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Take The Money And Run [1968]
 
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Take The Money And Run [1968]
DVD ~ Woody Allen
4.3 out of 5 stars 7 customer reviews (7 customer reviews)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Woody Allen's feature-film debut, Take the Money and Run, a mockumentary that combines sight gags, sketchlike scenes, and stand-up jokes at rat-a-tat speed, looks positively primitive compared to his mature work. Primitive, but awfully funny. Allen plays Virgil Starkwell, a music-loving nebbish who turns to a life of crime at an early age and, undaunted by his utter and complete failure to pull off a single successful robbery, continues his unbroken spree of bungled heists and prison breaks even after he marries and raises a family. Narrator Jackson Beck, whose stentorian voice of authority makes a perfect foil for Starkwell's absurd exploits, lobs one droll quip after another with deadpan seriousness. Though spotty, Allen tosses so many jokes into the mix that it hardly matters and when they hit they are often hilarious: the chain gang posing as cousins to their old-woman hostage ("We're very close", Virgil explains to a dim cop), arguing with a dotty movie director who is supposed to be their cover for a bank robbery, Virgil's escape attempt with a bar of soap. Allen spoofs decades of crime films, everything from I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang to Bonnie and Clyde, but you don't have to know the movies to enjoy this goofy, sometimes clumsy, but quite clever comedy. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com

Video Description
DVD Special Features:

Scene Selection
Production Notes
Slideshow
Woody Allen - Biography, Trade Marks, Trivia, Quotes

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Customer Reviews
7 Reviews
5 star: 57%  (4)
4 star: 28%  (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star: 14%  (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Woody Allen is 'Uncool Hand Virgil', 16 Feb 2001
By A Customer
One of the first "Mockumentaries", Allen's 1969 classic, 'Take the Money and Run' follows the hapless New York criminal and no-hoper, Virgil Starkwell as he, his wife, and his heavily disguised parents discuss his growing notoriety amongst the New York underworld.

The film follows his lives, his loves, his stays in prison, and his poor spelling of the word 'Gun'.

The film has been described as Allen's 'Cool hand Luke' but the Jewish psychotic juxtaposed against Newman's cool White Anglo Saxon provides much of the film's comedy.

One of Allen's great assets was his ability to write classic one liners and this movie does not disappoint. Memorable lines such as, "The prisoners were fed one hot meal per day: a bowl of steam" run throughout the whole film. Another classic moment is when he says of his future wife on first meeting her, "after half an hour, I completely gave up the idea of snatching her purse."

If you want to see one of the wittiest films ever made by one of the wittiest filmmakers of our time, buy this film.

If, for any reason, you can't afford it, write a note to the video store counter staff warning them that you have a 'Gub' and that you aren't afraid to use it!!!

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The one that started it all, 26 Oct 2001
The now legendary auteur Woody Allen made his directorial debut with this terrific comedy.

Woody's early films relied more on slap-stick than subtlety but he proves equally able with both comic forms, confirming him as a true cinematic genius. 'Take the Money and Run' is a vehicle for Allen's considerable talents really, Janet Margolin and the other actors simply provide him with a foundation to work from.

The script is excellent and many scenes remain memorable, (take the one where Woody is playing cello in a marching band and the bank hold-up using an illegible note). The directing is raw and rough but otherwise this is a brilliant work of comic genius.

No Woody Allen fan should be without this.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Allen., 14 Jul 2005
Over the years Woody Allen has gone from strength to strength to weakness to strength again, and back. His repertoire has stretched from the absurdely comedic to the existentially philosophical, and exceeded at both extremes as well as all manner of middle ground. Take The Money and Run is one of his earliest movies, and as such is light on the mind and heavy on the wit. Allen was influenced by the absurd antics of the Marx brothers (of whom Karl was not one) and this film is as explicit evidence of that as you'll see. It follows the life of a discredited youth who turns to crime only to fall in love in the process and undertake all manner of bizarre enterprises. In a way it is the precursor to The Naked Gun series, but accomplishes the same with far more sophistication and charm. There isn't a person I've met to whom I would not recommend this film, although not all may like it. I suspect that those who find comedy such as is found in, say, Catch-22 agreeable, will find this a great addition to their comedic experiences. Others should try it, and see where it takes them.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Mockumentary
"Take the Money and Run" is an absolutely hilarious Woody Allen film, done in a quasi-documentary style, about a career criminal, Virgil Starkwell, who has a very unsuccessful... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jay

4.0 out of 5 stars Classy debut
Woody Allen stars and directs for the first time, and what a success it turns out to be. There are many great sight gags as well as the usual number of quality one-liners. Read more
Published 19 months ago by S J Buck