Herbest8
Joined May 2009
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Herbest8's rating
Of the literally hundreds of versions, variations and rip-offs of this classic book, none have ever captured the unique flavor or charm that is this version that originally aired on CBS in 1984.
You know the story: miser Ebeneezer Scrooge is shown the errors of his ways one Christmas night by three spirits who represent the past, present and future.
George C. Scott was simply destined to play Scrooge and he does a marvelous job. The cast makes for great support as well, with a cargo of famed British actors including Roger Rees, David Warner, Michael Gough and Michael Carter. They all provide fine support for Scott.
The design and dialog is truly Dickens. In fact, the lines are verbatim to the book. The film looks gorgeous and you actually feel as if the characters are really inhabiting this world.
The visual tricks with the three ghosts are unsettling and eerie but never go to far over the top. They struck the right balance in making them scary but still benevolent. The music is also really good, being both uplifting and tragic.
What else can I say? When it comes to "A Christmas Carol," George did it and he did it the best.
You know the story: miser Ebeneezer Scrooge is shown the errors of his ways one Christmas night by three spirits who represent the past, present and future.
George C. Scott was simply destined to play Scrooge and he does a marvelous job. The cast makes for great support as well, with a cargo of famed British actors including Roger Rees, David Warner, Michael Gough and Michael Carter. They all provide fine support for Scott.
The design and dialog is truly Dickens. In fact, the lines are verbatim to the book. The film looks gorgeous and you actually feel as if the characters are really inhabiting this world.
The visual tricks with the three ghosts are unsettling and eerie but never go to far over the top. They struck the right balance in making them scary but still benevolent. The music is also really good, being both uplifting and tragic.
What else can I say? When it comes to "A Christmas Carol," George did it and he did it the best.
This 1949 Disney film was the last of the so-called "package features" and while none of these films could be considered masterpieces, they do have charm and entertainment value and this one is no exception.
The movie is divided into two-parts, telling the story of two fabulous characters from both sides of the Atlantic. The first is a faithful retelling of the classic "The Wind in the Willows." This segment is technically well made and has some laughs but it's more cerebral than the slapstick second half of the film. The narration is provided by Basil Rathbone, who does a superb job. All in the all, this one was pretty good.
The second half is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" narrated by Bing Crosby (an odd choice, in my view) and with the exception of Crosby, back-up vocalists and a quick cameo by composer Ollie Wallace, there is no dialog in this segment. This results in a stilted sense of pacing and story and unlike "Willows" this one lacks solidity.
The story is redeemed with a fantastic sequence where Old Icabod is chased through the Hollow on a creepy, moonlit night by the cackling horseman. Genuinely tense and well-animated, it redeems the segment as a whole.
Although not perfect and certainly no classic, "Icabod and Toad" should please children and keep adults amused.
The movie is divided into two-parts, telling the story of two fabulous characters from both sides of the Atlantic. The first is a faithful retelling of the classic "The Wind in the Willows." This segment is technically well made and has some laughs but it's more cerebral than the slapstick second half of the film. The narration is provided by Basil Rathbone, who does a superb job. All in the all, this one was pretty good.
The second half is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" narrated by Bing Crosby (an odd choice, in my view) and with the exception of Crosby, back-up vocalists and a quick cameo by composer Ollie Wallace, there is no dialog in this segment. This results in a stilted sense of pacing and story and unlike "Willows" this one lacks solidity.
The story is redeemed with a fantastic sequence where Old Icabod is chased through the Hollow on a creepy, moonlit night by the cackling horseman. Genuinely tense and well-animated, it redeems the segment as a whole.
Although not perfect and certainly no classic, "Icabod and Toad" should please children and keep adults amused.
Off all the Disney animated movies from 1937 to the present, "The Jungle Book" has always stood out as something special. This movie is quite simply FUN. There is no romance, no attempt to break new ground with it's effects, no dramatics and none of the hokey "if you dream it, you can be it" bull. This movie succeeds in it's simple goal to bypass all that and just entertain you.
The story is inspired by the classic books written by Rudyard Kipling. We follow the man-cub Mowgli (voiced by Bruce Reitherman in an appealing performance) as he treks from the jungle to the man-village. Along the way he encounters a strange parade of figures including the sniveling Kaa (voiced by the great Sterling Holloway), the evil Shere Khan (George Sanders) and the rambunctious King Louie (Louis Prima, who gets the film's best song).
His two parental figures are Baloo the Bear and the sage Bagaheera. They are voiced by Phil Harris and Sebastian Cabot and their chemistry together really makes the triangle of Mowgli, the bear and the panther really work. It is probably the most dysfunctional family ever seen in a Disney film.
Everything else works just fine. The songs are cute and catchy, the characters interact well with each other, the setting is stylish and the ending is a departure from the clichéd happy ending. This one feels more ambiguous but altogether more satisfying.
Although there are some things that will make P.C. nuts squawk (the alleged racism) and the animation buffs cringe (the reused animation) that doesn't change the fact that "The Jungle Book" is fun, unique, jolly, and full of heart.
The story is inspired by the classic books written by Rudyard Kipling. We follow the man-cub Mowgli (voiced by Bruce Reitherman in an appealing performance) as he treks from the jungle to the man-village. Along the way he encounters a strange parade of figures including the sniveling Kaa (voiced by the great Sterling Holloway), the evil Shere Khan (George Sanders) and the rambunctious King Louie (Louis Prima, who gets the film's best song).
His two parental figures are Baloo the Bear and the sage Bagaheera. They are voiced by Phil Harris and Sebastian Cabot and their chemistry together really makes the triangle of Mowgli, the bear and the panther really work. It is probably the most dysfunctional family ever seen in a Disney film.
Everything else works just fine. The songs are cute and catchy, the characters interact well with each other, the setting is stylish and the ending is a departure from the clichéd happy ending. This one feels more ambiguous but altogether more satisfying.
Although there are some things that will make P.C. nuts squawk (the alleged racism) and the animation buffs cringe (the reused animation) that doesn't change the fact that "The Jungle Book" is fun, unique, jolly, and full of heart.