Search - Marlon Brando 4-Movie Collection (The Ugly American / The Appaloosa / A Countess from Hong Kong / The Night of the Following Day) on DVD

5 STARS FOR BRANDO- BUT I DONT GET THE SELECTIONS

iLLMATiC81 | Brooklyn, NY United States | 03/15/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"FIRST OF ALL:
CDNOW.COM DESCRIBES THIS AS A 3 MOVIE COLLECTION BUT IF YOU ARE TO CLICK ON THE PICTURE AND MAKE IT LARGER AND THE TEXT ON THE BOX CLEARLY STATES: 4 MOVIE COLLECTION

SECOND OF ALL:
IF YOUR A BRANDO FAN LIKE I AM YOU HAVE BEEN EAGERLY AWAITING FILMS OF HIS WHICH FOR SOME REASON OR OTHER HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED ON DVD SUCH AS:
1 "Desiree" (1954)
2 "Viva Zapata! (1952) (Oscar nomination, best actor)
3 "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962)
4 "The Brave" (1997)
5 "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (1956)
6 "The Fugitive Kind" (1960)
7 "Bedtime Story" (1964)
8 "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (1967)
9 "Burn!" (1969)
10 "The Nightcomers" (1971)
11 "The Missouri Breaks" (1976)
12 "Raoni:Fight for the Amazon" (1979) [A rare documentary narrated by Brando]
13 "The Formula" (1980)
14 "A Dry White Season" (1989) (Oscar nomination, best supporting actor)
15 "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery" (1992)
16 "Julius Caesar" (1953) (Oscar nomination, best actor)


INSTEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND DON'T ASK ME WHY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD
Universal Studios Home Video decides to release this collection (for which I will certainly buy although I have 3 of the films since I adore ANYTHING Brando does)

However This set includes three films ALREADY!!!!!!!! available on DVD:
1. The Night of the Following Day
2. The Ugly American
3. A Countess from Hong Kong
ONLY
4. The Appaloosa is the bonus film which will be available on Region 1 DVD for the first time.

Anything Brando does is incredible to me but these films are subpar compared to other releases they should have released such as his performance in Julius Caesar and the AMAZING performance in Viva Zapata.
Of course you can purchase these on Hong Kong DVD issued releases but these are actually just VHS recorded onto DVD but if your like me and unable to wait this is the only way to purchase them since they are out of print on VHS as well.

***ALSO***
Do not confuse this set with another set available --> Brando 3-Pack (On the Waterfront / The Wild One / The Freshman)


How about releasing a Brando DVD collection with some other Brando films which haven't been released such as ANY of the 16 Possiblities above???!!!!!?!!!????

Just Another Frustrated Brando fan tired of Film companies slowly releasing DVD's to create anticipation, desire and demand!"

Appreciate what is here!

Padre Pete | Alexandria, VA | 06/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although I hope the people that are dissapointed with the Brando films being released...I do not think it is fair to blame Universal dvd for releasing what they are ABLE to! This collection is excellently priced and carries with it some very gems, which the average movie viewer may not have seen. This also offers the viewer different looks at the talent of Brando:
The Ugly American (Brando does drama), a look at how other countries view the U.S. - and a story that is interesting to watch through the lens of our current relationship with Iraq.
The Appaloosa - (Brando does western) a western in the "spagetti" genre...good story, and very entertaining.
A countess from Hong Kong...(Brando does comedy)...directed by Charlie Chaplin! Appears to be more of a 40's screwball comedy, it holds up and is funny and entertaining. Chaplin's son, Sydney is hiliarious in one particular bar scene and one can enjoy the cameo of Charlie himself as a ship's steward.
The Night of the Following Day - (Brando does a Hitchcock-like thriller) a taught thriller with a "never looked better than this" Brando involved in a kidnapping plot.
All in all this is a marvelous collection, especially for those who do not have any of these films. One would expect to find any of these titles alone at around $15 each so the price of less than $20 is an added bonus!
Want to see Brando do more than "Stella!" or "I coulda been a contenda..." then this set is for you!"

The Greatest Actor Ever in Four Obscure Films!

- Durrkk | Ohio/PA border USA | 04/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a list of the 4 films featured in this collection:

1.) THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY (1968 -- 93 minutes): This is an ultra-realistic crime drama featuring Brando as one of four professional criminals who kidnap a girl (a young Pamela Franklin) and hold up at a beach house in France. Richard Boone stars as the fiendish member. Jess Hahn plays a likable loser, the brother of the pathetically drug addicted Rita Moreno. Filmed in France. At the time of this picture Brando was 44 years old and NEVER looked better physically -- very trim and blond. Brando didn't start getting fat until the later-70's when he was well into his 50's. In other words, people need to quit envisioning Brando as some fat dude; most of his life he WASN'T. Most men in their 40's would kill to look as good as Brando did at the this age. Personal Rating: 4/5 Stars.

2.) THE UGLY AMERICAN (1963 -- 2 hours): This is another ultra-realistic film, an impressive political drama featuring Brando as a new American diplomat in a Vietnam-like SE Asian nation that is painfully struggling between capitalist & communist factions. Eiji Okada plays the country's revolutionary leader, a previous best-friend of Brando who has become brainwashed by the communists. Shot on location in Thailand. The ending expertly depicts how the average American is unconcerned with the political conflicts of other nations. Personal Rating: 3.5/5 Stars.

3.) A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1967 -- 108 minutes): It's fun to see Brando in an atypical role in this silly slapstick romantic comedy. Sophia Loren stars as a Russian countess who stows away in a rich American's (Brando) stateroom on a cruise liner to escape a life of forced prostitution. Teppi Hedron is also on hand. This was director Charlie Chaplin's last film; he went into a depression after its box-office failure. The problem I have with this flick is that it's completely set-bound on the cruise liner; in fact, practically the entire film takes place in Brando's quarters. Personal Rating: 2.5/5 Stars.

4.) THE APPALOOSA (1966 -- 98 minutes): This is Brando's 'spaghetti western,' released at the height of this sub-genre's popularity. John Saxon stars as the villain who steals Brando's horse after severely beating him up while in a drunken stuper. Ajanette Comer plays the babe. The Southwestern scenery is spectacular! The best way I can describe this film is to imagine one of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns as if it were actually any good in terms of story. Let's face it, although Leone introduced a cool new style to the western genre, his film's STORIES were honestly quite unmemorable. If you disagree, try sitting through "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in one sitting without falling asleep. Or how about the two "Dollars" movies? I've seen them both a couple of times and can't remember anything about their actual storylines. "The Appaloosa" is essentially a revenge tale entailing Brando's trip to Mexico to get his horse back and kill Saxon. I wasn't all that impressed with the story the first time I saw it, especially since I understandably compared it with Brando's western masterpiece "One-Eyed Jacks" (a powerful precursor to the spaghetti western). The story in "The Appaloosa" is rather slow-paced and uneventful, with few action scenes. I saw it again recently and it dawned on me: The director and writer were NOT shooting for a run-of-the-mill western. In the mid-to-late 60's it became fashionable to make films as gritty and ultra-realistic as possible (disregarding Sergio Leone's westerns, which often contained goofy elements). Such was the case with "The Night of the Following Day" listed above (and to a lesser extent "The Ugly American"); this is also the case with "The Appaloosa." What would happen in REAL life if a man went to Mexico in the late 1800's and tried to retrieve his stolen horse? This picture shows exactly what might happen. Consider, for example, the cliched confrontation-in-bar-leads-to-fight scene; we naturally expect it to end in a brawl or shoot-out. It doesn't. In other words, it boldly sneers at western conventions. Or how about the final shoot-out with Saxon? Some have complained that it's uneventful. Yet, isn't that often the way such death-duels end in REAL life? I'll put it this way, don't expect "The Appaloosa" to play like a Hollywood blockbuster or typical spaghetti western with corny one-liners and unrealistic or goofy action scenes. Personal Rating: 3.5/5 Stars.

Despite the fact that none of these films rate 5/5 Stars, I rate the collection itself 5 Stars because it's a fantastic assemblage of fairly obscure Brando works (I never saw ANY of these pictures prior to getting this 4-pack).

Most people rave about Brando's famous films "A Streetcar Named Desire," "The Godfather" and "Last Tango in Paris." Personally, I'm not a fan of any of these overrated pictures, even though I admit "The Godfather" is a good film and can see why some regard it as great. In my view, believe it or not, every film in this 4-pack collection (with the possible exception of "A Countess from Hong Kong") is better than these.

If you want to witness how incredibly charismatic Brando was as an actor, check him out in any on these magnificent pictures: "Apocalypse Now" (the original 1979 version), "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962), "One-Eyed Jacks" (1961) and "The Young Lions" (1958).
"

A spotlight on THE APPALOOSA, only

Staci L. Wilson | USA | 06/12/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Matt Fletcher (Marlon Brando), is a tight-lipped loner who returns from the Civil War to his surrogate family in the border town of Ojo Prieto to settle down. When Matt's prize Appaloosa stallion (played by Cojo Rojo) is stolen by bad banditos and spirited away to Mexico, he goes after them with a vengeance. Somewhat slow, and the title character isn't in the movie all that much. However, since it's the only way to get this movie on DVD, the boxed set is recommended.

Staci Layne Wilson
"