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Whistle Stopper - Friends
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $124.99
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Manufacturer: Paramount
Starring: Sean Bury, Anicée Alvina, Ronald Lewis, Toby Robins, Joan Hickson
Directed By: Lewis Gilbert (II)
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302658842
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 6302658845
Label: Paramount
Manufacturer: Paramount
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Paramount
Release Date: 1996-04-16
Running Time: 101
Studio: Paramount
Theatrical Release Date: 1971
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: THE ROMEO AND JULIET OF MY YOUTH
Comment: This movie is timeless for me and will always be. How wonderful to fall in love for the first time. It is a dream that all young men would love to have. "Love is real, real is love, love is wanting to be loved" John Lennon.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Times of innocence!!
Comment:
Times of innocence innocence!!
I wouldn't want to lecture anybody but I do feel the urge to say some things I consider important about this BEAUTIFUL film. I saw it for the first time in 1976 (I was 14) and then one more time a year later. That was it. The rest of it was the pink LP of Elton John's soundtrack getting the music and the story deeper and deeper inside my heart. How deep?
A week ago my cousin gave me a VHS copy as a present. (No DVD's yet).
Boy....was I surprised!! Poets have always sustained that deep childhood and adolescent experiences of beauty, love, God, idealist pursuits, stay with you forever. Since they occur mostly at the heart's level (no intellect yet!), they define your soul's contours like a sculptor would do with a stone. If sometimes we didn't tend to forget how right they are perhaps we would do better in understanding the meaning of every minute, of every decision, of every turning point of our lives.
So, I confess I feel nostalgia. But the fascinating part of this is watching the film again, and through this trip back in time, enriching that understanding of why we, people from the 60's, grew up as we did. The spirit of those times is all here: a Genesis created far from the official world of consuming and economic success, make love not war, the beautiful pop ballads, the poetry of the lyrics, a totally romantic view of adolescent rebellion with the awakening of sexuality carefully wrapped in tender and chaste love, these two lonely spirits still full of childhood innocence growing together as they learn mutual commitment and turning into "adults".
I showed the film to a group of school youngsters and they abounded with such simplistic and cynical comments regarding it as naïve and foolish. Guys, be serious!! Cinema is an art and as art it reflects not only human emotions but historical moments. And this is exactly what "Friends" does in a masterly way. It reflects an idyllic idea of rebellion and new beginning we all dreamt about when we were 15. I'm now a musician and I feel some of us, artists for that matter, still dream about it!! How else could we live? That's "Friends", that's "Brother Sun Sister Moon", that's "Hair". Those were the times, still alien to AIDS, alien to explicit and vulgar texts in pop songs with no melody, to pornography presented as "sexuality", to this barbaric new "world order" growing after September 11th.
What a heart warming experience to see Paul and Michelle again, timidly and tenderly exploring the new fantasies of their romantic world. What a trip back to the very core of our hearts: to Paris, to Elton John at his best, to the 2 CV Citroën and the VW Beetle. What a fresh air from the peaceful cottage in Camargue, surrounded by fishing ponds and wild horses. They made us who we are, as did Serrat in Spain, Brel in France, Peter Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Luther King, the Beatles, the early Bee Gees, Belafonte's Spirituals, Gandhi, the Gospel of Elvis.
People still hoping: get this picture. Start with innocence and grow from there. You'll find out what it's all about. And from there you'll have a solid and more truthful foundation; some ideals to look for in life, a way to handle personal and world affairs. We need so much of this today! Give yourselves the chance and maybe someday the time of cynics will end.
Santiago Zuleta.
Bogotá, Colombia.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: a mixed bag
Comment: What this movie has going for it is the touching story of two early-teenagers who meet and together flee from their troubles at home and struggle to make a life together and in the process fall in love. There is nudity and simulated sex, but it is handled naturally and tastefully.
The problem is that the screenplay in which this affecting story is couched has some severe mistakes: First, the gut-punch ending. I won't reveal the ending, but it is both a major downer and not at all credible. What the boy could have done and would have done is fairly obvious to anyone who is watching and taking the story seriously.
Second, the main character. Deciding to have a main character who is obnoxious at first is a ticklish move for a story to make. This is not the place to discuss how to make this move, but briefly, something has to be done to add an appeal that counterbalances the brat behavior. I would have introduced the new wife and her despicable son at the beginning. Then, the boy's juvenile-delinquent behavior would at least be understandable.
Third, stopping the story every fifteen minutes for a music interlude. This move has been tried from time to time in movies, going all the way back to "Pot of Gold." It has never worked, and is rarely attempted.
Someone should put this movie and its sequel on a single DVD and include the music as a separate music video and get it out of the movie.
Even if these problems were fixed, the movie is still too slow, probably because the screenwriter did not come up with enough events and had to stretch the ones he had. In short, the script is "nothing to be proud of."
Still, if the story appeals, this movie is worth seeing, and the fact that it is still around after 35 years shows that it has lasting appeal.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of those great "coming of age" movies
Comment: My husband of 26 years & I saw this as Juniors in HS. Yes, he was my boyfriend then and still continues to be. I think we both cried our eyes out. I think possibly we were drawn to the movie by the Elton John music in it, but were then swept away by the teenage angst of it all. Paul and Michelle were just about our ages when we saw the movie- so very easy to identify with!!
It is wonderful to hear that Sean is doing well, I am also in the "helping professions" (an RN). I thought his performance was good and very believable. "Michelle" came across as very sweet, fragile and vulnerable. I think the main theme is that if they didn't have to deal with the "real world" then they could be happy and continue to be in love. How many times have all of us wanted to just have a "Calgon moment". If we all had no outside worries and could just deal with our "basic needs" it could be somewhat easier. I have a 15 yr old daughter and wouldn't have a problem with her seeing this movie.. Kids see so much worse these days that this is very tame.
For those of you who are trying to locate the CD my husband (a huge Elton John fan) was able to get a 2-CD set which came out in 1992. It is called, "Elton John-rare masters" Polygram studios. This has all the friends songs as well as many others. As far as we know this is the only CD with the "Friends" music. We also had the LP years ago and were thrilled to find the CD. Good luck.
I recommend this movie for anyone who loves the "young love" theme. I only wish it was on DVD now!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thank you !
Comment: I can't believe that such a small budget film that Anicee and I had the good fortune to make all those years ago, is still receiving your kind attention. Thank you for all your comments, I assure you it was great fun to make "Friends" and an honour to work with Lewis Gilbert who has continued to make some super films.I shall always remember Lewis's words after the Preview showing..."Sean" he said as he came up to shake my hand,"you have nothing to be ashamed of !"..(I heaved a sigh of relief)...then he added.. "But nothing to be proud of either!". Years of dedicated training as a young actor just went down the pan!
I now work with people with special needs , the money is terrible but the smiles are the best! I have been lucky enough to see both of these 2 very different worlds. One feeds upon the attention it seeks and the other is just happy being, and getting on with things quietly, but both are exciting,fun and challenge one to do better. May your gods be with you all !
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