Sweet Liberty

Firstly, this is not classic stuff here. Far from it. That said there is a reason I give this film a five star review. "Sweet Liberty" is an example of the kind of personal filmmaking that Hollywood used to make many years ago before the advent of event movies, disposable commodities designed for one or two big weekends to make way for the next blockbuster. Consider that Woody Allen was not always an art house darling rather a mainstream filmmaker. Alan Alda's work is in a similar vein but this isn't to suggest that he is an Allen copycat. Alda was a singular cinematic voice whose films surprisingly appealed to a wide audience. An example of this would be the success of "The Seduction of Joe Tynan" and "The Four Seasons". Alda aimed for a thinking crowd populating his films with interesting characters and complex themes. Unpretentiously he attacked the viewer cerebrally but very cleverly tickled your funny bone. There is nothing snobbish about his films because he assumed the intelligence of his audience. Alda was Everyman. This is best exemplified by his popularity as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV version of "M*A*S*H*". Admittedly I wasn't a fan of the series because I was partial to Robert Altman's film rendering but I haven't seen it since it went off the air so that's subject to reevaluation. As far as the film it doesn't hit a false note. Great performances not only by Alda but co-stars Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Michelle Pfeiffer, Lillian Gish, et al. Thoughtful explorations of relationships and the human condition. When you think you're entering cliché territory Alda throws you a curveball. This is the best I can do without providing spoilers which I despise. Sit back and enjoy the show.

What a fun time the cast had making this charming spoof of just about everything! Hollywood at its best, pokingfun at Hollywood! Mix up a innocent but free-thinking writer (Alan Alda), a vain Movie Star (Michael Caine), a batch of jaded, duplicitous Hollywood filmmakers, a self-serving but groveling assistant provided by Hollywood to aid Alan Alda, mix in a crew of locals who want the Revolutionary battle scenes to be accurate instead of being turned into a joke, and you wind up with a great, light-hearted evenings entertainment!

Can’t find this movie on demand anywhere. It’s an Alda classic, a must view for any Alda fan. Saw this movie 20 something years ago and was good. Had to see if it still held up, it does. Might as well buy it for keeps.

It was well worth the money spent on it. I have watched it 4 times already

This movie is absolutely not PG, at least not by today's standards. There's nudity, implied sex, talks about sex, innuendos, etc. We turned it off without finishing it because, even without all the trash, it just wasn't an interesting movie. Very disappointed in this waste of money.

I am glad that this wonderful movie finally came out in DVD form. I was somewhat disappointed that it did not appear in 16:9 format, but the picture and colors looked terrific on my Sony Bravia TV.Where I felt let down was in the audio department. First of all, the level was too low on the whole thing, requiring an abnormally high setting of my volume control. Also, the musical sections were quite a bit louder than the dialog, requiring volume adjustments when they occurred. Finally, the frequency response strongly favored the upper mid-range, with very little in the way of low end.Despite my reservations about the audio, it was great to see this gem looking so good. It's just as fresh now as it ever was.

Great movie

Fun film. Alda writes, acts and directs! Film is funny and interesting. The battle which is the topic of the book that is the basis for the film in the film is known as "The Cowpens". A battle which was one of the most important and key battles of the Revolutionary War. Look it up and learn about your country's beginning!

Alan Alda es un grande

Ich liebe Alan Alda und dieser Film gehört definitiv zu denen, die man als Fan gesehen haben muss. Ich würde mir wünschen, dass er bei uns in Deutschland auch in deutscher Sprache erhältlich wäre. Aber okay, Originalstimme ist ja ohnehin am schönsten 😉

Why this movie was not an enormous hit when it was released in 1986 is beyond me.It has a fantastic cast - Alan Alda, Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins etc., etc., and a great story.In brief, Alan Alda is a High School teacher who writes a book about his New England town during the Revolutionary Wars and then sells the rights to a movie company.The film makers then descend on the town en-masse to make the movie where the story actually happened.Bob Hoskins is the screen writer constantly at odds with Alan Alda over changes to his story.Michael Caine is the English actor hired to play the big bad Redcoat Officer and completely steals the picture.Watch out for the daily swordfight between Caine and Alda. It is hillarious.One of Michael Caine's best and definately Alda's best since M*A*S*H.Buy and enjoy.

Imprescindible título de Michelle Pfeiffer en Blu-Ray. Maravillosa película.10 €. Gran compra

Bought as "used". There was no problem with the product.