Product Description

Legendary filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille earned a place in cinematic history when he helped create Hollywood’s first feature-length film, an event that established Hollywood as the motion picture capital of the world. A master of spectacular epics, his films garnered unparalled acclaim for their scope and grandeur. Now, for the first time ever, five of his most popular films are available in one premium DVD collection. Experience the breathtaking dangers and delights of ancient Rome in The Sign of the Cross; trek through a perilous jungle with Four Frightened People; thrill to the passion, suspense and intrigue of Cleopatra; journey back in time with the glorious story of The Crusades; and see how the West was really won in the explosive Union Pacific. With a glamorous roster of screen legends, including Claudette Colbert, Charles Laughton, Barbara Stanwyck, Anthony Quinn and many more, this 5-disc collection is a phenomenal reminder of the innovator who made moviemaking what it is today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17288 in DVD
• Brand: Universal
• Released on: 2006-05-23
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 5
• Dimensions: .90 pounds
• Running time: 571 minutes

Amazon.com
One of Hollywood's greatest showmen gets a worthy showcase in The Cecil B. De Mille Collection, consisting of five of the legendary producer-director's most characteristic films. As noted by David Thomson in his influential book A Biographical Dictionary of Film, "De Mille's movies are barnstormers, rooted in Victorian theatre, shamelessly stereotyped and sentimental, but eagerly courting 20th-century permissiveness, if only solemnly to condemn it." That's an apt description of the films included in this nicely packaged box set, which offers no extras beyond the films themselves. Thomson is equally accurate in calling De Mille's films "simple, raw, pious, and jingoistic," but as these five well-preserved films make abundantly clear, De Mille was always a consummate entertainer. One of Hollywood's foremost pioneers, De Mille cut an iconic figure, single-handedly defining the archetypal image of the dictatorial director, complete with boots, jodhpurs and an ever-present riding crop to enforce his domineering authority. After failed attempts to work independently and, later, for MGM, De Mille found a permanent home at Paramount in 1932, and it's there that he made these five films (now owned by Universal as part of their pre-1948 Paramount library), which represent the glorious clash of Christian virtues, epic-scale production values, lurid sexuality, and self-important grandiosity that make De Mille's films so curiously (and in many cases hypocritically) enthralling.

The Sign of the Cross (1932) is quintessential De Mille, now famous for its pre-Code (i.e. pre-censorship) scene of peep-show nudity as Claudette Colbert (playing Poppaea, wife of Charles Laughton's Roman emperor Nero) takes a tantalizing bath in goat's milk, daring DVD viewers to freeze-frame "the naughty bits" while Roman prefect Marcus (Frederic March) struggles to reconcile his loyalty to Rome with his forbidden love for the Christian maiden Mercia (Elissa Landi), who's destined for the lion's den. Full of outrageous spectacle (including dwarves in the Roman arena), this blood-and-guts epic is pure De Mille compared to the more conventionally formulaic adventure of Four Frightened People (1934), also starring Colbert as one of the four titular characters shipwrecked on a remote Malay island (filmed at Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, in Hawaii) and forced to fend for themselves. It's a stodgy but frequently amusing adventure, with Colbert's uptight schoolmarm growing sexier and less inhibited with each passing scene. Colbert returns (De Mille obviously adored her) in the title role of Cleopatra (1934), easily seducing Marc Antony (played by De Mille favorite Henry Wilcoxon) in a film as lavishly appointed as it is melodramatically extreme. Wilcoxon pairs with Loretta Young in The Crusades (1935) with De Mille once again mixing piety with prurience in a religious epic that promises plenty of sex but, in classic De Mille fashion, remains steadfastly chaste. Union Pacific (from Hollywood's golden year of 1939) is a grandly entertaining Western that mangles history (specifically, events surrounding construction of the transcontinental railroad) while casting gunslingers Joel McCrea and Robert Preston in a contest for Barbara Stanwyck's affections.

Choosing a favorite among these five films is purely a matter of personal taste, but for all of his weaknesses as a director (not the least being a condescending and self-righteous arrogance toward his audience), De Mille was never, ever boring. These films helped to make Paramount the most profitable studio of the 1930s, and they hold up remarkably well. Despite the complete absence of bonus features (Universal once again taking the low-cost option with no-frills packaging), each film is presented in pristine or near-pristine condition, ripe for first-time viewing or nostalgic rediscovery by vintage film buffs everywhere.--Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Excellent
I ordered this for my husband for Christmas. We've watched several of the films and have enjoyed them. They are in perfect condition.

OK value now the price has come down
This collection of 5 films from Paramount in the thirties is a fair introduction to the epic film maker, Cecil B de Mille. In a long career, de Mille's films were certainly big but that did not mean that they were good. There is some dreadful rubbish in this collection but that is actually part of de Mille's appeal. No-one could make a film so big yet so bad. The public loved the junk even when the critics swooned. Let's start with the rubbish.

In 1934, "Four Frightened People" describes the trek through the Malaya jungles of 4 passengers who have abandoned a cruise ship carrying the bubonic plague. Credibility does not even remotely arise not only in the dumb screenplay but in the generally poor acting of the principals, William Gargan and Herbert Marshal, in particular. Mary Boland, with dog in her arms and plenty of makeup, is completely absurd as a divorcee trying to curb the birth rate and Claudette Colbert plays a mousy teacher who breaks her glasses and transforms into both a leader and a beauty. Colbert actually is quite good, the best of the quartet but the film is corny and predictable. It was both a critical and box office flop in its day and it is no surprise.

In 1935, De Mille made one of his religious epics for which he was famous. This one stars the magnetic but charmless Henry Wilcoxon as King Richard and Loretta Young as his queen, the fictional Berengaria. They make an odd team. The film has far too much talk with some dreadful dialogue (one soldier says to Young "That's kinda rough on you"). As a result, it is really boring and, of course, as history, complete fiction. For the enthusiast, catch Ann Sheridan as a slave ("The cross, the cross, let me kiss the cross") and J Carroll Naish as the head of the slave market.

The next 2 films star Claudette Colbert and are good examples of De Mille's expertise with crowd scenes. They have their share of delights, mainly visual, amidst the generally ludicrous dialogue and distorted history.

Released in 1932, "The Sign of the Cross" is another religious epic with Charles Laughton's Nero fiddling while Rome burns and Colbert as a his evil wife Poppea. These 2 play it for laughs (Laughton very camp and Colbert very sexy) and elevate the film every time they appear. Unfortunately, the rest is bogged down by that prize ham, Fredric March, as the prefect of police who falls for Christian Elissa Landi, an ethereal beauty with lovely but ludicrous English diction. The film was reissued during the war and cut but we have the restored road show version here so we see Joyzelle Joyner's lesbian dance, tantalising glimpses of Colbert's torso as she bathes in ass's milk and some gratuitous violence in the Circus Maximus scenes. The film is corn but ripe corn at that so it is worth seeing.

De Mille's 1934 version of "Cleopatra" is a big improvement. Compared to the overblown Taylor/Burton opus from the 60s, this is a much more entertaining film. Warren William is excellent as Caesar and Colbert, while probably miscast, does a great job as the Queen of the Nile. There are some stunning visuals, particularly the capture of Marc Antony on Cleopatra's barge, and the usual ludicrous dialogue ("You and your friends, Romans and countrymen") but overall, this is a very entertaining biblical epic. It is also a restored print so it looks great.

The final film is the best of the set. "Union Pacific" is a rousing western set around the building of the railroad which opened up the west. A sterling cast is headed by Barbara Stanwyck at her most appealing as a rough and tumble Irish heroine fought over by Robert Preston and Joel McCrea. The film was made with the co-operation of the Union Pacific Railroad so it looks and sounds authentic.

The films are in excellent condition but there are no extras, not even original trailers. The set is now available on Amazon at a fraction of its very expensive launch price and that is just as well because the high proportion of poor films and the mediocre packaging don't warrant a high price. The lack of extras, particularly information about De Mille's place in the history of Hollywood, means too that the uninformed may be disappointed.

The Cecil B. DeMille Collection
He is the King of Epic Classic Movies. Claudette Colbert, Loretta Young & Barbara Stanwyck shine in this Collection. It is a must see. Enjoy