Whether it?s silent superstar Rudolph Valentino galloping across the Arabian desert with his lady love in tow, debonair William Powell carrying lovestruck Carole Lombard over his shoulder, or handsome Cary Grant and deligh... more »tful Irene Dunne as optimistic newlyweds, nobody could tell a love story quite like the movies. Here are a dozen of Hollywood?s most memorable romance classics spanning four decades. Top-notch titles such as The Sheik, A Farewell to Arms, My Man Godfrey and Love Affair, starring such legendary heartthrobs as Gary Cooper, Gloria Swanson, James Stewart, Myrna Loy, Charles Boyer and Claudette Colbert, just to name a few. As a special bonus, each of the five discs contains an original documentary about the stars featured in this extraordinary collection. The Sheik (1921) Indiscreet (1931) A Farewell to Arms (1932) Bird of Paradise (1932) Animal Kingdom (1932) I Cover the Waterfront (1933) My Man Godfrey (1936) Love Affair (1939) Made For Each Other (1939) Beyond Tomorrow (1940) Penny Serenade (1941) Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) Disc One The Sheik (1921) ? Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres ? "A photoplay of tempestuous love between a madcap English beauty and a bronzed Arab chief!" boasted the original tagline. Despite the suggestion that kidnapping is the best way to win a girl?s heart, the film still packs a passionate punch after more than 90 years. (80:00) Indiscreet (1931) ? Gloria Swanson, Ben Lyon ? Leo McCarey (The Awful Truth, Love Affair) directed this witty romp about a young woman (a post-silent/pre-Sunset Boulevard Swanson) who is tempted to stray from the man she loves by an unsavory old flame. (81:00) A Farewell to Arms (1932) ? Gary Cooper, Helen Hayes ? Ernest Hemingway?s Oscar-winning tale of the passionate romance between a wounded American soldier and a British nurse, set against the danger and drama of World War I. The English Patient has nothing on this 75-year-old classic! (80:00) Hollywood Biography: Gary Cooper ? A nostalgic look at "Coop" - one of Hollywood?s greatest leading men - with scenes from his most memorable films. (25:00) Disc Two Bird of Paradise (1932) ? Joel McCrea, Dolores Del Rio ? King Vidor (The Big Parade, Stella Dallas) directed this romantic ? and racy - tale of a handsome shipwrecked sailor who is saved by a beautiful native girl, only to have their passion interrupted by plans to sacrifice her to the volcano god! A young Lon Chaney Jr. appears as one of McCrea?s shipmates. (80:00) Animal Kingdom (1932) ? Leslie Howard, Myrna Loy, Ann Harding ? Philip Barry (The Philadelphia Story) penned this sparkling tale of a publisher (a pre-Gone With the Wind Howard, reprising his stage role) torn between two lovers. (85:00) I Cover the Waterfront (1933) ? Claudette Colbert, Ben Lyon ? An investigative reporter falls for the beautiful and sassy daughter of a bootlegging dock kingpin he suspects of smuggling illegal Chinese immigrants. Another very racy, pre-Code romance. (61:00) Hollywood Biography: Joel McCrea ? A fascinating look at this durable leading man, who was equally at home in westerns and screwball comedies and whose marriage to actress Frances Dee was one of Hollywood?s most-enduring unions. (25:00) Disc Three My Man Godfrey (1936) ? William Powell, Carole Lombard ? One of the all-time great romantic comedies! A dizzy heiress brings home a tramp, hires him as the butler, and falls madly in love with him. Powell and Lombard were married ? and divorced ? years before this film was made. (95:00) Love Affair (1939) ? Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer ? The original ? and many feel superior ? version of An Affair to Remember, with Dunne and Boyer as the ill-fated couple who meet and fall in love aboard an ocean liner and agree to meet at the Empire State Building six months later. (87:00) Hollywood Couples: William Powell & Jean Harlow ? A revealing look at one of Hollywood?s great ? but tragic - love stories: Debonair William Powell (The Thin Man) and blond bombshell Jean Harlow (Dinner at Eight). (50:00) Disc Four Made For Each Other (1939) ? James Stewart, Carole Lombard ? Stewart is a young Manhattan lawyer who falls for a lovely young journalism student (Lombard) and marries her after one day! Both stars are at the top of their game as the story alternates between romantic comedy and heart-tugging melodrama. (90:00) Beyond Tomorrow (1940) ? Richard Carlson, Jean Parker ? A sentimental blending of fantasy and romance as three elderly ghosts work their magic to try and bring together a young cowboy (Carlson of The Creature From The Black Lagoon) and his true love (Parker of Flying Deuces). (84:00) Hollywood Couples: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard ? Classic film clips and rare newsreels tell the fascinating ? and heartbreaking ? story of one of Hollywood?s greatest romances: Clark "The King" Gable and Carole "The Hoosier Tornado" Lombard. (50:00) Disc Five Penny Serenade (1941) ? Cary Grant, Irene Dunne ? Grant and Dunne (in the film she called her favorite) are a young married couple facing dizzying highs and sobering lows in this classic blending of comedy and drama, directed by George Stevens (Gunga Din, Giant). (125:00) Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) ? Jose Ferrer, Mala Powers ? The Best Actor Oscar went to Jose Ferrer for his portrayal of Edmond Rostand?s romantic swordsman-poet ? with the prominent proboscis. After more than half a century (and several remakes), many feel this is still the best version. (112:00) Hollywood Biography: Cary Grant ? One of Hollywood?s most-dashing leading men, equally at home in drama, action-adventure, and romantic comedy, Cary Grant?s remarkable life is showcased via clips from his greatest films. (25:00) Total Running Time: Approx. 1185 mins. \« less
Actor:Cary Grant Genres:Drama, Television Sub-Genres:Drama, Television Studio:Passport Format:DVD - Color DVD Release Date: 01/16/2007 Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/1921 Release Year: 2007 Run Time: 19hr 2min Screens: Color Number of Discs: 5 SwapaDVD Credits: 5 Total Copies: 1 Members Wishing: 0 Edition: Box set MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Languages:English
Penny Serenade - Pretty good plotline with Cary Grant, Irene Dunn stealing the thunder!
Movie Reviews
A good collection of very old romantic classic movies
calvinnme | 04/08/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a collection of 12 films that I picked up because of the cheap cost and the quality of the titles of which I was familiar. The reason for their economic availability is that they have been in the public domain for a number of years. Also, these titles have not been restored, so the video and audio quality are acceptable but not great. Think of the 50 Classic Movie Pack series as far as comparisons go. I see no description or even listing of the movies on the product page, so I provide that next:
The Sheik" (1921) - Rudolph Valentino in the title role does some things that can hardly be called romantic by today's standards.
"Indiscreet" (1931) - Gloria Swanson is quite good as a woman trying to keep her sister from taking up with the same man she has been involved with while trying to keep everyone from knowing about the past relationship.
"A Farewell to Arms" (1932) - Nominated for Best Picture, I think it is the best of the film renditions of Hemingway's novel.
"Bird of Paradise (1932) - Delores Del Rio is a girl with a grim future duty to her people who falls in love with a man from another culture.
"Animal Kingdom" (1932) - A wealthy young man can't figure out which of two women he really wants.
"I Cover the Waterfront" (1933) - An investigative reporter falls for the daughter (Claudette Colbert) of the target of one of his investigations.
"My Man Godfrey" (1936) - The daughter (Carole Lombard) in an eccentric wealthy family brings home one of the Depression's forgotten men (William Powell) to be the household's butler.
"Love Affair" (1939) - Two people (Irene Dunne & Charles Boyer) fall in love on a cruise but must get their lives in order before they can be together. A series of tragedies and misunderstandings keep them apart.
"Made for Each Other" (1939) - James Stewart & Carole Lombard are struggling newlyweds with just about every circumstance against them.
"Beyond Tomorrow" (1940) - A Christmas tale of two lonely old men that takes a turn toward the fantastic. The video quality on this one was the worst of the twelve films.
"Penny Serenade" (1941) - Cary Grant & Irene Dunne are a couple that adopts a child. When the child dies it looks like their love has died with her.
"Cyrano de Bergerac" (1950) - Jose Ferrer won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title role.
I would give both the films and the video quality an average of four stars. All of the films are at least above average in entertainment value. It's definitely worthwhile if you like old classic movies. Just realize that I am not picky when it comes to video quality on these old films."