Bigger than Life details
| Format: | 12 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | James Mason, Barbara Rush, Walter Matthau |
| Director: | Nicholas Ray |
| Genre: | Drama - General |
| Studio: | BFI VIDEO |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Bigger than Life |
12 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 31 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 30 Jul 2007 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
A Dark Masterpiece.
By PUDDING (22 reviews) from Trefechan, Aberystwyth , 30 Sep 2008[Highly rated reviewer]
Believe it or not, I have yet to see Rebel Without A Cause, but if this film (by the same director; Nicholas Ray) is anything to go by, I'm in for a real treat.
This is a very controlled piece of work, almost every visual detail is meaningful and works to create an over all effect and mood. The script is fantastic, with some really punchy lines, my favourite being; 'God was wrong!'
My first time ever seeing James Mason, a real joy to watch and an infectious accent, a powerful performance here. The other characters feel like bit parts and they act merely as furniture to Mason's increasingly deranged school teacher.
I watched the BFI's version which came with some really interesting extra features, so if you can get a hold of that do, if not, the film alone is a real classic. Highly recommended.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (8) Yes |
- No (0)
All reviews
(7)Bigger Than Life (1956)
By Teebs (160 reviews) from Rochester , 07 Dec 2009THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS Show review anywayHide
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A very disturbing film - the american way of life
By a customer from Thurso , 27 Sep 2009A very disturbing film and well worth a look. The film is produced by James Mason and he plays the main actor superbly. He plays a drug induced physchotic (or is he?) and is a poorly paid school teacher (so much for the American dream !). His plain 'dull' all American family struggle and have to cope with his reliance (and medical costs !) on cortozen tablets which give him delusions on grandeuer (his English accent I think makes him seem even more alloof). Every scene is worthwhile with for example the dark shadow uplighting and always underlying struggle for life (and money and morality). Ed Avery eventually says that 'God is wrong' towards the end of the film - so the film is worthwhile pondering on many different levels.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Bigger Than Life
By a customer from Chichester , 22 Apr 2009As a pharmacist ,this film I see as a credible and authentic statement of a real dillema in new drug development.
The patient with peri-arteritis nodosa will die without the new drug -cortisone..but will go mad if he continues to take it...who does the wife want ?-a dead husband or a mad one...mason is as usual masterly...rush is caught in the horn of the biggest dilemma of anyone's life
As a father,the film presents an impossible impasse of growing up with an ill ,sometimes mad father...the 1950s props emphasise the world of 'explosive drug development' It looks at first sight like a B movie..but it isnt !- Was this review helpful to you?
- (1) Yes |
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dated
By a customer from errol , 29 Oct 2008Ths film, although mostly well acted, seemed dated and melodramatic. The background music was intrusive and sentimental.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (2) Yes |
- No (1)
A Dark Masterpiece.
By PUDDING (22 reviews) from Trefechan, Aberystwyth , 30 Sep 2008[Highly rated reviewer]
Believe it or not, I have yet to see Rebel Without A Cause, but if this film (by the same director; Nicholas Ray) is anything to go by, I'm in for a real treat.
This is a very controlled piece of work, almost every visual detail is meaningful and works to create an over all effect and mood. The script is fantastic, with some really punchy lines, my favourite being; 'God was wrong!'
My first time ever seeing James Mason, a real joy to watch and an infectious accent, a powerful performance here. The other characters feel like bit parts and they act merely as furniture to Mason's increasingly deranged school teacher.
I watched the BFI's version which came with some really interesting extra features, so if you can get a hold of that do, if not, the film alone is a real classic. Highly recommended.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (8) Yes |
- No (0)
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