Product Description

A special DVD pairing two adventure classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the legendary studio RKO Radio Pictures. Featuring all the action, adventure, romance and intrigue you can handle, plus an impressive cast of stars, including big-screen legends Glenn Ford and Barbara Stanwyck! The twin-bill includes APPOINTMENT IN HONDURAS (1953) and ESCAPE TO BURMA (1955). Bonus Features: Original Theatrical Trailers| "Escape to Burma" is Anamorphic Widescreen Enhanced for 16x9 monitors| Actor Bios| Scene Selection. Specs: DVD10; Dolby Digital Mono; 165 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 & 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1953-1955; SRP - $6.99.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62845 in DVD
• Brand: VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS INC.
• Released on: 2003-02-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 165 minutes

Customer Reviews

What a surprise!
I'm not sure what motivated me to order this---except that I find the work of each director interesting, and the price is sure right. When I order a public domain cheapie I'm prepared for poor prints, noisy audio, etc. But I was absolutely knocked out by the print quality and transfers on BOTH of these movies. The Superscope "Burma" is even enhanced for widescreen. The color was mostly good on both movies, and I didn't notice any significant film damage or dirt. The movies are OK, interesting primarily because of the casts. Both leading ladies were a bit long in the tooth for their roles, but they still show their star quality.

VCI gets a gold star for a release that looks like WHV did it from the original elements. The artwork is enough to scare anyone away, however.

And I really wish that they wouldn't have one of their people write Amazon reviews for their product.

If you want a couple of pretty good Saturday afternoon flicks very well presented, you just can't go wrong.

"The Leader in Film Noir, B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment "
VCI Entertainment and RKO Pictures presents a double feature of high jungle adventure... "Appointment in Honduras" (1953) and "Escape to Burma" (1955) (Dolby digitally remastered)...featuring top performances by actors of the '40s and '50s with outstanding drama and screenplays...from almost forgotten and little known films that will leave you wanting more...so pop some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the movie.

First up we have "Appointment in Honduras" (1953) (79 min. Color)...under director Jacques Tourneur, producer Benedict Bogeaus, associate producer Bryan Foy, with original story by Jack Cornall and Mario Silveira, screenplay by Karen DeWolf, music composed by Louis Forbes...the cast includes Glenn Ford (Steve Corbett), Ann Sheridan (Sylvia Sheppard), Zachary Scott (Harry Sheppard), Rodolfo Acosta (Reyes), Jack Elam (Castro), Stuart Whitman (Radio Operator)...our story unfolds on a tramp steamer off Central America as Glenn Ford carrying money for a Honduran counter revolution along with hostages Ann Sheridan, Zachary Scott who have no idea what is going on join him...five prisoners are also released on their way to a Nicaraguan prison and the dangerous journey begins...could there be alligators, clouds of flying hornets, jungle brushfires and man eating fish along with snakes, what else is in store for our hero and his band of misfits.........special footnote, actor Glenn Ford with the help of Bette Davis gave him his first break in the film "A Stolen Life" (1946), then came the classic film noir "Gilda" (1946) with Rita Hayworth that made him a star and the most popular actor of that time, other films were "Texas" (1941), "The Desperadoes" (1943), "Lust for Gold" (1949), "The Man from Colorado" (1949), "The Big Heat" (1953), "The Man from the Alamo" (1953), "The Violent Men" (1954), "Blackboard Jungle" (1955), "The Fastest Gun Alive" (1956), "Jubal" (1956), "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (1956), "3:10 to Yuma" (1957), "Cowboy" (1958), "The Sheepman" (1958), "Pocketful of Miracles" (1961), "The Rounders" (1965)...next came the successfull TV series "Marshal of Madrid", as a modern day sheriff Ford played Sam Cade with his deputy Edgar Buchanan...appeared as Jonathan Kent (Clark Kent's father) in "Superman" (1978), and one of my favorite westerns made-for-television "The Sacketts" (1979) combines two sepearate Louis L'Amour novels "The Daybreakers" and "The Sacketts" of three brothers who migrate to the West after The Civil War..Ford married legendary tap dancer Eleanor Powell and had one son Peter Ford...Glenn will be fondly be remembered by his fans for his westerns and natural charismatic presence on the big screen.

BIOS:
1. Glenn Ford (aka Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford)
Birth Date: 5/01/1916 - Sainte-Christine, Quebec, Canada
Died: Still Living

Second on the double bill is "Escape to Burma" (1955) (86 min. in Color)....under director Allan Dwan, producer Benedict Bogeaus, with original story by Kenneth Perkins, screenplay by Hobart Danavan and Talbot Jennings, original music by Louis Forbes....the cast includes Barbara Stanwyck (Gwen Moore), Robert Ryan (Jim Brecan), David Farrer (Cardigan), Murvyn Vye (Makesh), Lisa Montell (Andora), Robert Warwick (The Sawbwa), Reginald Denny (Commissioner)...our story is another winner as RKO Radio gives three actors Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan and David Farrer a film they can sink their teeth into...a Far Eastern teak plantation is full of danger with panthers, tigers and a man on the run...Ryan is hunted by Farrer and Stanwyck in out to warn the man she loves...will Ryan receive a fair trail, be tortured and wind up in a brawl within the local temple...is Robert Ryan misjudged or is he really guilty of killing the Prince.......special footnote, actress Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for four Academy Awards, but never won...in 1982 Barbara was awarded an hononary Oscar for "superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting", starreds in "Forbidden" (1932), "Stella Dallas" (1937), "Union Pacific" (1939), "The Lady Eve: (1941), "Double Indemnity" (1944),and finally in TV's "The Big Valley" (1965), but her most memorable role was Mary Carson in the ABC mini-series "The Thorn Birds" (1983).........there's a great deal of entertainment here for all the film noir fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features like this one.

BIOS:
1. Barbara Stanwyck (aka Ruby Catherine Stevens)
Birth Date: 7/16/1907 - Brooklyn, New York
Died: 1/20/1990 - Santa Monica, California

SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Actor Bios
2. Scene Selection
3. Theatrical Trailers
4. "Escape to Burma" presented in Anamorphic Widescreen

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the "Appointment in Honduras" (1953) and "Escape to Burma" (1955), digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s and '50s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch films from the Golden Age of Hollywood that only VCI Entertainment (King of the Serials) can deliver...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 165 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment 8343 ~ (2/25/2003)

great.dissappointment
I am always a little wary of dvds that seem to be a bargain.In the case of this appalling double bill my suspicions were justified.I was hoping for a couple of reasonably entertaining B movies.Appointment in Honduras
is barely watchable,i spent so much time adjusting the picture i lost track of the story,such as it was.Escape to Burma was so washed out and blurry i threw it in the bin after five minutes.Amazingly this dvd recieved five star reviews!!Who is writing them?Do not waste your money on this rubbishy presentation