Rating: 
Summary: All time favorite
Review: I rarely give a 5/5 star rating but this one gets it without a doubt. All characters play great parts. As most movies drag the chain nowadays going for 2-3+ hours, this is one movie I thought could go on for another 1/2-1hour and keep the audience long entertained. Mister Roberts IS an all time classic and great fun for all family to enjoy. I watched it in B&W and even this fmil is expertly reproduced in color it still does not lose its appeak in anyway. This is and will be my all time favorite movie and wish more movies were like this nowadays. No Swearing, No Violence, No War .... not even a bullet is fired. An alround great movie.
Rating:
Summary: A tribute to "The Greatest Generation".
Review: If you enjoy WWII comedy/drama this film is for you
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie, a class act all around
Review: Jack Lemmon, James Cagney, and Peter Fonda are outstanding in this naval caper.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best WWII movies ....
Review: Mister Roberts is one of the best WWII movies for a number of reasons. The acting is absolutely superb with Fonda, Cagney, Lemmon and Powell...and the movie retains some of the feel of the stage production on which it is based. Lemmon won a best-supporting-actor Oscar for his role, but Fonda is my favorite for his role as Mister Roberts. I also liked the movie for the balance it offers. So many war movies portray action, bravery, and conflict. But for many, the war was similar to what the sailors on the Liberty ship Reluctant experience -- thousands of miles from the action, boredom, monotony, yearning for action -- yet still playing a vital role in the overall war effort. In place of action, the movie substitutes comedy, drama, and an overall sadness. The movie is a one-of-a-kind classic and one of the best WWII movies ever made even in this post-Saving-Private-Ryan era.
Rating:
Summary: Superb DVD transfer of a movie that stands the test of time
Review: Mister Roberts on DVD is high quality and worth the price. When I view this movie on Cable TV -- TNT or TMC, it's the old matted version that has poor color and grainy images. The DVD is in it's original theatrical format -- the images are razor sharp, the color is splendid and the sound is crisp and clear. Plenty of special features too!Of Course the story of a "Citizen Soldier" Rear Echelon Naval Officer wanting to get into the action of the great WW-II before it ends is what this DVD is all about. Director John Ford and Mervyn Leroy capture the boredom, tedium, quarrrels, and at the end the tragedy of the heroes who were unseen and unsung during WW-II. A great ensemble cast with many actors from the John Ford Stock Company(Ward Bond, Ken Curtis).
Rating:
Summary: Mundane Tasks Of War
Review: MISTER ROBERTS tells the story of the USS Reluctant and her crew. The ship carries cargo along a forgotten path in the pacific ocean during World War II. Beyond this waterway, the real battles of the war are passing them by. It is the job of Lieutenant Doug Roberts (Henry Fonda) to keep the bleary-eyed crew happy, while doing the mudane tasks of war, and to keep them away from their half-crazed Captin (James Cagney). This real gem directed by John Ford and Merven LeRoy is based on the Tony Award-winning play of the same name. Actor Jack Lemmon (One of my favorite performers of all time) makes quite an impression as a hapless Ensign named Pulver. While William Powell (in his last film) gives a
measured sense of dignity to Doc. MR. ROBERTS has such a stellar cast, after you watch the film, you can't imagine anyone else in those roles. For not having any battle scenes, the film, still manges to be one of the best WWII movies ever made, thanks to a great script and great cast . MR. ROBERTS has humor, drama and an honesty that is quite rare. The film holds up well for being almost 50 years old The DVD has a heartfelt Commentary from Lemmon that I will treasure always. There are 2 video excerpts, one features a tribute to the cast, and the other has Jane Fonda paying tribute to her father (discussing the play and the film). The disc also has 9 vintage theatrical trailers . For me though, hearing the late Jack Lemmon's comments makes the DVD, extra special...Highly Recommended
Rating:
Summary: This movie brought back memories
Review: My father and I shared a passion for classic movies, and though our opinion sometimes differed, we both agreed the Mister Roberts was absolutely excellent. I remember how eager he was to show to me for the first time, and being a Henry Fonda fan myself, I was just as eager to watch it. I now watch this movie with my family, and as I do, I remember the times my father and I watched it together. Every time we did, my mother would always shake her head and say "Not again. How many time are you two going to watch it?" "Endlessly." I would reply just as Jack Lemmon starts roaming the ship covered in soap suds. I pure joy to watch this movie.
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get better than this
Review: No matter how many times I see this movie, I'm laughing myself silly halfway through. As great as the performances by the main characters are, I still think it's the bit parts that make the movie as great as it is. Two scenes in particular (without giving it away) that never fail to make me laugh are the palm tree and the sailor with the pet goat ("What's her _last_ name?"). In particular, Cagney's performance was superb - out of character for him, and extremely convincing. This is one I think is worth adding to your permanent collection.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: One of the all time great movies highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: "How long have you been aboard Pulver?"
Review: One of the few truly perfect movies of all time. Four legendary actors (Fonda, Cagney, Powell, and Lemmon) provide the chemistry in one of the most inspiring and highly regarded films from the WWII era.
Henry Fonda reprises his Broadway role as Lt.jg Doug Roberts, a "college boy" that dropped out of Med School to join the war effort in the Pacific, only to be assigned as a cargo officer far from the perils of action, but daily waging his own personal war with the Captain played by Jimmy Cagney, himself from the school of hard-knocks and invested with a world-class Napoleon complex. Fonda's primary motivation is get transferred off the "bucket" and into the war, while at the same time maintaining the morale and providing a shield for the crew against the irrational tirades of Cagney. The results are Hollywood history, very powerful, moving, touching, and with a good dose of humor.
There's just something about this movie that stays with you, and as Jack Lemmon himself said in the audio commentary when talking about the respect he had for his cast members of the film...with certain actors "...it's not what they're saying, it's what's coming from the inside..." And how.
The tensions of the cold war brewing between Roberts and the Captain are well balanced with plenty of comic relief and wry humor, much of it provided by the extraordinarily cool and laconic William Powell as Doc. John Ford debuted as the director only to leave during production, for causes still debated, to be replaced by the multi-talented Mervyn Leroy. I sometimes wonder if it's not the combined impact of their mutual genius that makes this film so great? Ford's body of work is somewhat one dimensional compared to Leroy's, who after filming went to work on 1956's "Bad Seed," and then found he had a real knack for high comedy with the hysterical 1958 "No Time for Sergeants."
One reviewer complained about the DVD release...he really should dump his Playstation and invest in something with a little more utility. The quality of the transfer is excellent, with very few artifacts, and tones and textures that I promise you have not seen before if you're a fan. The Dolby 5.1 remastering is much more than you would expect from a film of this era, and the extras are worth the price of the disc, particularly the commentary by Lemmon, and the live performance of two scenes on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town. A cornerstone of any great DVD collection. 5 Palms.
|
