Home :: DVD :: Drama :: Classics  

African American Drama
Classics

Crime & Criminals
Cult Classics
Family Life
Gay & Lesbian
General
Love & Romance
Military & War
Murder & Mayhem
Period Piece
Religion
Sports
Television
Alfie

Alfie

List Price: $9.99
Your Price: $9.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 'Alfie' is one of the best British 60's films
Review: Michael Caine plays the title role to perfection. Alfie is an attractive, sexy, but shallow and obnoxious playboy who goes about his business of womanizing while frequently turning to address the audience with his views, philosophies, justifications, etc., so that you get a sense of shadowing him like an invisible imaginary friend he's always talking to. He has very little respect for women and he's every mother's nightmare of the type of fellow she would not want her daughter involved with. Some may find the film disturbing because Alfie is such a rotten person, but the unfortunate fact is, he is realistic. Almost everyone has known men who behave just like him, just as everyone has known wonderful 'nice guys' like several of the male characters who appear in contrast to Alfie's type.

Alfie seems to be in a constant battle with himself to remain insensitive, uncaring, and focused only on an 'empty sex is everything' point of view. He carries on affairs with married women who yearn to run away with him, and at the same time with single girls who'd do anything to pry a commitment from him, and he makes a few people pregnant along the way. Every female he meets is desperate to get him for a serious partner and he is indifferent to them all. Irony comes when he meets and finally falls for someone, at last wishing to commit himself. The object of his desire is a flashy, worldly older woman (Shelley Winters), and the problem is, she is a female replica of himself who uses men and views them with the exact same disregard he has for women. To her, Alfie, 'the bloke all the other gals are dying for', is just another meaningless piece of sexual action, and thus, he ends up getting a good dose of his own medicine.

The DVD is beautifully clear, almost 3-dimensional. I've never seen it with such clarity! And yes, as someone asked below, the great hit song 'Alfie', sung by Cher, is indeed played with the end credits. I've heard that the British release of the film had it sung by Cilla Black, but the American DVD has Cher's version, as did the American theatres.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Caine at his best!
Review: Michael Caine's performance in this early film leaves me feeling that I was witness to great acting. Being a new actor myself, I constantly go back to this film for inspiration. Disturbing and poignant, the film is a true look at both man's and woman's shortcomings. If you are into self reflection, and willing to come face to face with our own dark manipulative sides, then this film is a must! Extremely sensitive and intelligently done...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Movie That Launched Michael Caine
Review: Most huge movie stars have a movie which launched them onto a bigger career path where they never had to look back again. "Alfie" was that movie for Michael Caine just as the "The Graduate" did it for Dustin Hoffman in that same '60s era. Caine plays a Cockney philanderer who flits from woman to woman in one night stands. He is not attractive necessarily though to female viewers who will find his lower class bent offputting. His lifestyle will come off as tawdry at best to many of these viewers. Caine's brilliance in this role though is that his way of talking to you the viewer, speaking directly into the camera conversationally throughout the movie, draws you into the character of Alfie, wanting to know what makes him the way he is. ("What's It All About, Alfie?" was its famous song and is the question which occupies the viewer.) Although you do not sympathize with Alfie, you come to be fascinated by him. Shelly Winters also renders a noteworthy performance as a well-to-do woman Alfie dallies with for her money. I've read that Michael Caine himself in real life comes from origins similar to Alfie's and that the Cockney voice he uses throughout was the dialect he grew up with as a boy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Movie That Launched Michael Caine
Review: Most huge movie stars have a movie which launched them onto a bigger career path where they never had to look back again. "Alfie" was that movie for Michael Caine just as the "The Graduate" did it for Dustin Hoffman in that same '60s era. Caine plays a Cockney philanderer who flits from woman to woman in one night stands. He is not attractive necessarily though to female viewers who will find his lower class bent offputting. His lifestyle will come off as tawdry at best to many of these viewers. Caine's brilliance in this role though is that his way of talking to you the viewer, speaking directly into the camera conversationally throughout the movie, draws you into the character of Alfie, wanting to know what makes him the way he is. ("What's It All About, Alfie?" was its famous song and is the question which occupies the viewer.) Although you do not sympathize with Alfie, you come to be fascinated by him. Shelly Winters also renders a noteworthy performance as a well-to-do woman Alfie dallies with for her money. I've read that Michael Caine himself in real life comes from origins similar to Alfie's and that the Cockney voice he uses throughout was the dialect he grew up with as a boy.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Caine cane the sugary christmas stain
Review: Not a bad movie, but not a great one either. I like the technique of him talking to the camera, which I think was used even better in High Fidelity, but at times I wish there'd been a little less "said" and more "shown." I mean, it is a movie. But then I looked it up on IMDB and found out that it's based on a play.

I did find Michael Caine very engaging though. The movie might be worth a watch just to see him go. It was great to hear his little philsophies on "birds" and life (Watching it made me want to call every girl a "bird" in a thick cockney accent). And I think they did a pretty good job of balancing the humor in the movie with the drama. Caine really pulled that off I thought. And it was fun to watch a movie so clearly made in the 60's with that kind of esthetic. It reminded me a little of "The Knack: and how to get it" which everyone reading this should see.

But there were scenes that went on too long and it seemed redudant at times. I think it should've been shorter and tighter.

I guess I'd give it a B-. It's almost good, but not quite there.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Nope, dunno what's it's all about, Alfie.
Review: Out on that all-too-familiar limb again: Took "Alfie" out of the library; I've heard of this movie, and that its hero was something of a bounder. Sorry chaps, really DIDN'T like it! Yes, I know he's supposed to be shallow, that that's the whole point, but it's just too depressing for me. At one point, I lost conciousness in front of the screen. When I came back, I asked myself, "Do I really want to go on with this?" And the answer was a resounding No. As you'll read, every other person just loved it; maybe you'll find you're more in tune with them. I'd rather see something a LITTLE more uplifting.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: POS Movie sucks
Review: Sorry, writing good reviews to entice people into seeing the new version of the POS is backwardation.
Hollywood get a Life!


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the ending?
Review: this is one of my all time top favorites...BUT...does the DVD have the ending with the song by Cher? That is the version I prefer. I rented a VHS a few years ago and it did NOT have this!
To me the movie is just not the same without the ending and the song...
Alfies says "you have to ask yourself, 'whats it all about?' "
and then pets the stray mutt, as the bacharach song plays.
DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS IS ON THE DVD?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Michael is such a genius
Review: This is the first movie and soundtrack I ever experienced from Michael Caine himself. He is such a great actor and has a sense of humor and kinda point of view. Think he should deserves this. Even tho u have seen the remake of it yet with Jude Law in it, it'll turn u away. I'd have seen it 3 or 4 times and it didn't quite bore me at all, I believe it's a romantic movie that's about this fella who falls in love with other girls just 'cuz he's has a wife. No movie fan or critic should eva hate on this at all. This should a classic rating (5 stars or an A+ or A-). I think I'ma collect it to go with my movie collection ASAP. Definitely a must if u love Michael Caine.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Michael Caine's best performance
Review: This movie is a must see, not least for Michael Caine's superb acting. Sonny Rollins provides a superb jazz soundtrack. The script is hilarious, adapted from Bill Naughton's book, and is delivered brilliantly by both Caine and Shelley Winters. There are many memorable quotes in this movie, such as "one thing I like about driving a Rolls Royce is no matter where you go, they're always pleased to see you", and "she's a back-up and she knows it". Hilarious, tragic, insightful, and poignant. Highly recommended.


<< 1 2 3 4 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates