Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
Great & Unsung Movies
Great cinema, both well-known & unsung,
that you may not be aware of or have forgotten . . .
films A to Z (just below) • not on video/DVD • books on worst movies • books on best movies • compilations (on Page 2)
W.G.A. list of 101 Greatest Screenplays, 2013
"A Christmas Story" [M.G.M. Nov 1983]
   | Set in northern Indiana in 1940; young Ralphie wants only one thing for Christmas,
an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB rifle with a compass in the stock. His attempts to convince the world of the rightness of his quest run into opposition from his parents, his teacher, and even Santa Claus himself. Co-produced, co-written & directed by Bob Clark; co-written by Leigh Brown & Jean Shepherd, based on stories by Jean Shepherd; starring Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, R.D. Robb, Tedde Moore, Yano Anaya & Zack Ward, narrated by Jean Shepherd; won Oscars for Best Director & Best Script Adaptation, nominated for 7 others including Best Picture; W.G.A. nom for Best Adapted Script
Warner Home Video widescreen color Blu-ray [11/2008] for $15.99 Warner Home Video Collectors Edition widescreen color DVD [11/2008] 2 disks for $30.99 Warner Special Edition widescreen color DVD [11/2008] 2 disks for $23.99 Warner Special Edition widescreen color DVD [10/2003] 2 disks out of prodn/many used Warner Home Video color VHS [9/2000] out of prodn/many used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia • official movie site |
'A Christmas Story House' Museum & Gift Shop in Cleveland, Ohio
more details (synopses, sequels, Broadway musical, posters, books, links, merchandise) on
Magic Lantern's "A Christmas Story" 1983 Movie Page
"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across
The 8th Dimension (Part 6)" [Sherwood/Fox Aug 1984]
 | Rapid-fire sci-fi craziness pitting Team Banzai against a race of evil Lectriods from Planet Ten in a weird and brainy comic book world full of overlapping jokes and toss-away one-liners – wacky and bizarre and original. Directed by W.D. Richter; written by Earl Mac Rauch; starring Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum & Christopher Lloyd
MGM/UA color DVD 'Special Edition' [1/2002] for $14.99 MGM/UA color VHS [2/2001] for $9.94 Pocket 8x5 pb [12/2001] for $10.36 full credits from IMDb |
"Amadeus" [Orion Sept 1984]
 |
First there is the music, then the period ambience, and the story of a mad, immature genius, and his destruction from within and from without.
Directed by Milos Forman; script by Peter Shaffer, based on his stageplay; starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge & Jeffrey Jones; nominated for 11 Oscars, winning eight: Best Picture, Best Director, Script Adaptation, Best Actor (Murray Abraham), Best Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Makeup & Best Costume Design; also won A.C.E. Eddie Award, Best Foreign Language Film Award of the Japanese Academy, 4 BAFTA Awards, César Award for Best For-eign Film, 3 David di Donatello Awards, D.G.A. Award & Kinema Junpo Award for Best Foreign Film
Warner Video widescreen color Blu-ray [2/2009] 2 disks for $13.99 Warner Video widescreen color DVD [12/97] for $15.99 Warner Video color VHS [1/2001] out of prodn/many used Warner Video widescreen color VHS [3/2001] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia stageplay [1980-83] entry at IBDb • stageplay entry at Wikipedia |
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eine kleine Mozart [5min:41sec midi file]
Fantasy soundtrack CD box set [12/97] 3 disks for $24.97 Fantasy soundtrack CD [12/92] for $14.99 Fantasy soundtrack cassette [10/90] out of prodn/used Fantasy soundtrack on vinyl [4/95] out of prodn/used Fantasy "More Music.." soundtrack CD [6/91] for $14.98 Fantasy "More Music.." soundtrack on vinyl [4/95] out of prodn/used |
"American Film Theatre" [1973-75]
"American Film Theatre: Complete Collection" [2008]
Kino Intl. widescreen color DVD set [7/2008] 14 films on 15 disks for $179.99
 | "Collection One" [2003]
Kino Video widescreen color DVD set [4/2003] 6 disks for $114.99 includes "Butley" [1974] directed by Harold Pinter, written by Simon Gray, starring Alan Bates; "The Iceman Cometh" [1973] on 2 disks directed by John Frankenheimer, based on the play by Eugene O'Neill, starring Lee Marvin, Fredric March & Robert Ryan; "Luther" [1973] written by Edward Anhalt, based on the John Osborne play, starring Stacy Keach; "The Maids" [1975] co-written & directed by Christopher Miles, bssed on the Jean Genet play "Les Bonnes" starring Glenda Jackson & Susannah York; and "Rhinoceros" [1974] based on the Eugène Ionesco play, starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder & Karen Black |
 | "Collection Two" [2003]
Kino Video widescreen color DVD set [7/2003] 5 disks for $107.99 includes "A Delicate Balance" [1973] directed by Tony Richardson, written by Edward Albee, starring Katharine Hepburn & Paul Scofield; "The Homecoming" [1973] directed by Peter Hall, written by Harold Pinter, starring Ian Holm; "In Celebration" [1975] directed by Lindsay Anderson, written by David Storey, starring Alan Bates; "The Man In The Glass Booth" [1975] directed by Arthur Hiller, adapted by Edward Anhalt, based on the play by Robert Shaw, starring Maximilian Schell {Oscar nom}; and "Three Sisters" [1970] based on the 1900 Anton Chekhov play, co-directed by & starring Laurence Olivier, co-starring Joan Plowright, Derek Jacobi & Alan Bates |
 | "Collection Three" [2003]
Kino Video widescreen color DVD set [11/2003] 4 disks for $80.99 includes "Galileo" [1975] co-written & directed by Joseph Losey, adapted from the Bertolt Brecht play, starring Topol; "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris" [1975] directed by Denis Héroux, co-written by Eric Blau, co-written by & starring Jacques Brel; "Lost In The Stars" [1974] based on the Kurt Weill-Maxwell Anderson musical play adapted from the Alan Paton novel, starring Brock Peters; and "Philadelphia, Here I Come!" [1975] written by Brian Friel |
"Animal House" [Universal Pictures July 1978] /tt0077975/
Announced 4/2012: There's an "Animal House" Broadway show in the works and a new, behind-the-scenes book by
producer Matty Simmons, who talks about what Hollywood first thought of the script (hated it!), what got cut,
and why there was never a sequel.
"Annie Hall"
[Rollins-Joffe/United Artists April 1977]
 | One of Woody's masterpieces, the essential film about relationships in the 1970s. Co-written & directed by & starring Woody Allen; co-written by Marshall Brickman; also starring Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts & Carol Kane; won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress & Best Original Script; also won 5 BAFTA Awards, DGA, 3 NSFC, & WGA awards MGM/UA widescreen color DVD [7/2000] for $16.99 MGM/UA color VHS [1/94] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Bill and Coo" [Republic Pictures March 1948]
 | After years of unavailability, this cinematic wonder is now available on DVD: 5-disk compilation (details on Page 2) released in 2005; standalone DVD finally released in 2011 A true oddity: A cast of performing animals (mostly birds) in the tale of a town beset by a mean crow. Major sequences include a circus and a terrible fire. The characters display human traits – how did they do that? – and Love Triumphs In The End. A treasure, charming and astonishing. Presented by Ken Murray, co-written & directed by Dean Reisner; animals trained by George Burton; filmed in TruColor; won Honorary Oscar for 'artistry & patience'.
East West Ent. color DVD [6/2011] for $12.98 Passport b&w/color DVD compilation [11/2007] 5 disks for $17.99 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia 11"x17" poster from Amazon {third party) for $8.49 |
watch [1:00:19] free online at Internet Archive
"Comrades" [indep Aug 1987, USA Jan 1989]
 | In 1832 England, six Dorset farmworkers formed the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers, intended as a trade union to protest reduced wages (7 shillings per week or less in Dorset versus ten shillings per week in London). A local land baron complained to the Prime Minister, and the men were convicted on an obscure 1797 law against swearing an oath to each other. Their 1834 sentence was transportation to Australia as convicts for seven years. A public outcry about the treatment of the 'Tolpuddle Martyrs' brought about their release by the new Home Secretary in 1836. They returned to England as heroes; five eventually emigrated to the London, Ontario area in Canada; the sixth died in the Dorchester Workhouse in 1891.
3-hour color documentary film written & directed by Bill Douglas [1934-91]; starring Jeremy Flynn, Keith Allen, Robin Soans, William Gaminara, Stephen Bateman, Philip Davis, Katy Behean, James Fox, John Hargreaves, Michael Hordern, Alex Norton, Vanessa Redgrave & Imelda Staunton; won Sutherland Trophy Award from British Film Institute; the DVD includes bonus "Closed Circuit" short film [1989] starring Keith Allen
British Film Institute widescreen color Blu-ray [7/2009] for $36.99 Film4 Library widescreen color DVD-R [4/2011] for $10.99 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Cutter's Way" [United Artists 1981]
 | The poetic cinematography, the acting, and the music are superb. The murder mystery is merely background for the existential mess of life in post-Vietnam America and the savagely heroic resolution in the last frame. Directed by Ivan Passer, starring Jeff Bridges [Cutter], John Heard [Bone], Lisa Eichhorn, Ann Dusenberry & Stephen Elliott; music by Jack Nitzsche
MGM/UA widescreen DVD [7/2001] for $17.98 MGM/UA color VHS [6/91] for $19.98 full credits from IMDb based on the 1976 novel "Cutter & Bone" by Newton Thornburg Serpents Tail 7¾x5 pb [7/2001] for $11.20 |
"Do The Right Thing"
[40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks June 1989]
  | Possibly inspired by Akira Kurosawa's "Do-desu-ka-den" [1970] {below}, this is the tale of a blighted neighborhood in Spike Lee's home turf of Brooklyn. There is actually a moment, ignored or missed by most reviewers, where 'the right thing' gets done – look for it. Written & directed by Spike Lee; starring Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, John Turturro, Rosie Perez & Samuel L. Jackson, with Spike Lee as 'Mookie' Universal Home Ent. widescreen color Blu-ray [6/2009] for $18.99 20th Anniversary Edition DVD [6/2009] for $13.99 Universal letterbox color DVD [7/98] for $17.99 Universal widescreen color DVD [2/2001] 2 discs for $28.99 Universal color VHS [1/2000] out of prodn/many used Sony original score CD [9/89] for $11.98 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia watch 1/2009 official trailer [2:20] online at YouTube Cambridge Univ Press critical text 9x6 pb for $25.19 watch full movie [2:23:52] online at YouTube |
"Do-desu-ka-den"
[Toho Japan Oct 1970; U.S.A. June 1971]
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The tale is simple but involving, and was perhaps the inspiration for Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" [1989] {above}. Co-writer/director Akira Kurosawa's first color film, with a rich pallette; Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Home Vision color VHS [11/95] with English subtitles for $29.95 full credits from IMDb |
"Frida" [LionsGate/Miramax Oct 2002]
  | Outstanding! A movie that is very moving, as well as an accurate biography. Directed by Julie Taymor; based on the book by Hayden Herrera; starring Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas, Roger Rees & Patricia Reyes; won Oscars for Best Original Score, Best Makeup; nominations for Best Actress (SH), Best Art Direction, Best Original Song, Best Costumes (Julie Taymor deserved a nomination for Best Director); also won 1 of 4 BAFTA noms; 2 SAG noms, listed on AFI Best 10 Films of 2002 Miramax widescreen DVD [6/2003] 2 disks for $14.99 Buena Vista VHS [6/2003] out of stock/used Buena Vista VHS w/Spanish subtitles [6/2003] for $14.99 Universal soundtrack CD [10/2002] for $14.99 full credits from IMDb official movie website • official Miramax movie website (English or Spanish) |
see the Frida Kahlo Art Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
"Fritz The Cat" [Polygram 1972]
 | Two animated features based on Robert Crumb's dangerously subversive counter-culture comic strip. The first (and only) major-studio X-rated animated feature films. Produced & directed by Ralph Bakshi MGM/UA color widescreen DVD [12/2001] for $10.99 full credits from IMDb |
sequel "The Nine Lives of Fritz The Cat" [1974]
MGM/UA widescreen color DVD [12/2001] for $17.98
full credits from IMDb
"Gigot" [Seven Arts Sept 1962]
 | Gleason steps out of his 'Great One' persona to portray a mute janitor in Paris, France where the movie was filmed. Pathos, heroism, and slapstick, very Chaplin-esque. Directed by Gene Kelly; script by John Patrick & Jackie Gleason; starring Jackie Gleason, with Katherine Kath; Oscar nomination for the music
Fox b&w DVD-R [12/2012] for $17.98 full credits at IMDb NEXT: Make the soundtrack album available on CD, guys! |
"The Gods Must Be Crazy"
 | A Kalahari bushman finds a Coke bottle dropped from the sky, but the new technological wonder disrupts his tribe, and so Xixo sets out to return the bottle to the gods. In the sequel, Xixo chases after a fast-moving truck where his children are accidental stowaways. Produced, written & directed by Jamie Uys; starring N!xao as Xixo 5 movie series entry at Wikipedia combo DVD with both "TGMBC I" & "TGMBC II" Columbia/TriStar widescreen DVD [2/2004] 2 disks - out of prodn/used "TGMBC" [1980; US release 1984]: full credits from IMDb Sony Pictures color DVD [6/2004] out of prodn/many used Fox color VHS [9/90] out of prodn/used "TGMBC II" [1989]: full credits from IMDb Sony Pictures color DVD [6/2004] out of prodn/used Col/TriStar color VHS [1/93] out of prodn/used |
"Harold & Maude" classic cult comedy [1972]
The irrepressible, anything-for-a-thrill septuagenarian Maude's spirit rekindles a morose young man who loves to fashion fake suicides
to get attention. Directed by Hal Ashby; music by Cat Stevens; starring Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack,
Charles Tyner, Ellen Geer, Eric Christmas, G. Wood, Judy Engles, Shari Summers, Tom Skerritt & Susan Madigan
Neil Young's "Journey Through The Past"
[New Line Cinema Nov 1972]
 | Fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young will of course love it; the visuals are astounding and the music is just plain great: non-objective art from a team of rock artists at the top of their form Directed by Neil Young (as Bernard Shakey); cinematography by David Myers; featuring David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills & Neil Young DVD & Blu-ray disks finally available on "Neil Young Archives, Volume 1" [2009] {here} color DVD [1/2012] for $24.99 via Amazon third party? W.E.A. Records audio CD [11/95] out of prodn/rare Reprise vinyl LP [1972] 2 disks - out of prodn/rare full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia • album entry at Wikipedia |
"King of Hearts" aka "Le Roi de Coeur"
[France Dec 1966, USA June 1967]
 | The inmates of an insane asylum get loose, but they may be more sane than the outside world. A delightful, surreal, farcical anti-war fairytale. Directed by Philippe de Broca; starring Alan Bates & Geneviève Bujold; aka "Le Roi de Coeur"
MGM/UA letterbox DVD [4/2001] with Eng/Span/Fr subtitles out of prodn/used MGM/UA widescreen VHS [11/2001] with English subtitles out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"Lemonade Joe: A Horse Opera"
[Czechoslovakia 1964, USA 1967]
 | I remember this hilarious spoof of the old cowboy silents as being a silent film, perhaps because it was filmed in Czech, with subtitles. The hero, a teetotaling salesman for Kola Loca, wears spotless white even after climbing down a chimney, the bad guys wear black – all the cliches. The creators got it right. Co-written & directed by Oldrich Lipsky
Facets Video b&w DVD [4/2006] for $26.99 Facets Video b&w VHS [3/2002] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"The Madwoman of Chaillot"
[Commonwealth United Oct 1969]
 | This adaptation of Jean Giraudoux's play pits the dotty team of Kate Hepburn, Giulietta Masina, Edith Evans & Margaret Leighton, with help from Danny Kaye and ingenues Richard Chamber-lain & Nannete Newman, against villainous titans of the international business world portrayed by Charles Boyer, Yul Brynner, Oskar Homolka, Paul Henreid & Donald Pleasance Directed by Bryan Forbes, and the soundtrack by Michael J. Lewis is especially fine Warner Archive color DVD-R [11/2011] for $20.56 Warner Home Video color VHS [2/95] for 19.99 full credits from IMDb • play entry at Wikipedia • movie entry at Wikipedia playscript [1943] by Jean Giraudoux [1882-1944], translated by Maurice Valency Dramatists Play Service, Inc. 7½x5¼ pb [1998] for $7.20 |
"Putney Swope" [Herald/Cinema V July 1969]
   | Outrageous is the only word for this jaw-dropper of a satire on the advertising world. The main movie is black-and-white, with color commercials that you will not believe. The bite is still fierce even after more than 45 years. Written & directed by Robert Downey, Sr.; starring Arnold Johnson Rhino Video b&w/color DVD [5/2001] for $17.96 Rhino Video b&w/color VHS [2/95] for $14.95 full credits from IMDb |
"The Red Balloon"
aka "Le Ballon Rouge" [France 1956]
 | Written & directed by Albert Lamorisse; starring Pascal Lamorisse; won the Oscar for Best Screen-play even though there is not one word of dialogue in the film; won BAFTA Special Award
Janus Films & Criterion color DVD [4/2008] for $10.49 Home Vision color VHS [3/96] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb children's book by Albert Lamorisse Doubleday YA 12x8¼ pb [8/78] for $9.71 Doubleday YA 12x8¾ hardcover [8/67] for $11.53 1989 stage musical: book & lyrics by Anthony Clark (music by Mark Vibrans) TCG/Oberon 8¼x5 pb [4/2000] for $16.95 Nick Hern Books hardcover [5/97] out of print/used |
"Winter's Bone" [Roadside Attractions June 2010]
 | Seems like a visit to some apocalyptic future – except that this is daily life for many in the Appalachias & the Ozarks and other parts of XXIst Century America. A teenage girl trying to hold her family together learns that her father was arrested again for manufacturing meth, and that he signed over the family homestead and woods for his bond – and then disappeared. Co-written & co-produced by Anne Rosellini; co-written & directed by Debra Granik; based on the novel by Daniel Wood-rell; starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Shelley Waggener & Lauren Sweetser; won two awards at Berlin Intl. Film Festival, two awards at Sundance Film Festival LionsGate widescreen color Blu-ray [DUE Oct 2010] for $19.99 LionsGate widescreen color DVD [DUE Oct 2010] for $19.49 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia • official movie site |
 | "Winter's Bone: A Novel" [2006] by Daniel Woodrell Back Bay Books movie tie-in 8x5½ pb [6/2010] for $10.07 Back Bay Books 8¼x5½ pb [7/2007] for $10.07 Little, Brown 8¼x5¾ hardcover [8/2006] out of print/used |
"The Wizard of Speed and Time"
 | "The Wizard of Speed and Time" short film [indep 1979]
3-minute color short with camera & animation SFX; filmed in California; a wizard who runs faster than a locomotive meets a hitchhiker and takes her to Hollywood . . . • Written, produced, directed & edited by and starring Mike Jittlov; co-starring Toni Handcock; music by Mike Jittlov & John Massari VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb • watch short film [3:00] online at YouTube Mike Jittlov's official partly-completed website |
 | "The Wizard of Speed and Time" feature film [Shapiro-Glickenhaus Ent. Sept 1989]
A young movie SFX wizard finds two producers willing to back his movie about a wizard but is unaware that the producers made a $25,000 bet about whether he will deliver - so one producer helps and the other sabotages the project . . . • co-produced by Richard Kaye, Deven Chierighino, Leonard Shapiro, and others; written, co-produced, directed & edited by and starring Mike Jittlov; additional dialogue by Richard Kaye & Deven Chierighino; music by John Massari; also starring Richard Kaye, Paige Moore, Deven Chierighino/David Conrad, Steve Brodie, John Massari, Gary Schwartz, Frank LaLoggia, Philip Michael Thomas, Lynda Aldon, Forrest J. Ackerman, Arnetia Walker, Angelique Pettyjohn, Ben Kronen, Will Ryan, Michele Roth, Greg Jittlov, Marie Jittlov, Harvey J. Alperin, Missy Sauppe, Paulette Breen, Stephen Stucker, Lauri Riley, Amy Rose, Mark Conlon, Chuck McCollum, Robert Stuart Reed, Patrick McGreal, Donovan Scott, Paul Barselou, David McCharen, Joan Leizman, Cynthia Frost, Ward Kimball, Christopher Barczak, Tim Frisbie, Allan Lee Graf, Frank Davis Jr, Rick Heebner, Benjamin Lum, Harold M. 'Hal' Etherington, Phil Boroff, Steve Ecclesine, Doug Crepeau, Patricia Ayame Thomson, Bob Basso, Annie Livingstone, Pete Sorensen, Patty Ryan, Evelyn Carpenter, Eddie Paul, Slim E. Leatche, Smokey Ochoa, Jeff Knoerle, Wilimeda BeHanna, Anyavel Glynn, Jan Sayre, 'The Unknown Producer', Randi D. Cogert, Tery McPhie, Gwen Perlman, Monica B. Herzer, Beth Sjogren, Galyn Görg, Steve Mann, Laurie Rose, Chris Coart, Christine Green, William Hart, Jean Hart, Jill K. Allen, Russell Carpenter, Dean Barnes, Jim Danforth, Karen Danforth, Margie Jesswein, Sebastián Roque, Joyce Siefker, and Baron the Policedog full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia DVD/Blu-ray not available • Starz / Anchor Bay color VHS [10/97] out of prodn/used watch official trailer [3/2006 upload; 2:05] online at YouTube • watch full movie [8/2016 upload; 1:37:01] online at YouTube |
No Video/DVD Available?
If you know of a source for video or DVD, or even 16mm,
of these treats, send email to the Proprietor.
{non-availability last checked February 2013}
Patience may be a virtue, but waiting is still a frustrating grind. So far we have outlasted "Gigot", American Film Theater, "Bill and Coo",
and "Journey Through The Past" which are now available on Region 1 DVD {above}. Still a couple more to go though . . .
"If I Had A Million" [Paramount Dec 1932]
 | An unusual 'anthology' film from Paramount, with seven directors; based on the 1931 novel "Windfall" by Robert Hardy Andrews; an episodic delight, finally available on DVD: A dying millionaire gives money away to strangers chosen from the phone book. (Likely inspiration for the tv show 'The Millionaire'.)
Norman Taurog directed the "Prologue" & "Epilogue" segments; James Cruze directed the "Death Cell" segment; H. Bruce Humberstone directed the "The Forger" segment; Ernst Lubitsch directed the "The Clerk" segment; Norman Z. McLeod directed the segments "China Shop" & "Road Hogs"; Stephen Roberts directed the "Violet" & "Grandma" segments; William A. Seiter directed the "Three Marines" segment; starring Richard Bennett; ensemble cast includes Gary Cooper, Frances Dee, W.C. Fields, Roscoe Karns, Charles Laughton, Jack Oakie, George Raft, Gene Raymond, May Robson & Charlie Ruggles
The DVD is offered for sale at Movies Unlimited (6/2009) but darned if I can find a new link at Amazon! Nostalgia Home Video DVD [2/2007] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Whistle Down The Wind" [Rank Orgn. 1961]
 | Hayley Mills (barely 14 at time of filming) and two younger siblings discover a man hiding in the barn and think him to be the returned Jesus Christ. Based on Mary Hayley Bell's 1959 novel; made into a 1998 musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber. A stunning film that received four BAFTA nominations • Directed by Bryan Forbes; also starring Bernard Lee & Alan Bates
not available on Region 1 DVD; b&w VHS out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
Books About Worst Movies
 | "The Official Razzie® Movie Guide: Enjoying The Best of Hollywood's Worst" [2005] by John Wilson (founder of the annual Razzie Awards [est.1981]), Foreword by Rolling Stone Magazine film critic Peter Travers 100 Golden Raspberry Award-winning films are listed alphabetically within each of the sections: All God's Creatures Large and Lame; Can't Stop The Musicals; Disasters - In Every Sense; Doopy Twosomes; Now That's A Dumb Idea!; The Roles That Made Them Shameless; Showbiz Laid Bare; They Came From Planet Razzie; Well, Someone Thought It Was Sexy; When Mad Scientists Go Bad; and The Very Best of The Berry Worst Kindle Edition from Hachette Book Group [2007 edition] for $8.89 Grand Central Publng 8¾x6 pb [2005] out of print/many used |
 | "Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic's Year-Long Quest To Find The Worst Movie Ever Made" [2010] by Michael Adams, Foreword by George A. Romero Kindle Edition from HarperCollins e-books [1/2010] for $8.79 HarperCollins/It Books 8x5¼ pb [1/2010] for $10.07 |
 | "150 Movies You Should (Die Before You) See" [2010] by Steve Miller This shockingly tasteless collection of great awful movies dives into the steaming swamp of such disastrously delicious movies as "Gingerdead Men" 1 & 2, "Creature With The Atom Brain", "Cannibal Holocaust, "Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter", and 145 others Kindle Edition from Adams Media [10/2010] for $8.17 Adams Media 8½x5½ pb [10/2010] for $8.60 |
Books About Best Movies
 | "The 100 Best Films To Rent You've Never Heard Of: Hidden Treasures, Neglected Classics & Hits From By-Gone Eras" [1996] by David N. Meyer St. Martin's Griffin 8¼x5½ pb [12/96] for $11.16 Tandem Library hardcover [7/2003] for $23.90 |
 | "The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made: Fifty Masterpieces From Hollywood That Never Made It To The Big Screen" [1999] by Chris Gore interesting subjects include: Billy Wilder and The Marx Brothers considered teaming up on "A Day At The United Nations"; "The Betty Page Story" {was made in 2005}; "Biker Heaven" a darkly comic sequel to "Easy Rider" [1969]; Alfred Hitchcock's "The Blind Man"; "Destino" the surreal fusion of Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney {was made in 2003}; Greta Garbo's planned return to the screen, "Lover and Friend"; "National Lampoon's Jaws 3, People 0"; "Roger Rabbit Two: The Toon Platoon"; the uncompleted "Something's Gotta Give" [1962] starring Marilyn Monroe; "Starfleet Academy" {consider "Star Trek: The Voyage Begins" [2009} — and dozens of others St. Martin's Griffin 8x5¼ pb [7/99] out of print/used |
 | "Great Movies You've Probably Missed: Videos You've Got To Rent!" [2002] by Ardis Sillick & Michael McCormick Carroll & Graf 8¼x5½ pb [4/2002] for $14.00 |
 | "The 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen" [2003] by Richard Crouse (host of Reel To Real on the Independent Film Channel) E.C.W. Press 8¾x7 pb [9/2003] for $17.23 |
 | "Never Coming To A Theater Near You: A Celebration of A Certain Kind of Movie" [2004] by Kenneth Turan (film critic at the Los Angeles Times since 1991) PublicAffairs bargain-priced 8x5½ pb [11/2005] for $3.34 [sic] PublicAffairs 9¼x6 hardcover [9/2004] for $25.00 |
 | "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Classic Movies" [2006] by Lee Pfeiffer
Alpha Books 9x7¼ pb [11/2006] out of print/used thumbnail critiques of over 350 movies from the Silent Era thru 1969, with indexes, appendices, quotes & other lists; movies covered range across "The Birth of A Nation" [1915], "Intolerance" [1916], "Greed" [1924], "The Maltese Falcon" [1941], "The African Queen" [1951], "The Seven Samurai" [1954], "The 400 Blows" [1959], "The Magnificent Seven" [1960], "2001: A Space Odyssey" [1968], "Easy Rider" [1969], and "The Wild Bunch" [1969] |
 | "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die: 5th Anniversary Edition" [orig 2004, rev 2013] Edited by Stephen Jay Schneider Kindle Edition 5th edition etextbook from Barron's [12/2014] for $23.82 Barron's Educational Series 8¼x6½ hardcover [10/2013] for $25.07 Barron's Educational Series 5th Anniv Edition 8¼x6¾ hardcover [10/2008] out of print/80+ used Cassell Illustrated 8½x6¼ pb [9/2004] out of print/many used |
 | "The Son of The 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen" [2008] by Richard Crouse (host of Reel To Real on the Independent Film Channel) E.C.W. Press 9x6½ pb [9/2008] for $13.46 |
 | "America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide To The Landmark Movies In The National Film Registry" [2009] by Daniel Eagan
Continuum Publng Group 9¾x7 pb [10/2009] for $17.96 Continuum Publng Group 10x7¼ hardcover [9/2009] for $97.06 |
 | "500 Essential Cult Movies: The Ultimate Guide" [2010] by Jennifer Eiss, with J.P. Rutter & Steve White Sterling 8x6 pb [8/2010] for $12.92 |
 | "Movies and The Meaning of Life: The Most Profound Films In Cinematic History" [2011] by Wayne Omura Bauu Institute Press 9¼x6 pb [6/2011] for $18.95 official book page |
 | "100 Cult Films (B.F.I. Screen Guides)" [2011] by Ernest Mathijs & Xavier Mendik British Film Institute 5½x8¼ pb [12/2011] for $17.00 |
 | "Not To Be Missed: Fifty-four Favorites From A Lifetime of Film" [2014] by Kenneth Turan (film critic at the Los Angeles Times since 1991) Kindle Edition from PublicAffairs/Hachette [6/2014] for $11.99 PublicAffairs 8¼x5½ pb [1/2016] for $16.99 PublicAffairs 9½x6¼ hardcover [6/2014] for $15.82 |
 | "Turner Classic Movies Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter" [2016] by Jeremy Arnold, Foreword by Robert Osborne the 52 choices are: "Metropolis" [Germany 1927] by Fritz Lang; "All Quiet On The Western Front" [1930]; "City Lights" [1931] by Charlie Chaplin; "Grand Hotel" [1932]; "King Kong" [1933]; "Duck Soup" [1933] starring The Marx Brothers; "It Happened One Night" [1934] by Frank Capra, starring Clark Gable; "The Thin Man" [1934]; "Bride of Frankenstein" [1935]; "Swing Time" [1936]; "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" [1939]; "Gone With The Wind" [1939] starring Clark Gable; "The Lady Eve" [1941] by Preston Sturges; "Citizen Kane" [1941] by Orson Welles; "Now, Voyager" [1942]; "Casablanca" [1942] directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart; "Double Indemnity" [1944] by Billy Wilder; "Meet Me In St. Louis" [1944] directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Judy Garland; "Leave Her To Heaven" [1945]; "The Best Years of Our Lives" [1946] by William Wyler; "Out of The Past" [1947]; "The Red Shoes" [1948]; "The Bicycle Thief" [Italy 1948]; "The Third Man" [1949] starring Orson Welles; "White Heat" [1949] by Raoul Walsh; "Adam’s Rib" [1949] by George Cukor; "Winchester ’73" [1950]; "Sunset Blvd." [1950] by Billy Wilder; "Gun Crazy" [1950]; "All About Eve" [1950]; "Singin’ In The Rain" [1952]; "Roman Holiday" [1953] by William Wyler; "Seven Samurai" [Japan 1954] by Akira Kurosawa; "On The Waterfront" [1954] directed by Elia Kazan; "Rear Window" [1954] by Alfred Hitchcock; "Invasion of The Body Snatchers" [1956]; "The Searchers" [1956] directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne; "Some Like It Hot" [1959] by Billy Wilder; "North By Northwest" [1959] by Alfred Hitchcock; "Ben-Hur" [1959] by William Wyler; "Breathless" [France 1960] by Jean-Luc Godard; "Lawrence of Arabia" [1962]; "To Kill A Mockingbird" [1962]; "Dr. Strangelove" [1964] by Stanley Kubrick; "Bonnie and Clyde" [1967]; "In The Heat of The Night" [1967]; "The Graduate" [1967]; "Once Upon A Time In The West" [Italy 1968] by Sergio Leone; "Jaws" [1975] by Steven Spielberg; "Rocky" [1976] by Sylvester Stallone; "Annie Hall" [1977] by Woody Allen;and "This Is Spinal Tap" [1984] Kindle Edition from Running Press/Hachette [5/2016]; for $16.99 Running Press 9x7¼ pb [5/2016] for $17.00 |
Compilations on DVD
Page size here got too large, so the Compilations Section was split to Page 2 in Summer 2015.
here on the Great & Unsung Movies Pages at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
top of page • films A to Z • not on video/DVD • books on worst movies • books on best movies • compilations (on Page 2)
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See also Magic Lantern Video & Book Store's
"A Christmas Story" 1983 Movie Page
"A Star Is Born" Movies Page
"The African Queen" 1951 Movie Page
"All The President's Men" 1976 Movie Page
"Apocalypse Now" 1979 Movie Page
"The Birth of A Nation" 1915 Movie Page
"Blade Runner" 1982 Movie Page
"Casablanca" 1942 Movie Page
"Citizen Kane" 1941 Movie Page
"Doctor Who" TV Series Page
"Easy Rider" 1969 Movie Page
"Walt Disney's Fantasia" 1940 & 2000 Movies Page
"Fellini's 8½" 1963 Movie Page
"The General" 1926 Movie Page
"Ghostbusters" Movies & TV Page
'The Godfather Saga' Page
"Gone With The Wind" 1939 Movie Page
"The Grapes of Wrath" 1940 Movie Page
von Stroheim's "Greed" 1924 Movie Page
'Harry Potter' Movies & Books Page
'Lone Wolf & Cub' Samurai Film Series Page
'Lord of The Rings' & 'The Hobbit' Movies Page
"Metropolis" 1927 Movie Page
"Pandora's Box" 1929 Movie Page
'Pirates of The Caribbean' Movie Series Page
Godfrey Reggio's 'Qatsi' Trilogy Page
'Rocky' Movies Page
"Salt of The Earth" 1954 Movie Page
"Seven Samurai" & "Magnificent Seven" Movies Page
"Sunset Blvd." 1950 Movie Page
"Treasure Island" Movies [1912-2010] Page
Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" Movie Page
"The Wizard of Oz" 1939 Movie Page
and also BlackHat Mystery Bookstore's 'The Thin Man' Movies Page
and BlackHat Mystery Bookstore's "The Maltese Falcon" 1941 Movie Page
and Spirit of America Bookstore's "Alice In Wonderland" Books, Stageplays & Movies Page
and Spirit of America Bookstore's "Ben-Hur" Novel & Movies Page
and Spirit of America Bookstore's 'Tarzan' Movies Page
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