Reviews

One of the best anthropological documentaries that I have ever seen. Hopefully, it will make a dent in the plague of racism.

It's amazing how resistant contemporary humans are to the knowledge that no matter how different they think they look from each other, they are in fact ALL RELATED. Ideology is, indeed, still the last part of a culture to change.

I don't really have any criticism, but I wish Dr. Wells had included the relationship between the various Oceanic groups to Australia, New Zealand, and South Asia.

The book is a bit tougher going unless you're an academic. But the video is suitable for everyone.

Here's another for movie buffs. If you are into "special effects" as they are today, you may not like this. Technology was pretty basic in 1960. I never read Wells book but saw this movie as a child and was enthralled. As an adult, I find oddities in the film such as why do the Eloi all look like escapees from the Lebensborn Project or the Village of the Damned...? As dated as this movie is, it remains a commentary on war, the rise of the machine, and destruction of humanity both morally and physically.

The Morlocks are suitably nasty, but why they lost the power of speech is unexplained and, frankly, doesn't make sense. They would have been even more creepy if they'd been articulate.

I would like to have seen this film on "the big screen". The effect must have been very powerful. I read several of the IMDb reviews, and learned quite a bit about the history of the making of the movie. I think it's tragic and grossly unfair when film makers are crucified and their careers ruined (or almost) has happened to the likes of Powell, or to Lean. Just because the audience doesn't have the brains or insight or ability to tolerate the story DOES NOT mean it's a poor film.

I first saw the film in the 90's on t.v. and I caught it again last year. The first time I watched was because I'd never heard of it and because Moira Shearer was in it. I recognized Karl Boehm from other films (4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse). The film is genuinely creepy and full of food for thought. I think that in 1960 the public was generally still avoiding thinking about social responsibility for perversion, crime, etc. Aberrant behavior was just "something that happens." What stands out the most is that the director does tell us what motivates this killer. Perhaps that is what audiences and critics didn't like--he wasn't just "a nut". Someone MADE him into one. A so-called sane and respected man CREATED, deliberately, a serial killer.

As appalling as his crimes were, what I felt for the Mark Lewis character was terrible pity.

This one remains a classic in the history of the adventure film genre. I first saw it in the early 60's. As a child, the scenes of animals in their natural habitat and peoples of African cultures made a big impression. These are still worth seeing today, especially since the film has been restored. I bought the VHS version in the 1980's and the restoration wasn't so good. Too much blue and brown like colorized versions of B&W films. It was on t.v. about a month ago and the color was much better. Although the plot is predictable, the visual effects are still worth it 56 years later. Granger is a bit heavy-handed as the "great white hunter", especially in one scene where he peremptorily waves his hand for the "natives" to fall in and follow when he is not, in fact, in charge of the action being portrayed. Based on this film, I used to think Richard Carlson was British, not from the U.S.! My favorite scenes are of the men dancing in the Watusi village enclosure, and the hand-to-hand combat scene where Umbopa and his usurper cousin fight it out for the throne.

A bit of trivia: The music played at the beginning and end of the film is the exact same music played in the film "Mogambo".

I rented this movie about 5 years ago. I was looking for The Magnificent Seven but the video store didn't have it and I ran across The Long Riders. Yes, I was intrigued by the casting which made me rent it but which didn't "make" the film.

For me, it's an interesting slice of "Americana" because in all the Westerns that I've seen I had no idea until this film that the gangs of Western bandits were produced by the effects of The Civil War. Even the Earps, who were supposed to be "good" were a product of the post Civil War era. That's information that wasn't taught in my schools. These people lost their homes and livelihoods because they were mostly Confederates. Rather like Bonnie & Clyde who were products of the Great Depression.

I've seen this movie several times and never tire of it. The characterizations, cinematography,score,casting, and wardrobe are all wonderful. The book was a snore in high school "required reading", but made a fantastic film this time around. Infinitely better than earlier versions especially the pretty poor T.V. show of the 50's-60's! Certainly one of the best films and performances that leads Day-Lewis and Stowe have done to date. Their characters come from completely different worlds, yet they are convincingly drawn to one another and the sexual tension that develops is heady.

Kudos to the director for keeping up the pace. Sometimes this kind of film will have an erratic mood or pace that spoils the feel of the drama.

Lastly, Eric Schweig as Uncas is one of the sexiest men I've ever seen.

I love films that do such an excellent job of evoking a bygone era. Not simply "costume" but also mood, mores. It tells a story of a period of U.S. history about which I think most contemporary U.S. citizens are ignorant. Truly, how many out there know the history of the Dutch in the U.S. or even that New York was first New Amsterdam? The screenplay/dialogue is very faithful to Edith Wharton's novel. Another huge plus as I detest rampant rip-offs of literature.

Despite anachronisms pointed out on this site, I can only find one major flaw in the film: The choice of narrator. Whatever her talents as an actress, Ms. Woodward, after 40+ years, still retains traces of her Georgia accent which simply DO NOT GO WITH a story about New York in the 1890's. If it were possible, I would re-dub the film with the voice of Linda Hunt. No traceable accent, excellent diction, and intriguingly androgynous.