| PRODUCT DETAILS | | Brother From Another Planet | | |
Brother From Another Planet
Having been stymied in the midst of trying to make Matewan, John Sayles wrote what he thought could be a cheap, quick little movie and it turned out to be this near classic, which blends fish-out-of-water comedy with trenchant and serious science fiction. Joe Morton plays an extraterrestrial whose spaceship crashes in New York Harbor. When he swims ashore, he finds that most of Harlem is filled with earthlings who look just like him. He can't speak, but he quickly learns to communicate; he also finds ways to understand these strange, quarrelsome creatures, who seem to talk forever without really saying much. Sayles is at his economic best, drawing a touchingly complex performance from the silent Morton and good acting from a strong supporting cast of mostly unknowns. --Marshall Fine
Manufacturer: Digital 1 Stop
Price: $7.99
 Brother From Another Planet
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| User Reviews |  | A Truly Wonderful Little Film
rating: 5
The Brother From Another Planet is a film about ideas and relationships. It is truly about alination through the eyes of an Alien from another planet.
There are very few 'special effects' this is not about 'WOW! look at that! film" The beginning allows the viewer to understand that the filmmakers were on a limited budget and that the film is not about extravaganzas but about people. It is extremely fummy while allowing the viewer something to chew on after the final credits roll. By using an 'Alien' themes of predjudice and precieved cliches are preasented in a way that is both entertaining and thought provoking. This is a truly fun film but also a well thought out one. the directors' commentary is also excellent and well worth listening to more than once.
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This John Sayles sci fi cult classic is finally released properly!!! Great job MGM!!!
rating: 5
This is a great off-beat sci fi cult classic directed by the one and only John Sayles!!! This 2003 release from MGM is SO MUCH better than the 2001 release by UAV!!! The print is so much cleaner and is in anamorphic widescreen for the first time,The UAV master used for the DVD was most likely a VHS dub that was Pan and Scan,this one seems to be a proper film transfer!!! And this one contains some extras as well like an audio commentary with Sayles,interview w/Sayles,etc!!! A solid release from MGM!!!
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The Brother is Funny
rating: 5
I must say that this movie is one of my all time classics. It is a social commentary on race relations. It is a science fiction movie. It is a comedy. I loved the fact that the Brother sleeps with Dee Dee Bridgewater without ever saying a word. Let that be a lesson to guys who stumble over their tounges trying to come up with a come on line. Just be real and sincere and you may be surprised. Joe Morton is great. His acting was was not over the top. It was inspired on the part of John Sayles to have the Brother land in New York. This could have been a twilight zone episode. It had all the ingredients. A man who could not speak but had special powers living among humans. Get the movie you will enjoy it.
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Morton is Magnificent, Brother Endures Time
rating: 5
If you appreciate fine acting, in particular, the artistry of silent acting, you will want to watch Joe Morton over and over again in this low-budget classic from John Sayles. Part Chaplin, part Keaton, even part Harpo, Morton is simply magnificent. His gestures and movements, his body language and facial expressions encompass a huge physical vocabulary from frightened innocence to gleeful joy, from tired resignation to bold determinism. In a heroic dash up and down Harlem, Morton's character pulls the audience along on a sometimes comic, sometimes gritty extraterrestrial flight from intergalactic cops.
The Brother from Another Planet, Sayles's funky sci-fi, grand metaphor of sanctuary and immigration, immortalizes Morton as a great silent star. Probably best known for his supporting role in Terminator 2 as the self-sacrificing scientist, he ironically enough got his start in the 1968 Broadway production of Hair and later earned a Tony Best Actor nomination for his performance in a musical version of A Raisin in the Sun. BTW, the first music you hear in Brother is a clip of rap that Morton's character "hears" from the graffiti-covered walls on a deserted back street. (Yes, he is able to pick up "lost" voices from walls and chairs and public spaces.) Watch the credits at the end and you will discover that the rapper is Morton himself!
Of course there is more to Brother than Joe Morton's sterling performance. Endless metaphors of racial inequality, issues of otherness, bureaucracy, drug trafficking, alienation, slavery, and the funny sadness of people constantly wrapped up in themselves resound throughout the film. Not as rough as a Sun Ra flick, but certainly as genuine and homey and wise, Brother endures time and looks just as current as when it was made in 1984.
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Original and wonderfully fun to watch
rating: 5
If you enjoy quirky and dark humor, this is a delightful and thoughtful film. My wife and I are very happy to own this film.
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Brother From Another Planet
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