- This set includes: Manhattan Melodrama, Loy and Powell's first screen pairing, showcases an on-screen magic that also sparks the tense courtroom thriller Evelyn Prentice. Comedies, however - urbane to insane - were the duo's mainstays, and this set has three of their bubbliest. In Double Wedding, Loy doesn't want her sister to wed bohemian Powell. Any guess who does? A clunk to the hea
From the director of Driving Miss Daisy comes this compelling, heartwarming and inspiring true story of a father (Pierce Brosnan) who faces impossible odds to keep his family together. Times are tough in Dublin, Ireland. But no one has it tougher than Desmond Doyle when his wife runs off and his beloved daughter Evelyn and two young sons are sent to an orphanage by the government.Enlisting the help of loyal friends (Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea) and a feisty American lawyer (Aidan Quinn), he takes his case t! o Ireland's Supreme Court in a history-making quest to topple an ironclad law and win back the custody of his children!With a gentle tug at the heartstrings,
Evelyn tells the true story of an imperfect father whose devotion brought much-needed change to rigid Irish law. It's a labor of love for star and coproducer Pierce Brosnan, who brings just the right touch of Everyman charm to his role as Desmond Doyle, a struggling Dublin tradesman, father of three, and chronic pub-crawler whose wife abandons their family the day after Christmas, 1953. Desmond's a loving father who's boyishly irresponsible; Irish law dictates the removal of his children to stern Catholic orphanages, and his battle for custody is aided by two lawyers (Stephen Rea, Aidan Quinn) who seize this opportunity to revolutionize the courts. With straightforward, unobtrusive style, director Bruce Beresford draws fine performances from Brosnan, Julianna Margulies (as a barmaid who inspires Desmond's sobrie! ty), and especially young Sophie Vavasseur in the title role a! s Desmon d's bright, determined daughter. Sentimental without being saccharine,
Evelyn is simple, well made, and bursting with genuine Irish spirit.
--Jeff ShannonEvelyn sees Pierce Brosnan return to his native Ireland for a lightweight drama set in early 1950s Dublin. He plays the working-class Desmond Doyle, whose children, including the titular Evelyn, are taken into the unwanted care of the Catholic church when his wife leaves him. Doyle challenges the might of Church and State in the courts, and in the process threatens to change Ireland's legal system itself. The story is predictable, especially given that it's based on real events, but is expertly told by director Bruce Beresford, a past master with tales of determination in the face of adversity--
Paradise Road (1997)--and in chronicling the Catholic Church--
Black Robe (1991).
There are fine performances from Brosnan, Sophie Vavasseur as Evelyn, and Julianna Margulies, who shines in a cas! t that also features strong support from Alan Bates, Stephen Rea and Aidan Quinn. Evelyn is a heart-warming drama with barely a feel-good clich? left unturned, which may find its natural home on Christmas Day television as an alternative to the Bond movie on the other side. Consider it a gentle cousin to Angela's Ashes (1999); those seeking more caustic fare on a similar theme would do well to visit The Magdalene Sisters (2002).
On the DVD: Evelyn is presented with a short (21 min), thoughtful making-of featurette. There are good, highly informative commentaries by Bruce Beresford, and by producer Beau St Clair with Pierce Brosnan, in which the superstar reveals how seriously he took this low-budget film, and how much it meant to him. The original spoiler-filled trailer is also included. The film itself is anamorphically enhanced at the original 2.35:1 in a flawless transfer from a virtually perfect print. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtr! ack is a model of clarity that appropriately doesn't draw atte! ntion to itself. --Gary S DalkinWith a gentle tug at the heartstrings, Evelyn tells the true story of an imperfect father whose devotion brought much-needed change to rigid Irish law. It's a labor of love for star and coproducer Pierce Brosnan, who brings just the right touch of Everyman charm to his role as Desmond Doyle, a struggling Dublin tradesman, father of three, and chronic pub-crawler whose wife abandons their family the day after Christmas, 1953. Desmond's a loving father who's boyishly irresponsible; Irish law dictates the removal of his children to stern Catholic orphanages, and his battle for custody is aided by two lawyers (Stephen Rea, Aidan Quinn) who seize this opportunity to revolutionize the courts. With straightforward, unobtrusive style, director Bruce Beresford draws fine performances from Brosnan, Julianna Margulies (as a barmaid who inspires Desmond's sobriety), and especially young Sophie Vavasseur in the title role as Desmond's bright, determi! ned daughter. Sentimental without being saccharine, Evelyn is simple, well made, and bursting with genuine Irish spirit. --Jeff ShannonIncludes an afterword by award-winning author Neil Gaiman! Enthusiasts of genuine tragedy and celebrity intrique, gird your mental loins for an authentic tale of unbelievable hardship and epic catastrophe! This wholly true and accurate account details the extraordinary lives of Evelyn and Evelyn, a darling but unfortunate pair of conjoined twins who brave extreme circumstances of calamity and adversity, such as the bizarre and bloody night of their birth and subsequent orphaning; their early years on a chicken farm; shocking encounters with depraved gentlemen; life in the circus; the terrible fates of their dearest friends; and concluding with the sisters'' rise to international fame via the internet!3 vhs tapes: "With this program, you can learn how to double or even triple your reading speed, increasing not only your rate, ! but your comprehension and memory of the text as well."William! Powell re-teamed with Myrna Loy after the first "Thin Man" movie for "Evelyn Prentice" (1934), an expert thriller in which Powell plays a womanizing lawyer whose adulterous affair leads to blackmail, deceit, and murder. Una Merkel, Harvey Stephens, and Rosalind Russell, in her debut, also star. Then, "Manhattan Melodrama" (1934) is a compelling crime drama starring Powell and Clark Gable as boyhood friends from the New York streets who grow up to follow different paths, one as a gangster, the other as a crusading D.A. Loy and Mickey Rooney co-star. "Double Wedding" (1937) is a frantic screwball story with Powell as a Bohemian painter and Loy as a workaholic dress shop owner who spar over Loy's younger sister's life choices. Edgar Kennedy co-stars. Stodgy businessman Powell is headed for divorce from wife Loy when a konk on the head reverts him back to his real persona of a slick con artist, in "I Love You Again" (1940). And, in "Love Crazy" (1941), Powell and Loy are a marri! ed couple whose fourth wedding anniversary is not a happy affair, thanks to a series of events that occur after Loy's gossipy mother visits. 7 1/2 hrs. total on five discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital monoThe Thin Man was just the beginning. Myrna Loy and William Powell were one of Hollywood's best-matched screen teams, with the chemistry fairly bubbling in their scenes together, as this Warner treasure trove boxed set shows. Audiences in the '30s and '40s delighted in the fact that Loy's urbane sophisticate characters could match Powell's quip for quip, martini for martini.
Manhattan Melodrama (1934) showcases Powell and Clark Gable as longtime friends on opposite sides of the law, and is the first pairing of Loy and Powell (and the first of four films they would make in 1934 alone. The film is briskly directed and the crackling screenplay won an Oscar the next year. Evelyn Prentice (1934) is the troubled wife (Loy) of a preo! ccupied attorney (Powell) who appears oblivious. The story isn! 't one o f the strongest in the collection, but the cast sparkles nonetheless. A witchy Rosalind Russell makes her memorable film debut as a femme fatale.
Double Wedding (1937) lets Loy and Powell flex their comedic chops. The plot is full of switchbacks and misunderstandings, but the key point is that their pal Waldo (John Beal) is that dreaded '30s male screen archetype, the milquetoast. Much of the film's fun is watching Powell's character coach poor Waldo to grow a backbone: "Women don't like noble, self-sacrificing men. Women are not civilized like we are. They like bloodshed!"
I Love You Again (1940) is one of the top screwball comedies of all time. George (Powell) is bonked on the head and realizes he's had amnesia for the past several years, has been terribly boring and has been, yes, a milquetoast--who's about to be divorced by his fed-up wife, Kay (Loy). The crazy plot is lofted by the brilliant screenplay and the delivery of the two leads, who spar ! like expert fencers: George: "You be careful, madam, or you'll turn my pretty head with your flattery!" Kay: "I often wished I could turn your head--on a spit, over a slow fire." Divine! Love Crazy (1941) is another classic farce, featuring Powell in drag, Powell faking insanity, Powell conniving to win back Loy's love--all in a witty, urbane way, of course.
The set is also chockfull of great extras, with each feature paired with a classic comedy or musical short, plus cartoon or audio radio interviews. The icing on the cake: The fabulous packaging, including an image from the original movie posters on the discs themselves. Film lovers won't want to miss this splendid collection. --A.T. Hurley
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