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The Sound of Music [VHS]

The Sound of Music [VHS]

Rated: G (General Audience)
Staring: Julie Andrews , Christopher Plummer , Richard Haydn , Peggy Wood , Anna Lee
Director: Robert Wise
When Julie Andrews sang "The hills are alive with the sound of music" from an Austrian mountaintop in 1965, the most beloved movie musical was born. To be sure, the adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's Broadway hit has never been as universally acclaimed as, say, Singin' in the Rain. Critics argue that the songs are saccharine (even the songwriters regretted the line "To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray") and that the characters and plot lack the complexity that could make them more interesting. It's not hard to know whom to root for when your choice is between cute kids and Nazis.

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List Price: $24.98 Our Price: $2.89

Star Trek: The Movie Collection (6pc) [VHS]

Star Trek: The Movie Collection (6pc) [VHS]

Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Staring: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan , George Takei
Director: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Nicholas Meyer , Robert Wise
Devoted Star Trek fans will surely cite the "even number" rule in evaluating the Original Crew Movie Collection, but all six of these films qualify as rousing entertainment. Undeniably, the even-numbered films in Paramount's lucrative Trek franchise tended to be the best, as demonstrated by the superiority of The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, and The Undiscovered Country. And yet each film has something to offer die-hard Trekkers, beginning with the epic-scale wonders of the first Motion Picture (presented here as a two-disc special edition). Evolving from Gene Roddenberry's aborted attempt at a second Star Trek TV series, the effects-laden Motion Picture divided fans while proving that Star Trek had a promising big-screen future. Nicholas Meyer's The Wrath of Khan made good on that promise, reviving the Star Trek spirit and proving, in the case of Mr. Spock, that beloved characters "never really die." It's widely regarded as the best of these half-dozen features.

With its deadly Klingon confrontation, the Leonard Nimoy-directed Search for Spock was a thrilling (albeit contrived) excuse...
List Price: $59.70 Our Price: $19.00

Somebody Up There Likes Me [VHS]

Somebody Up There Likes Me [VHS]

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Paul Newman , Pier Angeli , Everett Sloane , Eileen Heckart , Sal Mineo
Director: Robert Wise
Robert Wise, who directed the classic boxing noir The Set-Up in 1948, also made this 1956 biopic about the life of Rocky Graziano, a one-time juvenile delinquent from New York's back streets who became World Middleweight Champion. Paul Newman, though in the thick of his mannered, Method approach to acting in those days, is wonderful as the impoverished young Graziano, who finds success in the ring through a combination of talent, hope, and tenacity. The script by Ernest Lehman is layered with well-meaning social-consciousness and observations about the effects of poverty, but that is less impressive than cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg's outstanding footage of fight scenes. Steve McQueen and Robert Loggia made their screen debuts with this film. --Tom Keogh
List Price: $14.98 Our Price: $20.99
West Side Story [VHS]

West Side Story [VHS]

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Natalie Wood , Richard Beymer , Russ Tamblyn , Rita Moreno , George Chakiris
Director: Jerome Robbins , Robert Wise
This brilliant (The New Republic) film sets the ageless story of Romeo and Juliet against a backdrop of gang warfare in 1950s New York. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and scripted by Ernest Lehman, the film combines Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's unforgettable score ( Maria, America, 'somewhere, 'tonight ) with Robbins own exuberant choreography to achieve an exhilarating work of art (Saturday Review). A love affair is fated for tragedy amidst the vicious rivalry of two street gangsthe Jets and the Sharks. When Jets member Tony (RichardBeymer) falls for Maria (Natalie Wood), the sister of the Sharks leader, it's more than these two warring gangs can handle. And as mounting tensions rise, a battle to the death ensues, and innocent blood is shed in a heartbreaking finale.
List Price: $9.94 Our Price: $2.15
Sound of Music [VHS]

Sound of Music [VHS]

Rated: G (General Audience)
Staring: Julie Andrews , Christopher Plummer , Richard Haydn , Peggy Wood , Anna Lee
Director: Robert Wise
Some people may sneer at this 1965 musical, but the truth is the film has earned its status as a perennially watchable romantic-drama, largely on the strength of a fun story and chemistry between stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Veteran filmmaker Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood Still) mostly stays out of the way of the film's appealing elements, which include a based-on-fact tale of Austria's von Trapp family, who fled their Nazi-occupied country in 1938. Andrews is delightful and even fascinating as Maria, who sheds her tomboyish ways as a novice nun to accept the mantle of adulthood, becoming matron of the motherless von Trapp clan. Plummer is matinee-idol handsome and gives a smart performance to boot, and the cast of young people and kids who make up the singing von Trapp children make a strong impression. Based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical, the score includes such winners as "Maria" and the future John Coltrane hit "My Favorite Things." --Tom Keogh
List Price: $19.98 Our Price: $3.66
Two for the Seesaw [VHS]

Two for the Seesaw [VHS]

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Robert Mitchum , Shirley MacLaine , Edmon Ryan , Elisabeth Fraser , Eddie Firestone
Director: Robert Wise

List Price: $19.98 Our Price: $30.00
Until They Sail [VHS]

Until They Sail [VHS]

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Jean Simmons , Paul Newman , Joan Fontaine , Piper Laurie , Charles Drake
Director: Robert Wise

List Price: $19.98 Our Price: $69.95
Run Silent Run Deep [VHS]

Run Silent Run Deep [VHS]

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Clark Gable , Burt Lancaster , Jack Warden , Brad Dexter , Don Rickles
Director: Robert Wise
A movie's lasting value can often be measured by its influence in the years and decades following its original release, and on that basis Run Silent, Run Deep is certainly a classic of sorts. It remains one of the seminal World War II submarine pictures, and its intelligent script and tautly executed action are clearly echoed in such later submarine dramas as Das Boot and especially Crimson Tide, which borrows liberally from this 1958 film.

In one of his best and final roles (he appeared in only four films after this), Clark Gable plays a submarine captain without a command, having been saddled with a desk job after his previous ship was destroyed due to his overzealous pursuit of the enemy in dangerous Japanese waters. He finally gets another boat--this time with a vigilant first officer (Burt Lancaster), who stands poised to assume command if Gable puts his crew in unnecessary danger. The tension and mutual respect between these two principled men is superbly written and directed (Robert Wise was just two years away from his triumph with West Side Story), and the crucial inclusion of a strong supporting cast (including Jack Warden and...
List Price: $9.94 Our Price: $11.79

The Sand Pebbles [VHS]

The Sand Pebbles [VHS]

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Staring: Steve McQueen , Richard Attenborough , Candice Bergen , Richard Crenna , Emmanuelle Arsan
Director: Robert Wise
"The Sand Pebbles" tells many stories. It's the story of China, a slumbering giant that rouses itself to the cries of it's people - and of the Americans who are caught in its blood awakening. It's the story of Frenchy (Richard Attenborough), a crewman on the U.S.S. San Pablo who kidnaps his Chinese bride from the auction block. It's the story of Shirley (Candice Bergen), a teacher and her first unforgettable taste of love. It's the story of Captain Collins (Richard Crenna), ready to defy anyone for his country's defense. Most of all, it's the story of Jake Holman (Steve McQueen), a sailor who has given up trying to make peace with anything - including himself. McQueen gives what is probably the best performance of his career. It's not surprising that he, Mako and the movie were up for Oscars. Portraying a character with conflicting loyalties to friend and flag, McQueen expertly conveys the confusion that leads into his final line: "What the hell happened?" It's to his credit that we already know.
List Price: $12.98 Our Price: $1.90
The Sound of Music [VHS]

The Sound of Music [VHS]

Rated: G (General Audience)
Staring: Julie Andrews , Christopher Plummer , Richard Haydn , Peggy Wood , Anna Lee
Director: Robert Wise
When Julie Andrews sang "The hills are alive with the sound of music" from an Austrian mountaintop in 1965, the most beloved movie musical was born. To be sure, the adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's Broadway hit has never been as universally acclaimed as, say, Singin' in the Rain. Critics argue that the songs are saccharine (even the songwriters regretted the line "To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray") and that the characters and plot lack the complexity that could make them more interesting. It's not hard to know whom to root for when your choice is between cute kids and Nazis.

...
List Price: $12.98 Our Price: $8.29