b-smith Reviews

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (1981 TV Movie)

A great movie that offers a glimpse into what Jackie was like while married to JFK

[10/10 · 29 September 2006]

This is a great movie staring Jaclyn Smith covering the period of time of Jackie's childhood through when Jackie met Jack Kennedy and married him up until Jack's death in Dallas. It offers a glimpse of what Jackie was like during this period and what being married to JFK was like. The period of time called Camelot was a magical time in US history and this film offers a unique and up beat perspective into this period.

For example there is a part in the film where Jackie went to Europe and Jack asked here to bring back some books. A whole crate of them. After they were married Jackie complained that the press asked here questions like if her panties were cotton or nylon. Jack said that when you give them something better to talk about they will and that's when she decided to renovate the White House.

Jaclyn Smith's acting is superb and the contrast between the role she plays and Jackie's alcoholic father is quite interesting. It's an great addition the body of knowledge about Jackie and JFK and a great Jaclyn Smith film.

The VHS tape version that is currently available has a running time of 122 minutes. The original version was 150 minutes. It would be nice if ABC Circle Films who produced the film in 1981 or whoever owns it would release the entire 150 minutes on DVD.

Danger Beneath the Sea (2001 TV Movie)

A must see action movie on attack subs

[9/10 · 22 January 2005]

Danger beneath the sea is an excellent movie.

It's similar to the movie Crimson Tide but this time it's an attack boat that has a mutiny and threatens to launch nuclear tipped Tomahawk missiles and start world war 3. It's a must see for anyone interested in subs and it is an excellent action / adventure movie. While in some respects the movie is not 100% technically accurate and the naval jargon is dumbed down a bit the filmography is excellent. Inaccuracies aside the threat of nuclear launch is a lot more believable than in the movie Crimson Tide.

Crimson Tide and the Hunt for Red October are two other excellent movies but they are out of date. This time the theoretical enemy is North Korea. This movie also takes a close look at the decisions a submarine skipper must make in isolation of commanders above him. It's amazing that a two billion dollar piece of machinery that can fire nuclear missiles is commanded by a person under the age of thirty.