Circle of Two (1981)

GOOD SCRIPT-DIRECTOR-AND ACTING

I got this movie in a 10 pack. This film pays for the whole thing! Burton is excellent! No over acting; very realistic. It may just be his best role! Tatum is very good. Young girls CAN be very smart. I love the line: robbing the cradle, robbing the grave (something like that). I like the realism of all the characters. Hey, it's an old guy's best daydream, like me. Let's see, he was 60; she was almost 16. I am 63, so maybe I have a chance at a 19 year old? But I am not a famous artist, and I don't look like Burton. Back to the movie. It starts out kinda slow--but with some nice dialogue--and gets more interesting towards the end. I really think they could have gotten away with a full nude Tatum, instead of hiding her lower part behind the chair. It would have not offended anyone and made it more realistic. February 24, 2007

Sappy maybe, but a great love story!!

I saw this movie when I was about 18 or 19 and I loved it then. Its corny and a bit sappy, but its a great movie if you believe in love at first sight or that it can happen any place and time. I especially love the song written by Stanley Jay Gelber and sung by Kacey Cisyk. Buy this movie at the low price, then sit back and relive a time when you were young and open to all things concerning love and enjoy!! January 11, 2007

Good for free shipping, barely

This is a fairly bad movie. Basically, young girl is smitten with boring old artist - kiss-kiss, no sex. He is rejuvenated into pursuing his art again. Now, girl has trouble with ex-boyfriend, trouble with parents. Wistful goodbye. The End.

The attraction for 60-year old dormant artist "Ashley St. Clair" (Burton) by just-turning-16-year old "Sarah" (O'Neal) just does not seem realistic. I don't mean the age difference, I mean the chemistry. It fizzled. They don't even look at each other during the long "meaningful" speeches. The acting by the leads was marginal at best, and poor by the unknown supporting actors. Nothing in this movie worked, including plot, screenplay, dialog, lighting, wardrobe, or sappy music. It is all pretty amateurish in quality.

The movie was made in the era "back then" when child nudity was implied or express, such as in many Brooke Shields movies, so for three-ninety eight, you can see Tatum's ta-tas for about 5 seconds. I don't know if that makes it worth the money, because you will never get the time back.

The image is VHS quality at best, with occasional specks, jumps, glitches and shimmies. Sound is passable - perhaps mono if not mediocre stereo. No menu or any features whatsoever. Perhaps it will put your small order into the free shipping status, like it did for me.

October 5, 2006

Burton.

This may not be the greatest film Richard Burton was ever in but he brings a magical element to it, Richard Burton. The young Tatum O'Neal does an excellent job despite a rather weak story line. It is worth a look if you are a fan of either actor. If you are a fan of Burton it is required viewing simply because it is one of the last full length films that this true genius made.

Burton fans of the world, look at this film and see what a genius of an actor can bring to a less than spectacular film. I still bow to his memory. July 15, 2006

What a waste

I liked the idea of this story, but what I didn't like was the acting. Tatum O'Neal is too 'knowing' for a 15 year old and I'm afraid Richard Burton (whom I normally think of as some kind of acting God) simply sleepwalks through his role. Tatum (as Sarah)comes across as too smart, knowing and sophisticated; Richard (as Ashley St Clair - what a name!)is wooden and almost tight-lipped in his scenes with Sarah. I was really quite shocked by how bad (and thin) Richard Burton looked in this film and, quite frankly, I was surprised that he'd taken on such a miserable script. Much more could have been made of this if only it had had more bite and sting to it. Instead, a convenient (and conventional) ending is what we get and it's such a disappointment. Sorry, but this one's a turkey (and I HATE saying that about anything with RB in it!). June 19, 2006

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