Tyrone Power Collection (Blood and Sand / Son of Fury / The Black Rose / Prince of Foxes / The Captain from Castile)

arrived promptly in good condition--a series of good movies. I particularly enjoyed "Captain from Castille"

I love Classics, especially from the 40's and 50's and Tyrone Power is one of my favorites. I normally don't buy boxed sets because they normally mix in some average or poor movies with the really good ones. However, that was not the case here --- all of the movies were good!

Growing up I saw old Tyrone Power movies on television. Even deciding to buy this collection I had not remembered how great he was on the screen. His co-stars are of equal standing and each of these films can stand alone on their merit. The filming & scenary! His talent lights up the screen in each. If you like classic Tyrone-you will never regret buying this collection-it is a must have.

Although Tyrone Power is probably a forgotten star to many, this collection of some of his most exciting adventure films reminds those who remember him, or those who are at least familiar with some of his work, what star power once meant during the "Golden Age of Hollywood". Each of the films are my personal favorites, and the DVDs in the collection contain some interesting extras such as interviews with Power's surviving family members and former co-stars, as well as audio commentaries film historians, film composers, and other film professionals. Each DVD also contains separate audio track of each film's original soundtrack. The "Blood and Sand" DVD transfer uses a recently restored print that brings to life the film's original "old fashioned" bold and vivid Technicolor. All in all, this collection is definitely worth owning whether you're a fan or just interested in a star whose name rarely heard anymore.

Tyrone Power was too earnest and straight forward to be a great actor, but he had what it takes to be a great movie star. The earnestness of his acting made him likable, even in those rare occasions when he played a heel. He was startlingly handsome as a young man. Even as his looks matured after WWII, he maintained his status as a romantic leading man up to his death of a heart attack when he was 49. As a heel, a hero or as a period swashbuckler, Power had that undefinable quality that made people want to buy tickets to his movies. These five swashbucklers, as variable in quality and corniness as they are, give a fine picture of Tyrone Power, movie star. He had to fight to be taken seriously as an actor, so I hope everyone who buys this set will also take a look at Power in Nightmare Alley (1947). The characters he plays in this set -- Juan Gallardo, Benjamin Blake, Pedro de Vargas, Andrea Orsini, Walter of Gurnie -- you'll probably forget. You'll remember Power as Stanton Carlisle.

Blood and Sand (1941) -- Blood and Sand is not a swashbuckler, but an allegory of a man's pride, lust and ambition, played out in the bullring, about a man who is redeemed by the love of a good woman and a death ennobled by regret. In other words, the movie is a Hollywood weeper. Still, it shows what can be accomplished when professionals take hold of a teary melodrama and give it color, sleekness, sex and, at 27, an extraordinarily handsome leading man in Tyrone Power. Rita Hayworth, as the femme fatale, is almost as pretty.

Son of Fury (1942) -- If Son of Fury were the title of a paperback novel, we'd expect a bodice-ripping, heavy-breathing Regency romance. What we have is a highly professional Darryl F. Zanuck adventure of surprising innocence and charm. Everything about the movie, from the actors to the script to the cinematography, features such a high level of craftsmanship that the few corny moments pass quickly. The story, even with a stolen inheritance, a wicked uncle and a South Seas cutie, is told with such professional attention to naivety that we cheer for Ben, hiss his uncle, and even find the unlikely conclusion satisfying.

Captain from Castile (1947) - If Captain from Castile is remembered much today it probably is because of one of the most rousing marches a Hollywood composer ever wrote. The "Conquest" theme is heard only three times, and the first two are brief but effective scene setters. We have to wait until the movie is almost over and Hernan Cortez is setting out on his march to the Aztec capital of Tenochititlan for the full treatment. The music, by Alfred Newman, embraces the moment, with hundreds of soldiers, the priests, the natives, the hangers-on spreading out before us, the horizon lightening and a single volcano smoking in the distance. The theme is inspiring, martial, emotional, uplifting and memorable. It's enough to make most movie goers want to sign up and most historians queasy. After all, in less than a generation a civilization of between 2 million and 6 million people was obliterated.

Prince of Foxes (1949) -- If passionate love, convivial betrayals and loyalty one can change as quickly as one's shirt intrigues you, you'll most likely enjoy Prince of Foxes. If nothing else, you'll learn a great party trick that involves two eyeballs and two thumbs. Prince of Foxes, in my view, is one of the best of the Tyrone Power adventure films. It stands out in part because we find ourselves operating in the lusty, double-dealing world of Cesare Borgia. And while Orson Welles, who plays Borgia, can't resist slicing the ham with gusto, it must be admitted that he brings a lot of joie de vivre to villainy.

The Black Rose (1950) -- And what's a black rose? We're told it is the name given to the clove, the most precious of spices. In this case, the clove is Maryam, played by Cecile Aubry. She was a small French actress who looks no older than 14. She has a small mouth which is filled with tiny teeth and a plump tongue, and she occasionally jumps about to express enthusiasm. If Vera-Ellen and Charlie McCarthy had ever had a child, it would look a lot like Cecile Aubry. The movie, The Black Rose, is no stinker, but the one insuperable drawback is its disjointed nature. We move from Norman England 200 years after William the Conqueror, to the middle-east and then on to a Mongol army moving and battling its way toward China, then to the imperial court of China itself, and finally back to England. It seems to me to be one of Power's weakest romantic-adventure films.