Is Paris Burning?
|
Our Price: $42.82 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $15.95 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Is Paris Burning?
Movie Review: A passionate history lesson...
Summary: 5 Stars
The great director, Rene Clement, put his angst to rest with this empowered version of the French Resistance in 1944. Most icons of the French Cinema appeared, including the great Charles Boyer, as well as modern idols Delon, Trintignant, Belmondo and the radiant Leslie Caron. This film was originally made with subtitles all around, except for the few scenes with Americans Kirk Douglas (as Patton via Spartacus), Anthony Perkins, Robert Stack, Glenn Ford and a particularly powerful performance from Orson Welles as Swedish consul Nordling. I was also very impressed with the performance of Gert Frobe (Goldfinger), as the German general with a serious dilemma. The DVD doesn't offer any features, and the entire film is dubbed, which is a great reason to try to get your kids to watch this as a valid history lesson. (I learned more about history from movies than I ever did in a classroom...) It's interesting that the film was written by Americans Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola. Director Clement never failed to show impassioned moments, and all very well played. Terrific crowd scenes were mixed with archival footage. The war-torn Paris scenes were Oscar- nominated for Art Direction, and the seamless photography was also up for an Oscar. ("Virginia Woolf?" won in both categories, though these sets were stunning!). A great wide 2.35:1 Letterbox showed off some wonderful panoramas. Maurice Jarre's score was the icing on the cake! It is another feather in his epic cap (Lawrence, Zhivago, Ryan's Daughter). One line that moved me a bit was when the resistance fighter finally made it to Patton and said "The French people would never forgive the Allies for not coming to their aid." Well, we did. Why do they hate us so much?Movie Review: excellent wwII movie
Summary: 5 Stars
As a WWII history guy (well somewhat anyway), and a retired Military Officer, I found the movie excellent, and over all I found it to be very accurate in the way it shows the liberation of Paris. Just enyoy it, for what it is and not pick it apart because of sound dubbing or someone did not speak in proper language. I did not detect any large errors of fact. As with all movies some actors are better than others. Not impressed with Kirk Douglas as Patton, however the part was very small. Frick as Hitler - excellent, as was Anthony Pekings as Sgt Warren. Gert Frobe as von Choltitz, also excellent, however felt the script did not allow one to realy understand him. I enjoyed it being in Black & White which allowed for actual footage of events to be shown to great effect. I had a tears in my eyes when the bells of Notre Dame rang for first time in four years--what a great moment for the French I noted that one negative review mentioned there was no reference to the German's treatment of Jews. As horable as that was and we all need to fully know what unthinkable things that happened to the European Jewish population before and during WWII, this movie was not about that. It just was not revelant to this story line, as it was not in Battle of Bulge or The Longest day and to have someway included it would have detracted from movie. Seeing the prisoners (both political and probably Jewish) being shipped to Germany certainly left you with a feeling of how all "enemies of the German State" where treated, that includes; Jews, Gays, Polish, Reisistance Fighter, etc. Good movie will watch it again.Movie Review: My all time fav war film
Summary: 5 Stars
It took me many years of looking but I finally found the film I had been looking for since I first saw it in 1976.
I read the book a few years ago, and the film goes well with it. It is a film that always leaves a tear in the eye as the city of Paris together with its many political factions rise up against their nazi rulers in August 1944.
Filmed in black and white and cleverly interlinked with original film footage, this film is made even better by a fantastic musical score which I always sing to my self everytime I visit Paris.
The all star French cast were excellent, but I found the sympathetic portrayal of the german soldier and his officers a refreshing change from the goose stepping fanatics we see in many other World war 2 war films.
It was interesting to see major american stars in minor roles, and i think anyone watching the film would have known just what was going to happen to Anthony Perkin's character,..."I wonder what it's like to die..."
A film well worth waiting all these years to watch again.
Movie Review: Conscience and Concsientiousness
Summary: 5 Stars
Based on the factual book of the same name, this film mixes acting with actual footage of the liberation of Paris.
A host of stars, among them Orson Wells, J P Belmondo and Gert Froebe, protrays the liberation of Paris based on the individual accounts of those involved in the forefront of all activity. Among them the story of General von Choltitz, his adjutant Count von Arnim, and of the Swedish consul, whose personal interventions ultimately saved the city and its inhabitants from the utter madness of destruction.
Shot in black and white, it makes fascinating viewing of aspects of life in those final hours of the liberation of Paris. Impressing is too that the German side is not portrayed with the customary 'evil' slant, but in a factual manner. This gives the film an edge over so many others.
Movie Review: Paris saved
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great depiction of the end of Germany in Paris. The movie is filmed from the Allied and the German positions in saving the City of Lights, the treasures, buildings and structures from the warped mentality of Adolph Hitler. It demonstrates that even in the German High Command, there were officers who had the courage to make a counter decision to save the beauty and history of this famous old city. The movie is a great narative of what could have happened, and did in many other places. The film contains actual footage of the Allied entry, adding to the reality of the retaking of Paris, confirming that war is cruel and devastating for everyone.