greystudies Reviews

Saru no gundan (1974– )

Wonderful Planet of the Apes Knock-Off

[10/10 · 30 December 2014]

Amazingly this Japanese series has yet to be released to the US in any home video format (except for its heavily butchered US version Time of the Apes, which was released on VHS in 1988). It's a wonderfully complex series which depicts the apes in a technologically advanced society as in Pierre Boulle's original Planet of the Apes novel, one year before the animated aeries Return to the Planet of the Apes did. I have the full TV series on DVD from Japan. Unfortunately the DVD box set doesn't contain any subtitles, but I'm able to follow along thanks to an episode guide I found online. So many subplots are eliminated from the justifiably berated Time of the Apes that most people are unaware of how good the series really is. Planet of the Apes (1974), Saru no Gundan/Army of the Apes (1974-1975), and Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975) are such different TV watching experiences that I find them all equally good. I hope one day it can be released in its entirety in the US.

Oliver Twist (I) (1922)

the best ever adaptation

[10/10 · 28 November 2012]

Actually, the "best" version is a matter of opinion, whether you prefer the 1922 Frank Lloyd version, the 1948 David Lean version, the 1968 Carol Reed musical version, or the 2005 Roman Polanski version. But there is little doubt that the 1922 version is the "best" in terms of being the most faithful to Dickens' original novel, virtually every major character and subplot is included with little in the way of changes, quite a feat for a 74-minute movie. I rank it alongside of the 1951 version of Scrooge with Alistair Sims and the 1948 version of Great Expectations as one of the finest adaptations of Dickens on screen.

Les Misérables (1972– )

The definitive version of the later parts of the novel

[10/10 · 15 March 2006]

A must for any Les Miserables fans, the adaptation spends its time primarily on the later sections, beginning with Marius at his grandfather's house. It is thereafter extraordinarily faithful to the third, fourth, and fifth parts. (The scenes concerning the Bishop, Fantine, and the child Cosette are dealt with briefly in a flashback sequence.) It is the only version I've seen yet which contains Marius' cousin Theodule as well as the scene in which Gavroche meets the two little boys on the street. As stated above, a must for any Les Miserables fan. It's just too bad it's no longer available on video, even in France. I have a version which lacks subtitles, but it's so obviously faithful to the book that any fan doesn't need them.

Playboy Video Playmate Calendar 1988 (1988 Video)

best of the playboy videos

[10/10 · 9 June 2002]

I have never been particularly into graphic depictions of violence or sex (such as pornos). I believe generally that subtlety is best. However I still remember in high school coming across this version of the Playboy video calenders. To this date, I still believe this to be one the most erotic videos I've ever come across. The scenes of nudity actually manage to be romantic and artistic, rather than just simply graphic. I wish this were still available on video, or better still DVD. I find it ironic that Blockbuster, the leading hypocrite of video retailers, should shun so abhorrently this type of video while selling almost any Eros or Zalman King video, seeing as they are simply trash without any redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Les misérables (2000– )

The Best English-language version

[16 May 2001]

I am American, so unfortunately have only seen the 3 hour English-language version. I am an avid fan of Victor Hugo, who I consider the greatest literary master of all time, and am particularly fond of "Les Miserables", a novel which literally changed my life. I hate the American versions of this story, which completely bastardize this great story, so imagine my delight at finally at long last seeing a version that actually retains the true spirit of the original. John Malcovitch is a wonderful Javert, although I also think Anthony Perkins did a fine job in the 1978 version. The entire cast, though, was uniformly superb, especially Charlotte Gainsburg as the pathetic Fantine, Virginie Ledoyen as both Cosette and narrator, and of course Gerard Depardieu was just perfect as Valjean. It was also a pleasant change to hear mostly French rather than British accents, giving the whole film an authenticity other English-language versions don't have. Please tell me that the complete 6-hour French-language version will be available on DVD soon. This is definately the version I recommend Americans to see.

Les Misérables (1935)

What would Hugo say?

[16 May 2001]

As a complete Victor Hugo fan in general, and "Les Miserables" in particular, let me speak about this so-called 'classic version'. First of all let me say that I am not French, and so am not speaking from a French perspective. If a British or American classic had received the treatment which this version had, the critics would have most certainly lambasted it. Why are the critics falling all over themselves in praise for a version which retains neither the spirit nor even the plot of the original? Nothing bad happens to Fantine other than getting fired from the factory, the Revolutionaries become a student's society for law reform, Eponine, a pathetic waif in the novel, becomes a respectable young woman who serves as Marius' secretary, Gavroche, the novel's most original and interesting character, is completely eliminated, etc, etc. This version is only, repeat ONLY, for those who have either not read the novel or have no respect for the novel.