Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Alfred Hitchcock's final film Family Plot is understated comic fun that mixes suspense with deft humour, thanks to a solid cast. The plot centres on the kidnapping of an heir and a diamond theft by a pair of bad guys led by Karen Black and William Devane. The cops seem befuddled, but that doesn't stop a questionable psychic (Barbara Harris) and her not overly bright boyfriend (Bruce Dern, in a rare good-guy role) from picking up the trail and actually solving the crime. Did she do it with actual psychic powers? That's part of the fun of Harris's enjoyably ditsy performance. --Marshall Fine
Special Features
English
Region 2
Region 2
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is not a film I had heard much about, it not being one of the 'classic' Hitchcock movies. It is, in fact, the last movie made by Hitchcock and because of this, benefits from several decades of knowledge and experience. The plot, which is intricate to say the least, revolves around two sets of characters whose lives are inextricably intwined, although they don't realise it until near the end.
The film is cleverly structured and beautifully acted by all the main characters. The direction is of course wonderful, with the aerial graveyard scene getting my vote as the best scene of the movie.
The DVD comes with the original trailers for the film and an interesting documentary which, unlike some of the so called documentaries in these films, actually tells you something you might like to know, rather than just playing back parts of the film you have just watched!
Excellent!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
An excellent movie with all the brilliance of Hitchcock, despite his failing health at the time. The only thing I would say is its a pity he didn't hire better known actors, according to the documentry on the disc he wanted Al Pachino, but didn't want to pay his fee. That said the acting's fine and its still a great movie.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
"Isn't it touching that a perfect murder has kept our friendship alive for all these years?"
7 Sep 2010
Format:DVD
Frenzy is largely considered to be the last "great" Hitchcock film (no doubt helped by the fact that the three that preceded it were largely dull affairs) and as such his final directorial effort Family Plot seems to get forgotten.
And whilst it is by no means a classic it is a relatively high note on which the great director could end his career. Although it is ostensibly a thriller, it more akin to a screwball comedy which has great fun in playing it's audience right from the start. Particularly funny is the big car chase along some cliffs where the road is jam-packed with traffic only to become completely empty as soon as the chase stops.
There are also some great performances; Barbara Harris is fun as Blanche Tyler, William Devane has a perverse charm in his role as Arthur Adamson and Bruce Dern supplies some very funny scenes too.
There is perhaps some truth to the arguement that "bigger" names might have made more of the film (Jack Nicholson was one such name that Hitchcock deemed "too expensive") but for me a raft of "big name" actors would have perhaps spoiled the light-heartedness of the movie and if anything lets Hitch have one last wink at his audience (much like Barbara Harris gives us at the end of the movie) and reinforce the fact that for the most part in his career, Hitch was the true star of his movies.
And whilst it is by no means a classic it is a relatively high note on which the great director could end his career. Although it is ostensibly a thriller, it more akin to a screwball comedy which has great fun in playing it's audience right from the start. Particularly funny is the big car chase along some cliffs where the road is jam-packed with traffic only to become completely empty as soon as the chase stops.
There are also some great performances; Barbara Harris is fun as Blanche Tyler, William Devane has a perverse charm in his role as Arthur Adamson and Bruce Dern supplies some very funny scenes too.
There is perhaps some truth to the arguement that "bigger" names might have made more of the film (Jack Nicholson was one such name that Hitchcock deemed "too expensive") but for me a raft of "big name" actors would have perhaps spoiled the light-heartedness of the movie and if anything lets Hitch have one last wink at his audience (much like Barbara Harris gives us at the end of the movie) and reinforce the fact that for the most part in his career, Hitch was the true star of his movies.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Okay film
It took about an hour for me to get into this film. Good sound and picture on the DVD. Interesting plot, lagged a bit for me a few places. Good acting.
Published 19 days ago by Ms. Nicola J. Booth
lighthearted and good
Hitchcock's last movie is good without being anything special. What saves the movie is of course the excellent cast led by the brilliant Bruce Dern. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Colonel Decker
Alfrd Hitchcock-Family Plot
A quick service and happy with the product except I didn"t like the wafer thin D.V.D case that It came in.
Published 14 months ago by K.D.
An under-rated Hitchcock
Okay, its not Vertigo. But Family Plot is still an enjoyable comdey-thriller with some imaginative scenes and plenty of funny moments, including good performances from Barbara... Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2009 by The Big Pink One
Keep a close eye on that graveyard plot
This nice psychic thriller must have been done by a complete pervert, and everyone knows of course Alfred Hitchcock was THE perfect pervert. Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2009 by Jacques COULARDEAU
Real enjoyment!
Having seen many of Hitchcock's films, it has to be said that this is one of his more entertaining releases. Read more
Published on 16 May 2008 by Douglas Cook
A decent Hitchcock
The last ever Hitchcock film is a good movie, but lacks the cutting edge that his best movies always have. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2007 by S J Buck
Neither fish nor fowl...
Sorry to have to put a fly in the ointment and buck the trend of positive reviews of "Family Plot", but I didn't think that this film ,Hitchcock's last, ever rose above the... Read more
Published on 25 April 2006 by L. Davidson
Hitchcock's final film
The last film ever done by the genious of directing.
The film is all about a con man and a fony psychic who have to track done this heir's nephew, the results are... Read more
The film is all about a con man and a fony psychic who have to track done this heir's nephew, the results are... Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2003 by "pwoods49"
Sadly the last Hitchcock made!
This was the last full film Hitchcock made untill he decided to stop making films. This particular story has a cab driver and a physic looking for a lost heir, who turns up to a... Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2000
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
