Lee Yul

The Brothers Karamazov (1958) [VHS]
$24.98
I saw this movie many years ago when I was little and liked it right away. It's a classic and I've been searching for a good German and English DVD for years but I found out it's obviously not available on DVD yet which I personally do think is a pity.

The Brothers Karamazov ( The Murderer Dmitri Karamazov ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]
$25.99
Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD:it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ),Spanish ( Dolby Digital Stereo ),WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access,SYNOPSIS: Dostoyevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov is given a Hollywood screen treatment by producer Pandro S. Berman and director Richard Brooks. Yul Brynner plays Dmitri Karamazov, a callous Russian officer who cuckolds his domineering father (Lee J. Cobb) with the old man's mistress Grushenka (Maria Schell). Richard Basehart is Dmitri's intellectual brother Ivan, while William Shatner is the pious Alexey Karamazov; both men eventually enjoy the attentions of the willing Grushenka. The Karamazovs' half-brother is Smedyakov (Albert Salmi), an epileptic whose purpose in the story is clarified after the family patriarch's murder. It is now part of Hollywood folklore that Marilyn Monroe fought long and hard to be cast as the enigmatic Grushenka. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Cannes Film Festival, Oscar Academy Awards,

Two Can Play That Game
$9.99

Kings of the Sun
$14.98
I've complained about movies like "Brave Heart" blatantly distorting actual, recorded historic events, but Kings of the Sun us not guilty of such rubbish. Instead, this is a movie - a story on film - of the "Once upon a time" variety that just happens to utilize Indian tribes with pyramids instead of knights and damsels in castles. The casting is wonderful - couldn't have been better, in fact. Good old Yul is a perfect savage chieftain leading a primitive tribal group of AmerIndians. George Chakiris was a wise choice for a young, inexperienced, unsure and untried, but head strong Mayan prince who suddenly finds himself king of a besieged empire. Richard Basehart shines as the level-headed, foward-looking high priest who is the young king's closest advisor. Barry Morse has a minor role as a second, scheming priest who wants to unseat the king from his thrown, but in spite of its secondary status, Morse does a good job with his role. Then there's Brad Dexter who plays the part of the ever-loyal Mayan war leader to Chakiris's King Ballam. But for me, the really captivating presence in this movie is provided by the devistatingly lovely English actress, Shirley Anne Field, who plays the part of the young, tender-hearted, Mayan aristocrat, Ixchel. She made the whole show worth watching in my view!!
The costuming is great, except it would have been a good idea to have had Yul and his warriors with their faces decorated with war paint during the battle scenes. The story is entertaining enough too, with Chakiris and his last surviving soldiers and priests escaping from his father's capital city while its being attacked by hostile invaders from somewhere in the West. The survivors move across country to a coastal village where they encounter the beautiful Ixchel and her aging father, who are the local nobility of the peaceful place. The stubborn Ballam reluctantly agrees to make Ixchel his queen if his little ruling class group and the villagers can successfully escape the invaders and make an ocean journey across the sea to as yet unknown lands somewhere in the north. Once they finally reach the shores of the new land ( narrowly averting mutiny in the process ), Ixchel refuses Ballam's wedding vow and thus drives a serious emotional wedge between herself and the young king. Of course, they are both deeply in love with one another, but neither will give in and openly let the other know it. Both George Chakiris and Shirley Anne Field do a great job in their roles at this point. He manages to portray a young man who relies on a surface persona of indifference and haughty disregard toward Ixchel, while realistically indicating that underneath he desires her so much he becomes nervous, hesitant, and tongue tied whenever they are alone. She comes up with an equally compelling performance in which her character quietly yearns for some significant indication from the young king that he actually cares for her, only to be put off and disappointed in a series of "almosts" which transpire between the two of them. To compound this melodramatic situation, Yul enters the picture as a captive who is slated to serve as a sacrificial offering to the Mayan gods in order to secure a bright future for Ballam and his people in their new home.
I won't spoil this show for you by revealing what happens after this point, but there's plenty of romance; heart-rending tension between the main stars; and spectacular battle scenes to enjoy. For overall entertainment ( and considering both the time this movie was made and how studios handled such offerings ) KINGS OF THE SUN offers the audience everything they could want and then some. And remember, pay attention to the captivating Shirley Anne Field! She's the perfect foil and love interest for both George Chakris and Yul combined.
Five stars for this one - no doubt about it.