or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime free trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn more
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Marathon Man [1976] [DVD]
 
See larger image
 

Marathon Man [1976] [DVD]

Dustin Hoffman , Laurence Olivier , John Schlesinger    Suitable for 18 years and over   DVD
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
Price: £3.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.
Want guaranteed delivery by Monday, February 13? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
Shop on Amazon.co.uk, Pay with Your Local Currency
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More.
Learn about LOVEFiLM
Amazon.co.uk’s choice for film and TV series rental has over 70,000 titles, including thousands to watch online - search LOVEFiLM for titles. Enjoy a 30-day free trial and a £15 Amazon.co.uk gift certificate. Learn more at LOVEFiLM.com

Frequently Bought Together

Marathon Man [1976] [DVD] + The Boys from Brazil [DVD] + Deliverance 35th Anniversary Remastered Deluxe Edition [DVD] [1972]
Price For All Three: £10.67

Show availability and delivery details

Buy the selected items together

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product details

  • Actors: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller
  • Directors: John Schlesinger
  • Writers: William Goldman
  • Producers: George Justin, Robert Evans, Sidney Beckerman
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English, Czech, German
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 18
  • Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 4 Mar 2002
  • Run Time: 125 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005UO5W
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,407 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy) directed this gripping, entertaining 1977 thriller that centres on graduate student Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, Tootsie). Hoffman plays a sullen and cowardly loner haunted by the suicide of his father, a suspected communist. He is drawn into a murky web of international intrigue when his brother, CIA agent Doc Levy, played by Roy Scheider (Jaws, The French Connection), is murdered by a former Nazi (Laurence Olivier) who has come to the United States to reclaim a valuable stash of diamonds. Babe (Hoffman) must confront his fears of the past as he runs for his life and tries to avenge his brother's death at the same time. Featuring a classic torture sequence and a terrific cast that includes William Devane and Marthe Keller, Marathon Man written by William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men) stands as a great entertainment and as one of the seminal films of the 1970s. --Robert Lane

Special Features

English
Region 2


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The terror among us!, 4 Mar 2004
By 
This review is from: Marathon Man [1976] [DVD] (DVD)
What an incredible film!

This starts off as a slow simple everyday scene in New York which after a chain of events builds into a plot involving ex-Nazi war criminals, diamond-smuggling, anti-Semitic feeling, and a fast-paced chase leading to its inevitable bloody climax!

The gripping storyline had me hooked from the outset.
Ex-Nazi Szell, played by Olivier, has come out of hiding in Brazil to retrieve his diamonds. Hoffman's brother, played by Roy Scheider (fresh from "Jaws" fame), works for the Secret Service tracking Szell who is believed to have stolen the diamonds. After a double-cross which he witnesses (don't want to give too much away here!) Hoffman's life is in danger and he desperately tries to avoid Szell and his henchmen's clutches...

The entire cast are on top form.
Dustin Hoffman plays a convincing student and went for days without sleep to prepare himself for certain scenes like the dental torture scene (hence the immortal line from Olivier "why don't you try acting, dear?" when Hoffman asked him for advice).
And although Olivier was battling with gout and cancer during the entire shoot, he comes up with one of the performances of his career, horribly convincing as the sadistic Nazi Szell.
Marthe Keller, the Swiss model whose film debut was in Marathon Man, also impressed, especially as she spoke virtually no English as filming began!

The pace of the film also puts you on the edge of your seat (you're never sure who to trust), and although things start off calmly, it builds and builds into a brutal film, with a handful of shockingly violent and unexpected scenes. The most famous dental torture scene has been described in detail, which really is squirm-inducing, certainly one of the most terrifying scenes in cinema history. It's more the allusion to violence rather than seeing everything in graphic detail that makes it so effective. You may not want to go to the dentist ever again...

Schlesinger plays out the scenes of Olivier's Szell at large on the New York City streets wonderfully well (the Big Apple never looked so threatening!), the bustle of the city almost concealing the horror of a war criminal at large.
This is still valid today, what with the constant fear of terrorists living in our midst.

The DVD transfer has only improved the film - colour, sound and picture quality are fantastic and have been digitally restored. Equally impressive are the special features on this DVD edition, with excellent commentary and an interesting documentary ""Going The Distance: Remembering Marathon Man" with interviews from most of the cast & crew (Marthe Keller looks even more attractive over 25 years later!)

To sum up this has to rank as one of the best, most powerful, dark and disturbing thrillers I've ever seen. Although it does look a little dated now, this DVD should definitely have a place in your collection. Highly recommended.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping, marathon tale, 15 Nov 2011
By 
RR Waller "ISeneca" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Marathon Man [1976] [DVD] (DVD)
SAFE READING - NO SPOILERS

This is an excellent film which begins in a tranquil and unthreatening university library as the apparently naive, youthful, unsophisticated and enthusiastic Hoffman (a role he has played well since the graduate) is distracted by and attracted to a fellow student, played by Marthe Keller. From there, the plot thickens quickly into the secret service, ex-Nazi war criminals, diamond-smuggling, anti-Semitic feeling ... I am not giving any more away!

The stellar cast all play their various parts to perfection and "their various parts" involve a great many surprising characters. At times, it is difficult to know who to trust as Schlesinger, a master of the camera and cinematography twists the tale in this beautifully filmed thriller and, although there is some strong violence, much of it is impled rather than depicted, making it even more threatening. Laurence Olivier, who was unwell during the shoot, plays Szell to perfection - evil, brutal, amoral, vicious and devious. Hoffman's character responds throughout the film to severe and very surprising changes in his life ... Why waste time reading a review when you could be watching the film instead?

Recommended - just buy it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars This version has a few scenes cut., 9 Jan 2011
By 
H. Michael Wieben (Portugal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Marathon Man [1976] [DVD] (DVD)
The film is essentially excellent as the other reviews have indicated. It loses a star because of cuts which were unnecessary and can add confusion. One particular cut is when "Babe" is on the run, he stops in a pharmacy to get oil of clove to ease the pain from his dental torture. Later, he is shown with a bottle of oil of clove which he uses then smashes...where did he get it? In the cut scene. On the other hand, the extras make up for this quibble.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
 Go to Amazon.com to see all 85 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars 
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject






i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges