin. His character is given more depth. There's hints about his character that need to be explored in more depth (could we have another movie or two, please?. He reminded me of Raphael Sabatini's Scaramouche, a middle class character who was drawn into the Revolution without a full understanding of what he was helping to set in motion. However, make no mistake, Chauvelin is looking out for himself first and foremost. France of the Revolution is shown to be a madhouse, where the Guillotine is an icon, sculpture of the heads of the fallen becoming decorations in a coffeehouse. It is both horridly decadent and fascinatingly stylish. All combined I would give these movies 4 1/2 shiney stars.

The Scarlet Pimpernel ASIN: 6304980302 Our Price: $4.95 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: One of my favorite films, worth seeing again & again! Comments: Leslie Howard was perfectly cast in the title role of this highly enjoyable film, far superior in my opinion to the 1982 re-make (although I liked Jane Seymour better than Merle Oberon as Lady Blakeney). Howard plays his part to perfection, whether he's the hilariously foppish Lord Percy or the heroic Pimpernel. I liked everything about this movie, and at the end you'll wish you were British!

The Man Who Never Was ASIN: 6302078024 Our Price: $19.98 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Superb re-telling of a true wartime operation. Comments: Clifton Webb is perfectly cast as the British Naval Officer who devises the plan to decieve German Intelligence, as to the whereabouts of the Allied landings in Sicily during World War 2. As with most British films of its kind, "The Man Who Never Was" relies upon the facts to maintain interest throughout,tampering with history just enough to provide tension and drama where it is needed. Webb's performance is both intelligent and touching, while Stephen Boyd as the German agent sent to investigate the situation,exudes just the right amount of charm and malevolence. Gloria Graham is probably the only downside to this highly effective film,but the others well and truly make up for her somewhat overcooked effort. Made in 1956, in colour, "The Man Who Never Was" has not "dated" at all and stands as a fine example of the British cinema's ability to tell a good story well.

The Counterfeit Traitor ASIN: 6302477425 Our Price: $14.95 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A must see for war movie fans and anyone Human Comments: This film was a great depiction of how some people got caught up in the war effort against their will, but had their minds and wills changed by their expereinces in the field of espionage. William Holden turns in a perfect preformance as a synical man who learns the true meaning of doing the right thing. This incredibly compelling story should be seen by anyone who has ever faced the dilemma of doing a job that they disagreed with because it was forced on them by someone else who thought it was the right thing to do. Especially if, at the end of the job, they realized that the forcer was right. This movie is one of my fathers' favorites, and now a favorite of mine. See it ASAP!

Pickup on South Street ASIN: 630196697X Our Price: $19.98 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A FILM WITH A HARD EDGE. Comments: A rough and brutal melodrama set against the backdrop of New York's seedy underworld which delves into the secret workings of federal agents and Communist spies. Widmark plays the petty crook, the proverbial three-time loser, whose actions are motivated solely by greed. When he lifts a wallet from the purse of Jean Peters, he gets himself into deeper trouble than he could ever imagine...A truly provocative film, PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET was originally a simple story about drug pushers. Originally cast in the Peters role was Betty Grable(!). Shelley Winters was also considered (a much better choice). This film is quite complex with some intricate depth: miles beyond a mere anti-Communism film - this was filmed during the infamous McCarthy era - it unfortunately is viewed as such by many. Thelma Ritter steals the show as the seedy but much-loved Moe. The viewer is captivated by her natural acting technique: when she dies by Kiley's wicked hand while listening to the phonograph, the viewer is spellbound. Ritter won an Oscar nomination for her outstanding work.

The Ipcress File ASIN: B00000K3C7 Our Price: $9.99 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: The Anti-Bond, If You Will... Comments: Michael Caine's Harry Palmer -- the character is nameless in the Len Deighton novels; as he is also the first-person narrator, this works, but for this film, (third-person all the way) it was felt that he needed a name -- is just as escapist a fantasy as Connery's Bond, but in a different manner. Deliberately deglamorised and *presented* as just a relatively ordinary man, if of a somewhat dubious moral character, doing his best to keep out of trouble, Palmer nonetheless is, underneath, a bit more. Blackmailed into espionage with the threat of well-earned prison time, Palmer is a useful foot-soldier in the sordid, quiet war of espionage and counter-espionage, set to unmask a traitor -- but who *is* the traitor -- is there anyone at all that he can trust? Michael Caine (this was the first film in which i had seen him) inhabits the role of Harry Palmer and makes it totally his, a man of contradictions -- a working class man, but one who genuinely loves and appreciates the finer things, unlike Fleming's (and, to some extent, the Bond movies') Bond, an amoral thug who apes the manners and tastes of his betters. The apparently-realistic dreary grey London streets and settings add to this film's apparently-realistic approach, all the better to persuade the viewer to suspend his disbelief and accept the rather complex plot, especially when we get to the brainwashing parts... First of three films, this was a series that *could* have rivalled Bond but fizzled out in the end. All three, however, are well worth your time.

The Ipcress File ASIN: B00000K3C8 Our Price: $14.99 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: The Anti-Bond, If You Will... Comments: Michael Caine's Harry Palmer -- the character is nameless in the Len Deighton novels; as he is also the first-person narrator, this works, but for this film, (third-person all the way) it was felt that he needed a name -- is just as escapist a fantasy as Connery's Bond, but in a different manner. Deliberately deglamorised and *presented* as just a relatively ordinary man, if of a somewhat dubious moral character, doing his best to keep out of trouble, Palmer nonetheless is, underneath, a bit more. Blackmailed into espionage with the threat of well-earned prison time, Palmer is a useful foot-soldier in the sordid, quiet war of espionage and counter-espionage, set to unmask a traitor -- but who *is* the traitor -- is there anyone at all that he can trust? Michael Caine (this was the first film in which i had seen him) inhabits the role of Harry Palmer and makes it totally his, a man of contradictions -- a working class man, but one who genuinely loves and appreciates the finer things, unlike Fleming's (and, to some extent, the Bond movies') Bond, an amoral thug who apes the manners and tastes of his betters. The apparently-realistic dreary grey London streets and settings add to this film's apparently-realistic approach, all the better to persuade the viewer to suspend his disbelief and accept the rather complex plot, especially when we get to the brainwashing parts... First of three films, this was a series that *could* have rivalled Bond but fizzled out in the end. All three, however, are well worth your time.

The Mackintosh Man ASIN: 6300269922 Our Price: $14.99 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Mackintosh Man Comments: The simplicity of this movie sets it apart from modern spy movies. The hero (Newman) is given little to work with in terms of information or equipment is forced to problem-solve in a way that makes him seem much more genuine than a James Bond type of character. Similarily the villians are much more realistic and multi-dimensional, as well. It feels more plausible that the big chase scene is between little utility truck and a run-of-the-mill mid-sixties Mercedes sedan than a couple of sports cars. Further the writers resisted the temptation to have the hero kill everyone that he was in conflict with. Even the way the villagers discuss the events up at the mansion adds a sense reality that most action films leave out. The film has a rainy day in a far-away land feel about it which is complimented by the haunting music. In many ways this movie reminds me of the "Day of the Jackal" and "The Odessa File" in it's controlled scope and tasteful direction.

Ice Station Zebra ASIN: 6301969413 Our Price: $19.98 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Solid Acting and Effective Production Comments: At times a taut and effective thriller that seems the pattern for much of Tom Clancy's books, "Ice Station Zebra" has a fairly simple plot: a space capsule with top secret photographs crashes, prompting a race between the Soviets and Americans to recover it from the polar icecap. Yet, the tension is kept reasonably high, even as much of the movie is spent aboard the U.S. submarine carrying the recovery team. Rock Hudson is, well, rock solid as the submarine captain--cool, thoughtful, and easy-going, he plays well against the skulking but ironic British spy (a teriffic Patrick MacGoohan, essentially playing the same part he always does in the way only he seems able to) that may or may not be a saboteur. Viewers will recognize other familiar faces--Jim Brown and Ernest Borgnine among them--that root the film in the 60s, and the whole production--including the cinematography, special effects, and score by Maurice Jarre--are topnotch. The only real weaknesses to the film are the mystery of who is the double agent and an action ending that seems almost anticlimactic when compared to the genuine tension in the rest of the story. Still, it's a better espionage thriller than most of those found in theaters today.

  

Foreign Correspondent ASIN: 6301640667 Our Price: $14.95 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Not a Bad Propaganda Film Comments: Released in 1940 by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, this movie (although somewhat fictitiously) explains the beginning of World War II. This is one of Hitchcock's spy thrillers, complete with his man-in-the-middle and MacGuffin storylines. Huntley Haverstock (Joel McCrea) is a newspaper reporter from New York who is sent to Europe to meet with the Dutch Professor Van Meer, who holds a secret clause in a peace treaty that may avert the coming war. After witnessing Van Meer's death, Haverstock becomes embroiled in an elaborate scenario in which the Nazis play a pivotal role. In Haverstock's adventure, he meets up with the lovely Carol Fisher (Laraine Day)and her father, Stephen Fisher (Herbert Marshall). Are the Fishers really who they say they are? The movie has many plot twists and exciting sequences that have become so memorable in Hitchcock lore. The scene with the windmill's blades rotating backward has become classic, as well as the bobbing umbrellas in the rain as the murderer of Van Meer escapes through them. And also watch for the spectacular plane crash at the end of the film. And who can forget seeing Edmund Gwenn, the man known forever to film buffs as Santa Claus from Miracle on 34th Street, playing here the sinister hit man, Rowley. Clearly a great storyline, Foreign Correspondent is a must-see for any Hitchcock fan. This was his second film he made in America after David Selznick brought him over from England, and probably the best piece of propaganda to get the American public more interested in war looming on the horizon.

Torn Curtain ASIN: 6300181170 Our Price: $14.99 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Paul Newman and Julie Andrews in an interesting combination Comments: I really dont understand why this great little film which contains a superbly tense story and edge of the seat suspense is always dismissed as a disappointment. On the contrary it has always been a favourite Hitchcock film of mine, certainly not up to the standards of the classic "Rebecca" or even "North by Northwest', but still a tense piece of film making. It was Hichcock's 50th film and certainly was one of the last truly good films he directed in his illustrious career. His superb knack for creating suspence and tension is evident from the first frame and makes for a terrific piece of film making. Once the story gets going the pace and suspence never lets up as the main characters move from Norway to Copenhagen to East Berlin behind the Iron Curtain, hence the title. I feel Paul Newman and Julie Andrews...at first thought not an expected combination, work extremely well together and come across as a believable combination. Julie Andrews certainly doesn't have as flashy a role in "Torn Curtain" as she does in "The Sound of Music" "Thoroughly Modern Millie" or "Star" but she nevertheless handles her role of Sarah Sherman, personal secretary to the brilliant rocket scientist Professor Michael Armstrong (Newman),in a most interesting manner. Julie is always such an attractive performer and in "Torn Curtain" she gives her all in what is essentially a difficult role and one fraught with lots of unpredictable situations. The story line of Paul Newman's character pretending to defect to East Germany to obtain valuable information on a new secret formula from a scientist in Leipzeig might appear dated now but it makes for a very clever and fast moving story. Newman's character pretends to go over to the Eastern Bloc only to discover that Andrews has followed him out of not only love but to see what he is actually up to. Their time in East Berlin is action packed and colorful to say the least as they encounter "personal guides" such as the infamous Gromek, the sweaty, gum chewing villian of the piece who ends up being murdered in one of the most memorable and painstaking murder sequences of Alfred Hitchcock's career aside from the shower sequence in "Psycho". It is a totally awe inspiring moment and while I dont like violence for violence sake this sequence is magnificently done, with no dialogue, and is easily, along with the nail biting bus chase, the most memorable part of the film and indeed in Hitchcock's career. Hitchcock not only keeps the action moving at a break neck pace but he also populates his story with many interesting characters along the way as Newman and Andrews plan their escape from East Germany when they are exposed. One memorable character is the Polish Countess Kuchinska played by actress Lila Kedrova, who only wants a sponsor to be able to get to the United States. Her's is a tragic and thought provoking interlude in the main characters race to beat the German authorities over the border. Equally memorable is Check ballet dancer Tamara Toumanova who reappears a few times in the story and is almost responsible for intercepting the main characters escape. She is excellent in what is essentially a small but stand out part. The overraul look of the film benefits from the many beautiful European locations utilised during filming and although East Berlin was impossible to film in circa 1966, an excellent use of similiar locations has been incorporated to give the effect of the dull and uninteresting Eastern Bloc existence. As a piece of entertainment dealing with the Cold War "Torn Curtain" is first rate and never fails to be a great piece of viewing entertainment with two terrific performers in Paul Newman and Julie Andrews in the leads.

Funeral in Berlin ASIN: 6300215903 Our Price: $14.95 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: The Real Cold War Comments: I served as an army intelligence officer in Berlin and in West Germany during the Cold War. Whenever I'm feeling nostalgic and I want to time-travel back to the Cold War 1960's, I turn on Funeral In Berlin. The film has wonderful shots of the Berlin Wall and West Berlin during this time. Michael Caine's Harry Palmer is a mirror image of thousands of intelligence personnel who have had to battle incompetent bureacracy while still trying to accomplish the mission at hand. Watch this one!

The Secret Agent ASIN: 6303042244 Our Price: $12.99 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Not one of Hitch's best Comments: A curious combination of actors and actresses make this pre-WW2 Hitchcock spy flick a B-level film. The homely and genteel John Gielgud plays an English author whose death is faked during WW1 to set him up as a reluctant spy under an assumed name. His mission is to proceed to Switzerland to uncover and thwart a German agent. The beautiful and enthusiastic Madeleine Carroll is playing his wife. Gielgud meets her in a hotel where she is conversing with a very youthful looking Robert Young. Gielgud and Young eventually will vie for her affections. Gielgud is aided by a horribly miscast Peter Lorre. Lorre pays a phony Mexican general complete with curly black hair, a gold earring, prosthetic teeth and a terrible accent. After killing the wrong man, Gielgud and Carroll show remorse and attempt to give up the spy game. The unsympathetic Lorre coaxes Gielgud to continue to pursue the real villain in a memorable scene in a chocolate factory. In summation, Hitchcock has done a far better job with similar subject matter in 39 Steps, Saboteur and Foreign Correspondent.

Secret Agent ASIN: B00005BGOR Our Price: $3.99 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Suspense, Hitch Humor and a Great Cast... Comments: From 1936..."The Secret Agent". You'll find Hitch's unique sense of humor well intergrated with the suspense in this terrific film about espinoge at the onset of WWI. A recluctant spy is recruited to kill an enemy spy. He is given a false name and a fake wife to keep up appearances. He goes after the target, but does he have the right man? Could there be another who is the real culprit? And what a cast.. John Gielgud stars with Madeline Carroll,Robert Young and Peter Lorre as his very strange accomplice.Other notables to look for include Lilli Palmer and Michael Redgrave. Where's Hitch...alas, no appearance by Sir Alfred here. A nice VHS copy by Front Row Entertainment of this aging film. It may be purchased as a single or as part of the Alfred Hitchcock 4-PK, which also includes "The Lady Vanishes", "Thirty Nine Steps" and "The Man Who Knew too Much"(the original). It's a great addition to any Hitch collection...enjoy...Laurie

The Looking Glass War ASIN: 6302797500 Our Price: $12.95 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Could have been . . . . Comments: This movie was edited to death and dullness. Crucial scenes were obviously cut which threw the plot out of joint and into inaction. It could have been, and probably was before editing, a dandy cold war spy flic. It is worth three stars for historical value.

Affair in Trinidad ASIN: 6302280206 Our Price: $19.95 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: de-energised Hayworth Comments: On the orders of Columbia studio head Harry Cohn, Rita Hayworth was transformed from a latin B player to an A picture love goddess, her high spirits passing as all-American in titles like Cover Girl and Gilda. However the curse of the beautiful is that they become possessions by collectors, just as Rita told screenwriter of Gilda, Virginia Van Upp - men fell in love with Gilda but woke up with me. Her greatest collector was Prince Aly Khan, and the idea of capturing a movie star predated Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier in the 1950's. However the Hayworth/Khan marriage failed and Rita returned to Hollywood. Perhaps in a depression, unhappy with the vehicle provided for her comeback role, or simply older, Hayworth's sparkle had dimmed. That's not to say that she doesn't look beautiful in the film. Whilst not lit as gorgeously as she was by Rudolph Mate in Gilda, she has a moment here standing in repose in shadow, smoking. But even with her character being a recent widow, her voice is dead and she carries herself like a somnambulist. She is best when she is dancing as she does twice here. In the first, Trinidad Lady, is the Carmen Rita - barefoot and tossing her dress. The framing distances us - director Vincent Sherman may be more interested in the crowd around the stage, but she looks happy performing. The second, I've Been Kissed Before, has obvious parallels to her Put The Blame on Mame from Gilda. She wears a shimmery black dress as fetishistic as the famous black satin sheath, the number is schematically arranged to present her as a tramp to later be rewarded with a face slap, even the choreography recalls that of Mame. However her announced intention to dance, even if contextualised, is a dramatic change of characterisation. She gives us the Gilda we want, and not the woman we have accepted up to this time - the one we have woken up with. The Gilda connection is made in the film by the casting of Glenn Ford as her romantic partner, thankfully treating her a little kinder this time around, Steven Geray in an amusing supporting role as her employer, Alexander Scourby as a pseudo-George Macready but without the menace, the locale being Trinidad as Gilda was set in Buenos Aires and a plot about German-ish hoods investing in shady activities that pose a threat to security. Ford tells us he was a pilot in the war and since he isn't old enough to mean WW1, we know that Upp and her cowriters have written their screenplay in a rush, explaining Hayworth's own reluctance to participate. Scourby is give the witty lines like "Some people are mellowed by drink. Have another" and "At the risk of dislocating your personality, try to be calm". He has a funny exchange with Ford about Hayworth - "I think you look lovelier in this colour than any other. Don't you agree?" "There's a few shades I haven't seen her in yet". Valerie Bettis who created Rita's dances also appears as the wife of one of the Germans and her drunken energy is very welcome. She has a great laugh and even gets to parody Hayworth's dancing at one point, and Juanita Moore is good as Rita's maid. Sherman provides an exterior of an airport with seemingly limitless open skies, and gives Scourby's interior an imposing staircase. This film is not the bomb I thought it was the last time I saw it, plot holes notwithstanding, but Sherman moves things along and at least Hayworth isn't the embarassment she was in the Hall of Mirrors sequence in The Lady from Shanghai. Perhaps sadly Aly Khan took the best of her and Harry Cohn was left to salvage her career with the little she had left to give.

Saboteur ASIN: 0783236344 Our Price: $14.98 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Sabotuer----Good but not Great Hitchcock(DVD VERSION) Comments: Saboteur was released in 1942, while World War II was dividing the world and this film's budget was obviously effected in part by the days events. The basic plot involves a war plant machinist Barry Kane(Robert Cummings) who is fingered for an act of sabotage at his plant by a man named Frank Fry(Norman Lloyd) who in a small role is quite effective as a cold blooded villain. Because of this event, he is forced into fleeing cross country as authorities suspect Barry Kane and want him behind bars and the real villains wish him very much dead. I won't give away all the details but the suspense grows as Barry Kane tries to uncover who set him up and why. The final climatic scene atop the Statue Of Liberty is what most people will have indelibly burned into their minds and it is one of Hitchock's most memorable scenes, right up there with North By Northwest, Mt Rushmore sequence, as well as Vertigo's opening sequence with Jimmy Stewart, to name a few. The DVD release of Saboteur is quite excellent which offers storyboards and Hitchcock sketches and poster art and the obligatory still gallery. The documentary that's included is not as good as some of the more mainstream Hitchcock releases, but has its moments, including comments by Art Director Robert Boyle, who worked on The Wolf Man prior to Saboteur . Overall this movie is uneven, in spots some of the acting is a bit wooden, the effects are a bit weak at times given budget constraints, but very enjoyable at the core. This dvd presentation includes French and Spanish language tracks and subtitles, in addition the English sub titles. On a rating of Bronze to Platinum...I give this film a SILVER...rating! Enjoy!

The Best of Hitchcock - Volume 2 (The Birds, Vertigo, Torn Curtain, Marnie, The Trouble With Harry, Saboteur, Frenzy, Alfred Hitchcock Presents #2) ASIN: B000056PXX Our Price: $99.98

Saboteur ASIN: 6300183599 Our Price: $14.98 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Sabotuer----Good but not Great Hitchcock(DVD VERSION) Comments: Saboteur was released in 1942, while World War II was dividing the world and this film's budget was obviously effected in part by the days events. The basic plot involves a war plant machinist Barry Kane(Robert Cummings) who is fingered for an act of sabotage at his plant by a man named Frank Fry(Norman Lloyd) who in a small role is quite effective as a cold blooded villain. Because of this event, he is forced into fleeing cross country as authorities suspect Barry Kane and want him behind bars and the real villains wish him very much dead. I won't give away all the details but the suspense grows as Barry Kane tries to uncover who set him up and why. The final climatic scene atop the Statue Of Liberty is what most people will have indelibly burned into their minds and it is one of Hitchock's most memorable scenes, right up there with North By Northwest, Mt Rushmore sequence, as well as Vertigo's opening sequence with Jimmy Stewart, to name a few. The DVD release of Saboteur is quite excellent which offers storyboards and Hitchcock sketches and poster art and the obligatory still gallery. The documentary that's included is not as good as some of the more mainstream Hitchcock releases, but has its moments, including comments by Art Director Robert Boyle, who worked on The Wolf Man prior to Saboteur . Overall this movie is uneven, in spots some of the acting is a bit wooden, the effects are a bit weak at times given budget constraints, but very enjoyable at the core. This dvd presentation includes French and Spanish language tracks and subtitles, in addition the English sub titles. On a rating of Bronze to Platinum...I give this film a SILVER...rating! Enjoy!

A Deadly Game ASIN: 6302149568 Our Price: $9.94 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A Faithful Adaptation of the Original 'Charlie Muffin' Novel Comments: "The Deadly Game" is apparently a reissue of the 1979 PBS(?) spy movie directed by Jack Gold, starring David Hemmings, Sam Wanamaker and Ian Richardson, among other fine talents. The movie was a faithful adaptation of Brian Freemantle's Book, "Charlie Muffin" (he co-wrote the screenplay). If you are a fan of old cold war spy novels/movies and enjoy smart dialogue and surprise endings, then do yourself a favor and buy this movie; you won't be disappointed. For more information, enter "The Deadly Game" or "Charlie Muffin" on the '...' movie web site. Separately, the 'Charlie Muffin' novels are better than most other novels in this genre, with the possible exceptions of John Le Carre, Martin Cruz Smith and Graham Greene.

Topaz ASIN: 6300182096 Our Price: $14.98 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Thriller With A Few "Hitch"es Comments: Director Alfred Hitchcock's TOPAZ from 1969, is supposed to be tense, globe-trotting cold war thriller. Instead, what we get is a rather talkie film, with not much else. CIA Agent Michael Nordstrom (John Forsythe) hires French spy, Devereaux (Frederick Stafford), to head to Cuba. Once he arrives, Devereaux must see if rumors of Soviet missles are true, and to investigate the whereabouts of, NATO spy, called Topaz. The trail leads to Governments in crisis, murder, suicide, and a double agent. At 143 minutes, the film gets bogged down by too much exposition and doesn't really get good until its last 45 minutes. I am an admirer of Hitchcock's films, but I would say the movie is, one of only a handful of true mis-steps, in his career. The film does feature an inspired perfomance by actor John Vernon (ANIMAL HOUSE), as Rico Parra, a Castro-like character. The DVD's best extra is the documentary on the film hosted by film critic Leonard Maltin. He is wise to point out the film's weaknesses, rather than, glossing over them. The 3 alternate endings further illustrate possible problems with the movie. A photo gallery, a rare production diary, theatrical trailer, cast and crew information, and more production notes top off the disc's extras. TOPAZ proves that, even Hitchock, wasn't immune from mediocrity.

The Best of Hitchcock - Volume 1 (Psycho, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Topaz, Rope, Shadow of a Doubt, Family Plot, Alfred Hitchcock Presents #1) ASIN: B000056PXW Our Price: $99.98 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A Fine Sampling of Hitchcock Comments: 1943's SHADOW OF A DOUBT is an allegorical study of Americana seen through the naivete of a typical family in a quiet and slumberous community. When evil comes to town in the embodiment of the beloved Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton) it is the perceptive niece Young Charlie (Teresa Wright) that slowly uncovers his true identity as the Merry Widow murderer. Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn spend their evenings concocting ways to commit the perfect murder unknowingly under the watchful eyes of the genuine article. Evil takes many shapes and hides behind many facades in broad daylight. Would the wholesome average American community recognize such evil and be willing to deal with it? Dimitri Tiomkin, composed a brilliant score utilizing American idioms laced with the darkness of the tainted soul. This remains one of Hitchcock's best films since it works, as a thriller yet remains a true reflection of a good-natured but generally complacent lifestyle. 1948's ROPE is a thoroughly enthralling and disturbing look at a thrill killing perpetrated by two prep-school chums (John Dall and Farley Granger) possibly suggested subconsciously by their unwitting professor (James Stewart). This film has often been characterized notably only as Hitchcock's great experiment. He shot it in ten-minute takes contrary to his stylistic use of effective story telling through editing. This was a technique that he also employed to a lesser degree by Hitchcock in 1949's UNDER CAPRICORN. However, ROPE is first and foremost a riveting tale bordering on the perverse. 1954's REAR WINDOW is a brilliant study on voyeurism and insatiable curiosity. Wheelchair bound James Stewart spies on his neighbors in the courtyard from the window of his Greenwich Village apartment. Convinced that he has uncovered a murder, Stewart maintains his vigil with his society girlfriend (Grace Kelly) by his side. Hitchcock asks the viewer about the ethics of interpreting what goes on behind the closed doors of our neighbors, as his courtyard is an allegorical cross section of American society and mores during the 50s. 1956'S THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is Hitchcock's effective remake of his own 1934 version. An American couple (James Stewart and Doris Day) visiting Morocco have their young son kidnapped as part of an international murder plot which they can not help but be drawn into. Doris Day's performance is brilliant as the mother whose son has been taken from her. Her initial reaction to the news is almost unbearable to watch. This film is very suspenseful and disturbing, as the odds against the family regaining their boy seem insurmountable as the film progresses. This is reinforced by Bernard Herrmann's almost minimal score, which adds an undercurrent of discomfort to the psyche of the viewer. There are some very memorable scenes such as when James Stewart is followed by echoing footsteps in the empty London streets on his way to finding Ambrose Chappell. The suspenseful Albert Hall assassination scenes are brilliantly filmed and edited. The face of Reggie Nalder as Rien the Assassin is unforgettable. Brenda de Banzie turns in a complex performance as Mrs. Drayton. Bernard Miles as Mr. Drayton also gives an effective performance through the various identities he goes through. And that is one of the strengths of this film: people and places are not exactly as they seem. Characters constantly evolve. Some grow in strength while others are mere shadows of virtue. 1960'S PSYCHO is probably Hitchcock's best known film. Its images and sounds are indelibly etched into the psyche of our culture. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, the Bates Motel, Bernard Herrmann's score, Saul Bass' main title designs, the shower scene and many other elements are cinematic icons. One element of this film that has not been given due recognition is Martin Balsam's performance as Milton Arbogast the private investigator. Balsam embodied the personification of professionalism and determination yet he was cut off in mid stream. I think there is a statement being made about the very nature of justice and fate and that life is not always fair. 1969's TOPAZ was Hitchock's second return in that decade to his earlier spy thriller films. Shot directly after 1966's TORN CURTAIN Hitchcock TOPAZ is a more matter-of-fact tale than a genuine thriller where real lives were at stake. Essentially an American intelligence head (John Forsythe) uses his friend in the French Intelligence (Frederick Stafford) to spy for the United States in Cuba and at the same time they try to ferret out a high French official passing on secrets to the Soviets. Roscoe Lee Browne as Philippe Dubois has the best scenes in the film as he has to get close to the Cubans visiting New York to photograph some secret papers from a high official (John Vernon as Rico Parra). These scenes were what Hitchcock called pure cinema. TOPAZ contains an interesting score by Parisian Maurice Jarre. 1976's FAMILY PLOT was Hitchcock's final film. In an interview with François Truffaut, Hitchcock stated that in today's films you no longer had to close the picture with a kiss. The audience no longer needed it or expected it. The romanticism of the motion picture was dead. If not for the performances of Barbara Harris as a phony psychic and Bruce Dern as her taxi driving-detective-boyfriend this film would have indeed lacked any hint of romanticism. In a complex plot that involves the location of a missing heir the lives of Harris and Dern become intertwined with the villains of the piece (William Devane and Karen Black). Ultimately the film seems more akin to ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS than to Hitchcock's previous films. However, there's nothing wrong with that.

  

The Human Factor ASIN: 6303117864 Our Price: $19.99 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Dry, but faithful Comments: I recently watched this film on cable television (I haven't actually seen the video). Assuming that the version I saw wasn't edited, I wonder why the "R" rating? As to excitement, true, there are no car chases or shootouts (other than the excellent hunting scene at C's country estate), but fans of Graham Greene will find this adaptation very faithful to the novel. This story is considered by many familiar with the world of espionage to be one of the most accurate and realistic "spy" movies ever made. Greene's subtle but gripping movement towards the inevitable conclusion is characteristic of his best books. The cast is superb, with the unfortunate exception of Iman as Sarah. Maybe this was her first role, as she often appears stiff. Certainly worth watching for readers of G. Greene, perhaps the best English novelist of the 20th century.

Dishonored Lady ASIN: 6305987033 Our Price: $14.99 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Great "Hedy Lamarr" mystery drama Comments: Hedy Lamarr plays a professional editor for a women's glamour magazine involved in a murder investigation. As police probe, suspicions turn her way. She's not the person she is believed to be. Also starring: Dennis O'Keefe, John Loder We love Hedy Lamarr. In real life, she is the reason behind the cellular phone technology. During WWII, she patented a means to help navy devise a radio-signal to guide torpedoes that would the Germans couldn't blow up. She suggested a shifting sequence, as in the signal of one device would synchronize like a musical song with another. If you didn't know the song, you couldn't jam the radio signal. She never collected a dime. After her patent expired and ignorance died out, the navy re-looked at her idea. Hedy Lamarr-- the lovely actress with a clever mind!

Dishonored ASIN: 6302888220 Our Price: $14.98 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Mysterious Lady Comments: To be honest, the only reason I got this film was for its star, Marlene Dietrich. I knew it was only her second american film, and her third for Josef Von Sternberg. To see her early in her career, before Hollywood really worked with her, is interesting. As for story, there really isn't much to it, as it is basically a retelling of the Mata Hari story, Dietrich-style. She begins as a 'lady of the evening', discovered by a member of the Austrian Secret Police during World War one. Plucked from the streets and turned into a secret agent, she completes a mission or two, then goes after a top spy for the Russians, whom Austria is fighting. He eludes her, but falls under her spell. Later, they meet again, only he has the upper hand this time. She slips him some sleeping powder and vanishes with some vital enemy info, after a night of passion. Due to the success of the information she stole, the Austrians win a big victory, and the Russian spy is captured. Seeing him in line, she volunteers to interrogate him herself. Taking him to the back, she acts careless, and lets him escape, committing the arch sin of treason for the man she has come to love. The film's last section has her in detention, awaiting the firing squad, which she meets with calm dignified grace. If it all sounds hokey, well, it is. But Dietrich's calm, measured diction and regal posing give a sense of fate and meaning to all her scenes, and the final firing-squad sequence was filmed in an airplane hangar, to catch the unique sound of echoing rifle shots, which earned the film an academy award for sound. Dietrtich's final close-up, just before the fateful shots, is glorious, and saves the film's ending from silliness. Really, this film isn't the best of Dietrich's seven films for Von Sternberg, not even second best, but it still is something to behold, and worth having in your collection.

Above Suspicion ASIN: 6302224314 Our Price: $19.99 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: JOAN TAKES ON THE NAZIS... Comments: This is a lively, moderately entertaining film with a somewhat implausible plot. Newlyweds, Richard Myles (Fred MacMurray) and Frances (Joan Crawford), are asked by British intelligence to do a little espionage work, while they are on their honeymoon in 1939 Germany. Richard, who is a professor at Oxford University, and his wife agree to do so without a qualm. While in Germany, they follow a series of puzzling clues having to do with music and a red rose. There are many sinister Nazis, however, hot on the trail of the newlyweds, as they bumble about Germany. Through a series of twists and turns they come across an old school chum of Richard, a haughty aristocrat (Basil Rathbone), who turns out to be a lot more than they bargained for. With the aid of a mysterious Austrian agent (Conrad Veidt), Richard and Frances manage to complete their mission, but not before Frances has a hair raising run-in with the Gestapo. The Nazis, however, are no match for Frances. This 1943 film is definitely a war propaganda movie. There is no doubt that the Nazis are the bad guys. Expect a lot of adventure and witty, highly stylized repartee between the newlyweds. Good performances are given by the entire cast. Although the plot is implausible, the film is still entertaining. Fans of Joan Crawford will definitely enjoy this film.

Charlie Chan: The Secret Service ASIN: 6302717264 Our Price: $12.95 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: My First Charlie Chan movie Comments: "Charlie Chan in The Secret Service" was my first Chan movie. I was impressed with it. My only complaint was the scene in which Chan is riding to the mansion that the inventor was killed in, and is walking up to the mansion. Loud, blaring, music is played during this scene as if there was a fight scene going on or something. But it is apparent that Toler is trying to create interest in this new first Monogram outing, and it pays off. The low budget is futile to complain about, because the budget for the Monogram pictures never increases at any point in time. Critics should judge the Monogram Chans and state their opinion according to if they did the best job they could with the lower budget. Simply complaining about the low budget doesn't cut it, because the Monogram Chans ALL have a low budget. But if their resources are used in the best way, it can still be a good movie, low budget or not.I thought it was a good mystery that was not muddled or confusing. I would give them a thumbs up for doing their best to have a good movie. The Fox Chans were a hard act to follow, but quite a few times, Monogram did very well, lower budget and all. Of course, Benson Fong did not have the effect that the other two previous sons had, but he did well, I thought. Marianne Quon as Iris Chan works well off Benson Fong, but is only seen in this one movie. And of course, Mantan Moreland as Birmingham makes his first appearance as well, and continued throughout the series(with the exception of "The Red Dragon" and "Dangerous Money".)Of course, this movie is not "Citizen Kane", but is worth viewing.

Invisible Agent ASIN: 6302841879 Our Price: $14.98 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Lorre fans only! Comments: The important thing to remember when judging Lorre and this film is to separate Lorre's performance from the rest of this silly and farfetched motion picture. Peter's role almost seems as if it was intended for another, more serious film. Well, the invisible agent in this story is presumably the invisible man's grandson, who has changed his name to hide from those who seek to use his invisible formula for immoral uses. Enter the Nazis, headed by head goose-stepper Sir Cedric Hardwicke, and Peter Lorre, an old school Japanese baron who seek to acquire this formula and use it for the usual and universally known axis intentions. Of course the grandson escapes from their torturous clutches and becomes an undercover agant for the allies, an invisible one, who infiltrates Germany and proceeds to play a bunch of practical jokes on inept Nazi officers as a prelude to intercepting the Nazi's "secret" plans for an attempted invasion of America. The invisible scenes are hilarious, as Jon Hall seems more intent on sleeping, eating, drinking champagne, and hitting on beautiful German double agents than actually getting these oh-so-vital Nazi plans. However, when Lorre is on screen, which unfortunately is for only three or four short scenes, his intense and sinister presence enhances the picture immensely and adds the appropriate drama that the rest of this film so pathetically lacks. Cornering Hall in his paper shop in the United States, Lorre makes terrifying use of a paper cutter, causing psychological nervousness by calmly chopping down the blade behind the cornered Jon Hall's back, and later using it as a unique Lorrean device of torture to make him talk. Later in the film, Lorre captures Hall and spirits him to the Japanese embassy, intending to bring his secret back to the Land of the Rising Sun for the good of his own people. Hardwicke and the Nazis soon arrive and confront Lorre as a betrayer. Quick as an asp, Lorre karate chops Hardwicke in the neck and expertly discharges him upon the floor. Then, with an unforgettable expression of contempt mixed with sinister and warped compassion, Lorre pulls out a knife, tells Hardwicke that he is going to make an honorable man out of him and then coldbloodedly stabs him in the heart. Then, in one of my all-time favorite scenes, Lorre goes to a prepared corner of the embassy interior and turns the knife on himself, his gaze intense and unwavering, performing hari-kari and falling dead upon the floor without a sound. Lorre's performance is quite reminicent of his earlier Moto films, yet the intensity of his role is sustained by not one other member of the talented cast. Peter brought a gun to a pillow fight here, and as a result one of his better portrayals is lost in all the hokeyness and laughter.

The Thirty-Nine Steps ASIN: B00004Y87J Our Price: $14.95 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Terrific Hitchcock; As perfect as any movie can be. Comments: I don't know what movie the reviewers who were giving one or two stars watched, but it certainly couldn't have been Hitch's 39 Steps! This movie is Exciting, Hilarious, and Sexy. The Public Domain (extremely cheap) copies of CLASSICS such as this one are NEVER, EVER, EVER worth a dime! Good sound and picture quality are a MUST to get the most enjoyment out of this wonderful comedy-mystery.

A Bullet for Joey ASIN: 6304559496 Our Price: $19.98

Sleeping Car to Trieste ASIN: 6304422989 Our Price: $14.98

Scorpio ASIN: 6302719003 Our Price: $14.95 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: a "must see" for Delon fans Comments: Though the plot is somewhat muddled, locations change at a dizzying speed between Washington, Vienna, and Paris, has some improbable situations, and occasionally stilted dialogue, it's highly entertaining, and has an excellent cast, especially Alain Delon. He's fabulous as "code name: Scorpio", conveying so much meaning with the subtlest of gestures. He's also superb in the action scenes, so lithe and fast, and seems to be doing all his own stunt work...and he certainly must be one of the most spectacularly gorgeous actors to have ever graced the screen. To top it off, Scorpio has a sensitive side: He likes flowers, and most of all, cats...enough to make a woman's heart flutter ! Lancaster is very good as Cross, the spy who wants to get "out of the game", Paul Scofield is great as always as his Russian cohort, and Joanne Linville lovely as Cross' wife. The cinematography (Robert Paytner) is exceptional, and Jerry Fielding's marvelous score is atmospheric and at times almost symphonic. You may have to see it several times to make any sense of the plot, but this is a very watchable film, has a lot going for it in many ways, and it has to be Delon's finest English speaking performance, which is a good enough reason to make this one a keeper.

Cloak and Dagger ASIN: 6300208028 Our Price: $9.98 Customer's Rating: 2 Summary: A Lesser Lang Comments: Despite a fine cast and first-rate Warner Bros. production values, "Cloak and Dagger" (1946) remains one of director Fritz Lang's lesser efforts. Set during the final months of World War II, this espionage thriller begins promisingly with Gary Cooper as an American physicist sent on a mission to rescue a scientist from his Nazi captors, who have succeeded in developing an atomic bomb. Unfortunately, this intriguing premise runs out of steam at the halfway mark -- weakened by a lengthy romantic subplot. "Cloak and Dagger" would have been more effective if the studio had retained Lang's original ending in which Cooper's character discovers the abandoned location where the Nazis made their atomic bombs. Instead, the film is saddled with a predictable, "Casablanca"-inspired finale. Though "Cloak and Dagger" inevitably falls flat, there are some memorable sequences in the classic Lang tradition.