Peter O'Toole films on DVD (1 Viewer)

[Greg_M]

On the Awards last night, it was announced Peter O'Toole made over 50 films.

Besides "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Lion in Winter" what other O'Toole films are avilable on DVD? Any worth checking out?

 

[David Lambert]

Try this on for size.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

More choice O'Toole on DVD

The Ruling Class - Criterion
My Favorite Year - Warner Bros.
The Stunt Man - Anchor Bay
Creator - Vidmark/Trimark

The first three feature wonderful (Oscar nominated) performances from O'Toole on excellent quality DVDs. Creator is an underrated performance on a so-so fullscreen DVD (which seems to be getting scarce).

Regards,

 

[Scott David]

Watching the O'Toole clips on last night's Oscars begs the question: any word on when/if his version of "Goodbye Mr. Chips" will be released on DVD in the near-future?

 

[Roderick Gauci]

Peter O’Toole is undeniably one of the most impressive and compelling actors of the last 40 years. So it is a greater pity that the last 20 have given him very little opportunity to truly showcase his unique talents (generally reduced to delivering hammy performances in substandard, low-budget films and TV shows).

I was extremely lucky to catch a live theatrical performance by O’Toole in JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL [available on R2 DVD from Video Collection International Ltd.] by Keith Waterhouse (of BILLY LIAR fame) at London’s Old Vic Theater in 1999. Despite his age and ragged appearance, he was as riveting as always and his memory is amazing, considering the 2-hour play was practically a one-man show!

I have watched 20 of his films so far although not all of them are great films, or even feature O’Toole in the lead. So the films I would definitely recommend are the following:

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) [available on DVD from Columbia] – I don’t suppose I need to recommend this to anyone: perhaps the single greatest star-making performance in cinema history in what is probably the finest historical epic ever made.

BECKET (1964) – a dialogue-heavy film in which O’Toole and Richard Burton play off each other superbly: not really an epic despite the spectacular period settings and gorgeous color cinematography; Paramount should release this one on a legitimate DVD!

LORD JIM (1965) – it’s good to learn that Columbia is thinking of releasing this on DVD: a rather muddled and overblown adaptation of the classic novel by Joseph Conrad; the cast manage to keep it afloat and it remains an interesting example of the expensive spectaculars Hollywood used to make.

THE NIGHT OF THE GENERALS (1967) – this film is not appreciated enough and deserves to be rediscovered on DVD: O’Toole (headlining another fine cast) gives one of his coldest, most enigmatic performances in this unusual WWII “epic”.

THE LION IN WINTER (1968) [available on DVD from MGM/UA] – O’Toole (reprising his role from BECKET) matches wits with Katharine Hepburn in a talky marathon that keeps one riveted for the entire duration; John Barry’s Oscar-winning score is unforgettable.

THE RULING CLASS (1971) [available on DVD from Criterion and including an O’Toole commentary] – a brilliantly written and acted satire and a very rare example of British surrealism; contains my favorite O’Toole performance after LAWRENCE.

THE STUNT MAN (1980) [available on DVD in a Limited Edition 2-Disc Set from Anchor Bay and including an O’Toole commentary] – another great performance in a highly intelligent and exhilarating film; the LE DVD package (including the documentary THE SINISTER SAGA OF MAKING “THE STUNT MAN”) is terrific.

MY FAVORITE YEAR (1982) [available on DVD from Warner Bros.] – virtually O’Toole’ s last significant role and he is the whole show here; the film itself is quite enjoyable in an old-fashioned way.

The other films of his I have watched are:

THE SAVAGE INNOCENTS (1959), THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND (1960), WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? (1965), HOW TO STEAL A MILLION (1966), THE BIBLE (1966) [available on DVD from Twentieth-Century Fox], CASINO ROYALE [released on DVD by MGM/UA], MAN FRIDAY (1975), CALIGULA (1979) [Complete, Unrated Version available on DVD from Image], ZULU DAWN (1979), SUPERGIRL (1984) [Director’s Cut available on DVD in a Limited Edition 2-Disc Set from Anchor Bay] and HIGH SPIRITS (1988).

Some of his other interesting films which I have yet to watch include:

GREAT CATHERINE (1968), COUNTRY DANCE aka BROTHERLY LOVE (1969), GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (1969), MURPHY’S WAR (1971) [released on R2 DVD by Anchor Bay UK], UNDER MILK WOOD (1971) [available on R2 DVD from Universal], MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972), ROSEBUD (1975), FOXTROT (1975), ROGUE MALE (1976) (TV), SVENGALI (1983) (TV), CREATOR (1985) [available on DVD from Trimark], THE LAST EMPEROR (1987) [Director’s Cut available on DVD from Artisan] and THE RAINBOW THIEF (1991).

On a side note, on their first date, my parents went to watch LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - and after being subjected to, in my mother's words, "four hours of nothing but sand", she hasn't been able to stand the sight of O'Toole since!

 

[DannyS]

get GEOFEERY BERNARD NOW!!!! I was bloody gob smacked at his performance

 

[PaulaJ]

>>The other films of his I have watched are:

>>HOW TO STEAL A MILLION (1966)

This *really* needs a DVD release..>!

>>COUNTRY DANCE aka BROTHERLY LOVE (1969)

An absolutely wonderful domestic tragicomedy, directed by J. Lee Thompson... not available on video but I have a tape from a broadcast on a cable channel. One of my favorite O'Toole performances, and Susannah Hampshire is luminous as always.

>>GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (1969)

Another deserving of DVD release.

>>MURPHY’S WAR (1971) [released on R2 DVD by Anchor Bay UK],

The R2 DVD is pan and scan, though... :frowning:

>>ROSEBUD (1975)

This shows up fairly often on cable.

>>ROGUE MALE (1976) (TV)

Another great but not well known O'Toole performance. He plays a man who tries to assassinate Hitler, he fails, and the chase is on. O'Toole has been fascinated by Hitler -- who he instantly recognized as something terribly evil -- since he was a child and saw him in newsreels at the cinema.

 

[David Lambert]

BECKET (1964) – a dialogue-heavy film in which O’Toole and Richard Burton play off each other superbly: not really an epic despite the spectacular period settings and gorgeous color cinematography; Paramount should release this one on a legitimate DVD!

Orders are being taken at Amazon now for the DVD release by MPI later this Spring.

Here is a picture I scanned from Video Store Magazine showing that Becket is undergoing a soundtrack restoration, and in the process having a 5.1 mix created for inclusion on this DVD.

When the HTF search engine comes back up, do a search on "Becket" in this section and you'll find a thread were we've discussed this release for a while.

 

[oscar_merkx]

Thanks David for the update on Beckett, looking forward to see that one in particulat

 

[Greg Krewet]

Murphy's war now has a release date for June and is available for pre-order at DVDempire.
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Greg