Icons of Adventure Collection (The Pirates of Blood River / The Devil-Ship Pirates / The Stranglers of Bombay / The Terror of the Tongs)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christopher Lee, Oliver ReedBrand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.37:1
Running Time: 332 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-06-10
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Icons of Adventure Collection (The Pirates of Blood River / The Devil-Ship Pirates / The Stranglers of Bombay / The Terror of the Tongs)
Movie Review: Jimmy Sangster is a better writer than Shakespeare and Dickens combined
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, perhaps I am exaggerating, but Sangster is a marvelously inventive and imaginative screenplay writer. If not all his history or horror is real, it's also never dull.
Three of the films in this set were written by Sangster, and they're on a creative par with the rest of his work. Stories come to the point right away, have plenty of action, and conversations are literate but brief.
My favorite of these four films is Terror of the Tongs. The story of one man attempting to penetrate a large and well-organized conspiracy of terrorists may not seem too likely, but this film is so well made that any disbelief gets suspended right away. The story is very tight and moves quickly. Sure, nobody who plays Chinese is actually Chinese, but I don't think any offense was meant. It would be well to remember that this was made in an era when actors like Victor Mature played Native Americans. (It would be years before the industry began to make smarter casting choices such as Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton in Out of Africa.)
The two swashbucklers, Pirates of Blood River and Devil-Ship Pirates, are both highly enjoyable. There are a few scenes from Blood River that, in composition and color, resemble some of the outstanding N.C. Wyeth or Howard Pyle pirate paintings. Both films have a great look about them, and a major reason is the presence of Christopher Lee. Whether the part calls for elegant or basic costume, with eye patch or without, Christopher Lee is what pirate captains are supposed to look like.
The Stranglers of Bombay is indeed similar to the Pierce Brosnan film The Deceivers, as the other reviewer mentioned. I do not claim to know anything of terrorist methods other than what I've seen on the news, but if my understanding is correct in even a limited way, then Stranglers of Bombay shows that terrorist tactics of the 19th century have some overlapping with those of the 21st century. This is another depiction, like Terror of the Tongs, of how one man tries to uncover the secrets of an organization which has thrived on murder, fear, and silence. For one man to penetrate such a conspiracy may not be quite believable but writer David Z. Goodman (whose writing here is as good as Sangster's) makes a strong case that it could have happened. Of course, budget and dramatic considerations enter into this, but again, it's terrific work by all concerned.
Three films have great color and Stranglers has glorious black and white.
All have excellent picture detail. Also, there are numerous extras. Chapter 1 of the serial Great Adventures of Captain Kidd is a don't miss.
It's more skillfully made than Ed Wood's films, but not by much.
More Icons of Adventure Collection (The Pirates of Blood River / The Devil-Ship Pirates / The Stranglers of Bombay / The Terror of the Tongs) reviews:
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Summary of Icons of Adventure Collection (The Pirates of Blood River / The Devil-Ship Pirates / The Stranglers of Bombay / The Terror of the Tongs)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 06/10/2008Similar DVD Movies
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