Wen's Style.

Home > Cast a Giant Shadow [VHS]
 
Cast a Giant Shadow [VHS]
see larger picture 		  Staring: Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Senta Berger, Angie Dickinson
Director: Melville Shavelson
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5

List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $14.65

Read more information about Cast a Giant Shadow [VHS] at Amazon.com
Product Details
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302923049
Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 6302923042
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: 1998-09-01
Running Time: 146
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1966-03-30
What similar items do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?
Editorial Review
Amazon.com
Cast a Giant Shadow is based on Ted Berkman's biography of Colonel Mickey Marcus, the American soldier who served as an adviser in the fight to establish the state of Israel in 1948. Marcus (played by Kirk Douglas) must decide whether to settle into peacetime America or follow his more natural, combative instincts abroad--a dilemma symbolized by a love triangle involving wife Angie Dickinson and Senta Berger as a soldier whom he falls for in Palestine. Although lavish and spectacular, especially in the war scenes--filmed in the actual Middle Eastern locations in which they occurred--Cast a Giant Shadow is not entirely authentic. Moreover, in the light of later troubles in the region, not everyone will find heartwarming this depiction of plucky little Israel coping against Arab foes who are barely depicted as human throughout the film. Still, it's an impressive enough relic of epic 1960s cinema, with cameos by Yul Brynner, John Wayne, and Frank Sinatra. --David Stubbs
Customer Reviews

Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5 Great History., 2010-06-26
I found this movie to be a very much accurate history of how Israel became a state amongst all those arabs. Plenty of action and drama of its survival.

Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5 Interesting but flawed, 2010-08-29
Col. Mickey Marcus (Kirk Douglas) had just returned home from WWII when David Ben-Gurion and the fledgling Jewish freedom fighters asked him to come to Palestine to organize their forces into a real army. Although he had a wife (Angie Dickinson) at home, Marcus missed the excitement and agreed to help. As the Palmach, Haganah, and other underground groups join forces to fight the Arabs bent on their destruction, Mickey becomes the first general of the new Israeli army.

This movie has many similarities to 1960's "Exodus," but isn't as successful. Douglas' Colonel Marcus is such a jovial, sarcastic, and über-confident charmer that he just doesn't seem to take the war seriously and makes it look like a walk in the park. Mickey's non-stop wisecracks left me wishing he would cut it out and just talk normally. The requisite battlefield love story with freedom fighter Senta Berger is too predictable and she doesn't have much range as an actress. Casting John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and Yul Brynner doesn't help matters either; they look out of place and distract from the story, although Wayne is likable as an American General who locks horns with Mickey and gradually comes to respect him. Topol plays the only Arab with a speaking part as a bumbling buffoon.

Partially filmed in Israel, the location does help to show the difficulties faced by the army. We see several battles that Mickey actually commanded; there are explosions and a lot of gunfire, but they are sanitized to the point of being virtually bloodless. Col. Marcus was certainly an important and heroic man but this movie doesn't do him justice. 2.5 stars.

Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5 Cast a Giant Shadow, 2010-06-07
No problems. Item arrived in perfect condition as advertised and on time as promised

Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5 Birth of a Nation, Oy Vey!, 2010-02-02
Everyone has made such interesting reviews here, I just wanted to add a few unnoticed items.

1) Kirk Douglas is kick-ass in this film (which unfortunately always has struck me as flat ginger ale--I'd love to see Spielberg remake it).

2) Let's be forgiving of the drudgery and clear lack of budget: consider its release year of 1966. Plus they had to pay John Wayne and Frank Sinatra!

3) Maybe just me, but I was almost offended by the clown who played David Ben Gurion, and the battle scenes were just a little 'California backyard' for my taste. After all, Wayne did well with battle scenes in "The Alamo"--if he did it, why couldn't these guys?

4) This is truly an unavoidable film, because its history and message are vital. I love the way Col. Marcus finally realized HE'S JEWISH!! He fits in somewhere!!

Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5 not family friendly, lingo and sexuality, 2010-02-05
We bought this film, saw a version from library that made us return this before opening it. We returned it, paid the 3 dollar fee for doing so. Bad language and sex outside of marriage throughout. There are better films about the history of Israel to buy, and be inspired by. Cannot recommend this film!