Customer Reviews
Amazing - By: Maroun H. Khoury, 17 Sep 2008 
Excellent collection .ALL of the 4 DVDs are of good quality. My Wife & I fell into tears after watching "it is a wonderful life". The "Rear Window" is simply amazing .. good suspense Hitchcock style. "Mr Smith goes to Washington" gives an authentic view of how politicians scheme & conspire.
A gentle approach - By: Mr. David Halliday, 30 Dec 2007 The 4 films that come with this boxset are a fine example of an actor whose style was unique & touching.
The 2 best known titles here are my least favourite. Mr.Smith goes to washington is funny & has a gentle,if albeit right wing, swing at the slippery slope of American politics. It's a wonderful life is many peoples favourite all time film with Stewarts family everyman having a crisis of faith as the wicked & greedy seem to be taking over his home town, leaving no room for a decent man like himself. To aid himin his re-conversion to 'the right viewpoint' Stewart is sent an angel called Clarence who will only earn his wings by convincing Stewarts character to re-join the all-American way. It's easy to see why this is so popular but I am left cold by the rather sickly sweet coating & the fact that for all it's preaching of how wonderful life is it's the 'what if' sequence of 'Potterville' that we all livein now & Stewarts hometown is just a fantasy that never happened.
Harvey is quite frankly barking mad but it is all the better for it. A really simple idea of a rich man,(whisper itin today's PC society, he's an alchoholic), see's a 6 foot bunny no one else can. So there's an almighty effort to get him locked up so his money can be got at. That we never see the rabbit until the end & yet we believe it's constantly with Stewart is testimony to his acting ability. Harvey is funny & charming.
Rear window is something of a different era to the other 3 entirely & for my money is one of Hitchcocks finest. Grace Kelley shimmersin Dior throughout & as the housebound photographer getting suspicious of his dodgy neighbour,( a menacing Raymond Burr), Stewart is again extremely likeable. It's hard to believe that a film set inside 1 room looking out onto a tenement block opposite could be so gripping but Hitchcock wrings this for all it's worth & Kelly & Stewart have great chemistry.
Allin all the 4 films here are different enough to appeal to all, you'll probably disagree with my choices & see things I missed but the one thing to agree on is that this a great chance to see a very likeable & talented actor at his peak.
Excellent boxed set - By: Mr. S. Crook, 15 Mar 2007 Four excellent James Stewart films. I've got used to boxed sets having 1 good film & three clunkers. Not this one. The prints arein excellent condition with decent sound, 'Mr Smith Goes To Washington' is really clear & crisp. Some of the discs also have documentary features about the film/actors.
You get two Democrat morality filmsin Mr Smith Goes To Washington, & It's A Wonderful Life. Don't be put off, both are funny, heartwarming & as relevant to the life we're leading now as they were when they were made.
Harvey is hard to describe, but any film about a man who is followed around by an invisible 6 foot rabbit is going to be unusual.
Rear Window is, well, Hitchcock...
If you've not really seen much of James Stewart & are wondering which films to watch there's no better place to start.
