Category: Drama - Feature Film-drama - Gift Set - Movie
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DVD Gary Cooper - The Signature Collection (Sergeant York / The Fountainhead / Dallas / Springfield Rifle / The Wreck of the Mary Deare)
Springfield Rifle, one of five films included in this set, may miss the bullseye as a true Gary Cooper classic, but there's a line that speaks to his enduring status as a screen icon and "American Legend." In this 1952 Western, his follow-up film to High Noon, Cooper's character has been drummed out of the army and branded a coward. Suffice to say that all is not what it seems, and an observer is asked how Coop will handle the pressure. The response: "He'll stand up." That is quintessential Cooper. He's a stand-up guy, and the "dang swangest hero," as he is hailed in Sergeant York, this collection's calling card. Directed by Howard Hawks and co-written by John Huston, Sergeant York earned Cooper an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Alvin York, a Tennessee mountain hellraiser who finds religion after surviving a lightning strike. His newfound pacifist beliefs are put to the supreme test when he is forced to enlist in WWI. Cooper also displays the (Frank Lloyd) Wright stuff as architect Harold Roark in The Fountainhead (1949), adapted for the screen by Ayn Rand from her towering and controversial bestselling novel about a "fool visionary" who refuses to compromise his principles or conform his work to popular taste. The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959), his penultimate film, finds Cooper desperately trying to clear his name before an inquiry determines what really happened aboard the mysteriously abandoned eponymous ship. Costar Charlton Heston gives him a run for Most Piercing Blue Eyes honors. Last, and least, but still entertaining, is Dallas (1950), in which Cooper stars as a Confederate outlaw who impersonates a sheriff to settle an old score. Cooper is not the most chameleon-esque of actors, but in these representative films, he displays intriguing shadings to his heroic persona. Roark in The Fountainhead has a definite dark side, while his "Reb" Hollister in Dallas is something of a rascal.
Of the DVD presentations, Sergeant York gets the two-disc "Special Edition" treatment, with dry, but informative commentary by film historian Jeanne Basinger, a made-for-cable TV special about Cooper hosted by Clint Eastwood, and a welcome Warner Bros. cartoon, Tex Avery's "Porky's Preview" and short subject, "Lions for Sale," that replicate an old fashioned night out at the movies. The Fountainhead DVD includes a featurette about the making of the film. Cooper stands alone among Hollywood's leading men, but beyond his formidable presence, classic film buffs will bask in the nostalgic pleasures of Max Steiner's music in four of the five films, and appearances by great character actors (Walter Brennan and George Tobias in Sergeant York, a young Richard Harris in Mary Deare). --Donald Liebenson
Review(s): DVD Gary Cooper - The Signature Collection (Sergeant York / The Fountainhead / Dallas / Springfield Rifle / The Wreck of the Mary Deare)
ANOTHER GREAT DEAL!!!!
First of all, I am a big Gary Cooper fan, I already own an earlier 5-DVD set of Coop's movies (including Beau Geste and Lives of a Bengal Lancer) as well a lot of his other movies - I specially like his early work when he almost always was cast with Walter Brennan. "Sergeant York" is one of my most favorite, and I have just been biding my time, waiting for it's release on Nov. 7th - now that it's less than a week away, I went to place my order, and what do I discover? For just an additional 15-16 dollars I can get this set which has "Sgt. York" PLUS another FOUR of his movies. I don't care how you do the math - if you were like me, and getting ready to pay close to 20 dollars just for "York", you are getting the extra movies at 4 dollars a pop. But forgetting about the dollars and cents - Gary Cooper is one of our country's best actors, he had a long career that stretched from the silent era on up, and he left us with an impressive body of work. I'll spare you the play-by-play descriptions of the 5 movies in this set - I'm sure there are others who will do that for you. For all the Gary Cooper fans - I know I don't have to explain to you why this set is such a great purchase, for you folks who might not be as familiar with Gary Cooper's career and movies, but who are in the process of putting together a DVD library - this is a great buy, not just from a financial viewpoint, but it also is a good representation of the movies he left us - from the earlier "Sergeant York" (biography of Alvin York - a WWI hero with a fantastic, but true story) to the later - "The Fountainhead" (drama of an architect with unshakable ideals). This set will make a nice addition to anybody's collection.
A GREAT ACTOR in FIVE great performances... and THE FOUNTAINHEAD!!!
So you get five film starring this LEGENDARY ACTOR who never gave a anything but great performances... Even in so-so films, Gary Cooper would shine all over with hos leading style... his easy command of the screen... his magnetic persona... his sincere smile and on-screen will that would drive you love him in any character he portrayed.
In THE FOUNTAINHEAD (my favorite here), Gary gives one of his best performances as Howard Roark, an architect (inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, no less!) who was in a constant battle against mediocre styles. Someone trully creative and visionary who would not compromise. "I don't build in order to have clients. I have clients in order to build!"
But another thing about this film is the eye-popping sets and designs.
INCREDIBLE... I still love that building all made of glass!!!!
In SERGEANT YORK, Gary portrays a pacifist (who is enlisted during WWI) who will discover the true meaning of fighting... and what being a Hero is all about. JOHN HUSTON was one of the screenwriters of this GREAT 1941 film who, I'm sure, did back then much more than just entertain. In fact, this is one of the best Hollywood war films during the 40's...
And, of course, with HOWARD HAWKS, you can never go wrong.
THE WRECK OF THE MARY DEARE is a big CinemaScope film where special effects trully shine. Again, here Gary cooper gives a superlative performance.
SPRINGFIELD RIFLE is a smaller Western by ANDRE DE TOTH with another great performance. Here, Cooper joins (undercover) a group of criminals in order to solve a mystery of stolen guns. This is an above average B-movie with a good script.
DALLAS is a post-Civil War drama of a man returning home to seek revenge. Another B-film with a great performance.
This box is worth buying because of two reasons:
You get five films (three are trully great, two are trully good) for easily the price of just two or three...
...then, why not get them all?
Details on Box set
Sergeant York Two-Disc Special Edition (1941)
DVD Special Features:
Disc 1:-
Commentary by Jeannine Basinger
Classic cartoon Porky's Preview
Vintage short Lions for Sale
Cooper Trailer Gallery
Languages: English & French
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish (feature film only)
Disc 2:-
Two insightful documentaries:
New making-of featurette Sergeant York: Of God and Country
Vintage biographical profile Gary Cooper: American Life, American Legend
The Fountainhead (1949)
DVD Special Features:
New featurette The Making of The Fountainhead
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish (feature film only)
Springfield Rifle (1952)
DVD Special Features:
Languages: English & French
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish (feature film only)
The Wreck of Mary Deare (1959)
DVD Special Features:
Languages: English & French
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish (feature film only)
Dallas (1950)
DVD Special Features:
Languages: English & French
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish (feature film only)
Related DVD's Gary Cooper - The Signature Collection (Sergeant York / The Fountainhead / Dallas / Springfield Rifle / The Wreck of the Mary Deare)
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