Annie / Oliver! Deluxe Double Pack [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Aileen Quinn, Mark Lester, Albert Finney, Oliver Reed, Carol Burnett, Ropm Moody, John Huston, Carol Reed: Film & TV

Amazon.co.uk Review

Though it's not in the same league as the classic screen musicals, Annie's heartwarming rags-to-riches storyline, social comment (shallow as it may be) and catchy songs make for an entertaining and unpretentious 90 minutes' viewing. Aileen Quinn is the irrepressible titular orphan, by no means as irritating as she looks in the cover picture; Albert Finney is Oliver Warbucks, the tyrannical tycoon (with a hidden heart of gold, of course) who adopts her for a week in the interests of good PR. The real show-stopper, though, is Carol Burnett as the gin-soaked harpy Miss Hannigan, ruling with an iron fist over an orphanage full of unruly girls, flirting with every man in sight and eventually scheming with her unscrupulous brother (Tim Curry) to kidnap Annie and reap a fat Warbucks reward cheque. While the songs--including "Tomorrow", "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" and "It's a Hard Knock Life"--are excellent, the kids' voices are shrill and the production pretty low-rent: Annie is very obviously a stage show brought to screen on a low budget. But while it lacks the polish that make the Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe musicals so special, it's funny and sweet and has a rough charm all its own.

On the DVD: The film is presented in widescreen, preserving its original 2.35:1 aspect, and is enhanced for 16:9 widescreen TVs; the soundtrack is Dolby surround, though as noted above the music score is relatively rough and ready so top-notch sound isn't actually as important as it would be in other musicals. The extras are pretty disappointing--an uninspired interactive menu features only the obligatory multi-language subtitles, (very) short biographies of the key cast members, a few publicity cards and posters, the theatrical trailer and--most interestingly--an isolated musical score. No commentary from director John Huston, no documentaries, nothing about the 1930s cartoon strip that was, apparently, one of the most popular of its day. There's actually more information in the accompanying booklet than there is on the disc. --Rikki Price

DVD Description

Annie
Annie is the story of a plucky, red-haired girl who dreams of life outside her dreary orphanage. One day, Annie (Aileen Quinn) is chosen to stay for one week with the famous billionaire "Daddy" Warbucks (Albert Finney). One week turns into many and the only person standing in the way of Annie's fun is Miss Hannigan, the gin-soaked ruler of the orphanage (played to hilarious perfection by Carol Burnett). Will Miss Hannigan's zany attempts to kidnap the irrepressible Annie succeed? Enjoy all the unforgettable songs, including "It's A Hard Knock Life" and "Tomorrow."

Special Features:

Sing-along with Annie
Act-along with Annie
"My Hollywood Adventure with Aileen Quinn" featurette
"The Hard-Knock Life" PLAY! Music video
Set Top Game--The Age of Annie

Offers Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Portugese, Swedish and Turkish subtitles.

Oliver!
Experience the high-spirited adventures of Oliver Twist in this Oscar-winning musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale! Young Oliver (Mark Lester) is an orphan who escapes the cheerless life of the workhouse and takes to the streets of 19th Century London. He's immediately taken in by aband of street urchins, headed by the lovable villain, Fagin (Ron Moody), his fiendish henchman, Bill Sikes (Oliver Reed), and his loyal apprentice, The Artful Dodger (Jack Wild). Through his education in the fine points of pick-pocketing, Oliver makes away with an unexpected treasure... a home and a family of his own. Set to a heartfelt score that includes such favorites as "Consider Yourself," "Where Is Love?" and "As Long As He Needs Me," Oliver! leads us on a journey in search of love, belonging and honuor among thieves. Winner of six Academy Awards (1968), including Best Picture and Best Score, Oliver! will steal your heart.

Special Features:

Sing-alongs
Dance-alongs
Interactive quizzes
"Meeting Oliver!" and "Meeting Fagin!" featurettes
Interactive map of London
Charles Dickens timeline

Offers Italian language dubbing and subtitles.

See all Reviews

Customer Reviews

2 star

4.4 out of 5 stars

Write a customer review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

Ok, so it's not set at Christmas, but we can overlook that! 11 Nov 2005

By Charlotte Belle

Format:DVD

With songs such as Hard Knock Life, You're Never Fully Dressed (without a smile) and Let's Go to the Movies, 'Annie' is sure to put a smile on your face. The story is well known... little orphan Annie is living in a 1920's orphanage in New York, run by the drunken tyrant Miss Hannigan. Local millionaire Oliver Warbucks invites an orphan to stay at his mansion for a week as a humanitarian gesture (in other words to get good publicity) and yes, our friend Annie is the lucky thing that stays there and proceeds to win his heart. However Annie's heart lies with finding her real parents, which prompts Miss Hannigan and her brother Rooster into forming a dastardly plan which is set to tear Annie and Daddy Warbucks apart...

This is an uplifting and heart-warming film which should delight children and adults alike. A worthy addition to any DVD collection, should this kind of film be your cup of tea.

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

My Childhood 6 Sep 2002

By A Customer

Format:VHS Tape

Annie was a film that I had enjoyed right throughout my young years, to the extent that I had worn out three VHS tapes of the show. I love this film to to this day and always felt it emanated a feeling of warmth and security into a childs heart, with the unknowing contrast of a child who is comfortable in a well off society to that of the lives of little Annie, Molly and Duffy. This production allowed me as a child to see the poorer side of life, not in a frightened manner but one which could be filled with ones own happiness.

A truly delightful film for all to watch, it touched my heart then and continues to. The songs are great too, my favorite being Maybe, the thoughts of an orphans dream of meeting her parents. I love it!!!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

My favourite film, great for budding actors/actresses ! 20 Mar 2000

This has been my most favourite film ever since I first watched it at the age of about four. It's great for children and adults and I can guarantee you will soon be humming along to the tunes! Most suited to children from the ages of 4-10. Don't delay buy this video today!