FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Marathon Man [1976] [DVD]

Marathon Man [1976] [DVD]
enlarge	Director: John Schlesinger Actors: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£12.99~~ Buy New: £2.96 as of 21/11/2009 22:41 GMT details You Save: £10.03 (77%) New (18) Used (5) Collectible (1) from £2.75 Seller: direct_offers_uk Rating: 8 reviews Sales Rank: 8627 Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), German (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 119 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5014437815637 ASIN: B00005UO5W Theatrical Release Date: October 8, 1976 Release Date: March 18, 2002 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review John Schlesinger (IMidnight Cowboy/I) directed this gripping, entertaining 1977 thriller that centres on graduate student Dustin Hoffman (IThe Graduate/I, ITootsie/I). Hoffman plays a sullen and cowardly loner haunted by the suicide of his father, a suspected communist. He is drawn into a murky web of international intrigue when his brother, CIA agent Doc Levy, played by Roy Scheider (IJaws/I, IThe French Connection/I), is murdered by a former Nazi (Laurence Olivier) who has come to the United States to reclaim a valuable stash of diamonds. Babe (Hoffman) must confront his fears of the past as he runs for his life and tries to avenge his brother's death at the same time. Featuring a classic torture sequence and a terrific cast that includes William Devane and Marthe Keller, iMarathon Man/i written by William Goldman (IButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid/I, IAll the President's Men/I) stands as a great entertainment and as one of the seminal films of the 1970s. I--Robert Lane/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 8 1 2 Next » The terror among us! March 4, 2004 9 out of 9 found this review helpful What an incredible film!pThis starts off as a slow simple everyday scene in New York which after a chain of events builds into a plot involving ex-Nazi war criminals, diamond-smuggling, anti-Semitic feeling, and a fast-paced chase leading to its inevitable bloody climax!pThe gripping storyline had me hooked from the outset.brEx-Nazi Szell, played by Olivier, has come out of hiding in Brazil to retrieve his diamonds. Hoffman's brother, played by Roy Scheider (fresh from "Jaws" fame), works for the Secret Service tracking Szell who is believed to have stolen the diamonds. After a double-cross which he witnesses (don't want to give too much away here!) Hoffman's life is in danger and he desperately tries to avoid Szell and his henchmen's clutches...pThe entire cast are on top form.brDustin Hoffman plays a convincing student and went for days without sleep to prepare himself for certain scenes like the dental torture scene (hence the immortal line from Olivier "why don't you try acting, dear?" when Hoffman asked him for advice).brAnd although Olivier was battling with gout and cancer during the entire shoot, he comes up with one of the performances of his career, horribly convincing as the sadistic Nazi Szell.brMarthe Keller, the Swiss model whose film debut was in Marathon Man, also impressed, especially as she spoke virtually no English as filming began!pThe pace of the film also puts you on the edge of your seat (you're never sure who to trust), and although things start off calmly, it builds and builds into a brutal film, with a handful of shockingly violent and unexpected scenes. The most famous dental torture scene has been described in detail, which really is squirm-inducing, certainly one of the most terrifying scenes in cinema history. It's more the allusion to violence rather than seeing everything in graphic detail that makes it so effective. You may not want to go to the dentist ever again...pSchlesinger plays out the scenes of Olivier's Szell at large on the New York City streets wonderfully well (the Big Apple never looked so threatening!), the bustle of the city almost concealing the horror of a war criminal at large.brThis is still valid today, what with the constant fear of terrorists living in our midst.pThe DVD transfer has only improved the film - colour, sound and picture quality are fantastic and have been digitally restored. Equally impressive are the special features on this DVD edition, with excellent commentary and an interesting documentary ""Going The Distance: Remembering Marathon Man" with interviews from most of the cast crew (Marthe Keller looks even more attractive over 25 years later!)pTo sum up this has to rank as one of the best, most powerful, dark and disturbing thrillers I've ever seen. Although it does look a little dated now, this DVD should definitely have a place in your collection. Highly recommended. Great acting makes the difference June 28, 2001 Yaakov Wise, MA (Manchester, UK) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful Hoffman, Olivier and Scheider all give excellent performances in this fast action movie written for people with brains still employed. Proof that you can have a good narrative; cultural references (McCarthyism,Nazis in hiding)and drama without descending to the banal. Olivier goes slightly over the top as the Mengele character (the scene where his Nazi dentist tortures the young Jewish Hoffman with his drill will put you off dentistry for life). Hoffman is at his best reprising his Graduate character - the young Jewish New Yorker with angst. Excellent support from Scheider as his shady older brother. Truly great thriller. January 1, 2003 7 out of 10 found this review helpful Marathon Man (1976) is a scary nightmare thriller, best known for the suspenseful pursuit scenes and a truly repellent scene of torture. brDoc Levy (Roy Scheider), an American secret agent, who is thought to have stolen a valuable cache of diamonds, is killed by evil ex-Nazi Szell (Laurence Olivier), an ex-concentration camp dentist by profession. Szell has come to New York to retrieve the fortune in diamonds. Szell kidnaps Doc's brother, a lone, idealistic Jewish graduate student Babe Levy (Dustin Hoffman), who knows nothing about his brother's involvement. pIn the most memorable torture scene, Szell uses his dental instruments for sadistic oral surgery to torture and extract information from Babe. Szell is the essence of evil and disturbingly effective during the torture, repeatedly asking Babe the question: pIs it safe? Contains one of the scariest scenes ever ! June 23, 2007 Jay (Mauritius) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful Scripted by William Goldman, 'Marathon Man' is undeniable classic of cinema, Dustin Hoffman, plays Babe Levy, a keen graduate student and the 'Marathon Man' of the title, unwittingly becomes involved In a deadly game of international intrigue, involving the legendary Laurence Olivier, who famously plays an Nazi Fugitve, (Szell) who after years of hiding returns to the 'land of plenty'(New York) With his deadly tool's of his dentistry trade to collect his massive cache of diamonds no doubt plundered from the suffering Jews he slaughtered, in the death camps, br / br /Hoffman and Olivier, two acting legends,face off each other in the Nail biting climax, Roy Scheider, plays Hoffman's older yet none the wiser, brother who is also mysteriously connected with Szells affairs, The film which feature's the now classic scene in which Levy is mercifully tortured by Szell(Ex dentist) still holds up today. The Daddy of all Nazi hunter/CIA agent movies May 18, 2008 Lou Knee (England) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful The undisputable classic out of the very good 1970s batch of political intrigue and Nazi hunter movies. The cast is superb, the actors are on top form, the screenplay is taut and exciting and the scenes are memorable. Hoffman is perfect for his role and Olivier is at his eye rolling best for this classical acting meets method acting masterclass. It spawned one of the greatest actorly quotes in cinema history from the great classical actor, and you can't fail to see a bit of professional competetion between the two stars when watching them perform against each other here. It would be a gem for this alone, but as a movie it shines out above all the others in an engrossing genre for having that little bit extra in entertainment value and cinematic flair. Showing reviews 1-5 of 8 1 2 Next »

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