Three Came Home
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Movie Reviews of Three Came Home
Movie Review: Great DVD!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was pleasantly surprised that for the price this DVD's quality was pretty good. I have seen this movie numerous times on late night TV and the quaility of the transfer on this DVD is clear and clean- A good buy!Movie Review: Dated, but surprisingly moving and powerful
Summary: 4 Stars
Based on a true story, a memoir written by American Agnes Keith of the years she,her young son and British husband spent in Japanese POW camps in Indonesia, the film though restrained in the way of its time, is still very powerful about the brutality that soldiers display during war, even toward civilians. The bad guys in this film are of course the Japanese, but we've all learned since then that soldiers from all countries can at times behave abominally.
The camera discreetly turns away at some scenes of physical torment. The camp commander played by Sessue Hayakawa, is a tough soldier but a complex character with facets of humanity and even grief. The lead character and her husband have a physically passionate relationship, and there is even a suggestion of a clandestine conjugal tryst in the jungle.
My criticism is primarily about cosmetics, literally. For a woman and her son, and their fellow captives who spent three years or more in appalling conditions, Claudette Colbert et al looked incredibly healthy and well-groomed at the end. Starvation and beatings were frequent, but barely a hair fell out of place, and after the captivity she looked pretty much the same as before-wearing salvaged clothes that fit beautifully.
Still, the tensions, the unfairness, the fear, the dirt, labor, and disease, loss of family time, and even the physical passions, approach authenticity, which was especially rare in film in 1950. The DVD version I watched had no special feature--the film is in black and white. The story was so moving that I ordered a copy of the book from Amazon UK. This was one of Claudette Colbert's finest performances.
Movie Review: Good story, wrong look
Summary: 4 Stars
I believe that how one wears their hair says a lot about that individual; either their personality or their beliefs, especially if it varies greatly from the accepted styles of the day. I haven't read Mrs. Keith's books (yet), but according to Wikipedia, Agnes Newton Keith wore her hair in two long braids, which was obviously noteworthy. How hard would that have been for Hollywood to represent? And as another commenter noticed, how much mascara did these women find in a POW camp? Maybe they did pack it in their suitcases - but I'd have to find that in her book, to believe it.
If they're trying to tell a true story, then they should do their research a little more thoroughly and portray every last detail as closely to the truth as possible within the normal limits of a movie. To truly represent the whole story we need to get a feeling for who the woman was, in character, personality, strengths and weaknesses. If they can't even get hair and mascara right, what else did they "make-up"? (Pun intended)
Other than those irritations, I found the story compelling enough so I have ordered Mrs. Keith's books. And I was especially impressed how the acting very successfully portrayed Mrs. Keith's regret of reporting her abuse. One could feel the emotional intensity of the situation! And there's no bad language. That's worth a lot right there.
Movie Review: interesting sleeper
Summary: 4 Stars
i considered this film to be a "sleeper" (anyone familiar with film genre terms knows what that means).
based on a true story, this films envelopes the viewer into the tribulations and horrors endured by one woman's courage and determination to survive the Japanese concentration camps.
Claudette Colbert assumes the role of Agnes Newton Keith, the woman whose life the story is based upon. Colbert gives her heart to the role. in her day, Colbert was considered one of the entertainment industry's most attractive women.
upon viewing the film, i was shocked at how revealing the attire worn by Colbert was in parts of the film. the clothes worn were relevant to the setting and situation of the story, but for 1950 i deemed it very arousing though i'm sure this was unintentional. very little imagination was necessary for one to virtually envision miss Colbert naked.
as for the transfer, it was very good considering the distributer was Alpha(a distribution company renowned for subpar transfers). the video and sound were both good.
Movie Review: Three Came Home
Summary: 4 Stars
The story was touching, the actors were excellent, the picture was good,
It left one thinking about those years and how those who were subjected to
that type of war time experience, must have been very courageous to have survived it. Very thought provoking and well done.