Search - Burt Lancaster - The Signature Collection (The Flame and the Arrow / Jim Thorpe All-American / His Majesty O'Keefe / South Sea Woman / Executive Action) on DVD

An OK collection but nothing to get excited over

calvinnme | 08/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The following is a description of the films in this Signature Collection dedicated to the talents of Burt Lancaster:

Flame and the Arrow (1950) - This is an enjoyable swashbuckling type of film set in the 12th century. For some reason, when the local overlord stole Dardo's (Lancaster's) wife he does nothing, but when his son is taken from him he finally decides to take action. This film is important for two reasons - a. because it is fun and full of action b. because it revived Lancaster's career after he had been type-cast for several years as less than bright villains in film noir films. Lancaster purchased and produced this film himself, and as a result of it we got to see him as Elmer Gantry and Sgt. Milton Warden later on.

Jim Thorpe - All American (1951) - This is a very good biopic and the best film in the set, in my opinion. Lancaster plays Thorpe, a Native American athlete who loses his Olympic gold medals when it is learned he played two seasons of minor league baseball prior to competing, thus violating his amateur status. This is a turning point in his life, and his marriage ends and he feels his dream of coaching as a career will never be. The film ends before the truly sad years in Thorpe's life begin, when he is truly broke.

South Sea Woman (1953) - Lancaster plays Marine Sergeant James O'Hearn who is being court martialed during World War II when he arrives in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack and has no excuse for his absence up to that point. He refuses to defend himself. A showgirl takes the stand in his defense and tells the court that O'Hearn is really just standing up for a buddy of his, one who is really guilty of the scandalous behavior.

His Majesty O'Keefe (1954) - Probably the weakest film in the set, but still above average. After a mutiny, ship captain O'Keefe (Lancaster) winds up on the island of Yap. There is a fortune to be made in cocoanut there, and meanwhile the local islanders have made O'Keefe their king based on a local legend and their mistaken belief in who he represents. O'Keefe has two problems - the islanders don't want to work at harvesting the cocoanut and the Germans already "own the rights" to the cocoanut trade there. Nice little action film with a charming performance by Lancaster.

Executive Action (1973) - Made about the time of Watergate as people began to be much less trustful of government, this is one of the first films to address the possibility that what the public was told about the Kennedy assassination might have been less than truthful. Much of what was in the film JFK is presented here, both rightly and wrongly, but the larger more complex conspiracy theory that was floated in JFK is not. That is probably because in 1973 people were just beginning to reevaluate this whole issue. At any rate, it is a very good film and worth revisiting.

I don't have any information on extra features other than that they will be "Oscar-nominated vintage shorts, vintage featurettes and classic cartoons." In other words, I am not expecting biographical material. One real question I have is why is "The Twilight's Last Gleaming" not included? Warner Home Video has the rights to it, and it is better than any picture in this set. Considering Burt Lancaster did his best-known work at other studios, you'd think they would bother to include it in a Signature Collection of the actor's better works. Thus I can only give this collection four stars. In fact, it is probably between 3.5 and 4 stars given the information I have and no knowledge if there will even be any commentary included on the films."

5 Stars / 2 Stars / 0 Star

B. Ying | Shanghai, China | 09/11/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I have collected the Signature Collections for Gary Cooper, Bogie & Bacall, Robert Mitchum and James Stewart.
All of the above are worthwhile efforts for those film icons.
This is a dismal collection for one of my favorite actor.
None of the films are significant from Burt Lancaster's long and illustrious film career. Truly disappointing.
5 stars for Burt, 2 stars for the collection, 0 star for Signature Collection.
"

Burt Lancaster signiture collection

J. L. Scheschy | Reno, NV United States | 11/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Burt Lancaster has to be one of the most underrated actors ever to make movies. This is a good collection. Executive Action (not much Lancaster in the movie) and The Flame and the Arrow are worth the price of the collection. All the movies are excellent picture and sound. A real bargain at the price."

A Good Collection

Dijon | Brooklyn Center, MN USA | 12/02/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I ordered this Burt Lancaster set primarily for Jim Thorpe - All American which I'd seen as a kid and it truly holds up well. Surprisingly, Executive Action turned out to be a fascinating look at the JFK assassination made in the 1970s before Oliver Stone's JFK and I liked it even better than JFK. My third favorite was The Flame and the Arrow, with Burt at his hammiest and athletic best; a very entertaining film. His Majesty O'Keefe and South Sea Woman were lesser films but entertaining none the less. A pretty good bargain I thought."