Breakout

Breakout VHS box cover art. Action adventure drama movie starring Charles Bronson, Robert Duvall, Jill Ireland. With Randy Quaid, Sheree North, John Huston. Directed by Tom Gries. 1975.

Breakout on VHS. Starring Charles Bronson, Robert Duvall, Jill Ireland. With Randy Quaid, Sheree North, John Huston. Directed by Tom Gries. 1975.

From the box:

Imprisonment in a foreign country… it may be a fate worse than death. Jay Wagner (Robert Duvall) is framed for murder by his scheming grandfather (John Huston). Unjustly convicted, he faces 28 hard years of confinement in a crowded Mexican prison. Wagner’s guilt-ridden wife, Ann (Jill Ireland), who unwittingly aided in framing him by confiding in the grandfather, turns to pilot Nick Colton (Charles Bronson) and his partner, Hawk (Randy Quaid), to help Wagner escape. Only the most cunning and daring tactics can spring Wagner so Colton must plan the impossible. Breakout builds to an explosive climax when Colton launches an all-out desperate helicopter raid that will either rescue the prisoner or cost the lives of all involved.

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Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Treasure of the Sierra Madre on VHS. Classic action adventure drama film starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt. With Bruce Bennett, Alfonso Bedoya. Directed by John Huston. 1948.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre on VHS. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt. With Bruce Bennett, Alfonso Bedoya. Directed by John Huston. 1948.

The stinking box says:

Pure cinematic gold! This triple Academy Award-winner well deserves its status as a renowned classic. Both a riveting adventure story and a richly sardonic fable, Treasure of the Sierra Madre digs deep into the depths of the human soul, producing one of Hollywood’s all time richest finds.

Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt play a trio of Americans on the bum in 1920’s Tampico. Pooling their resources, they strike off into the mountains of Mexico in search of gold. Hounded by jungle Indians, a fortune-hunting Texan (Bruce Bennett), and cold-blooded banditos (led by Alfonso “I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!” Bedoya), they finally must confront they most dangerous adversaries of all… themselves.

As the crusty Fred C. Dobbs, who succumbs completely to his lust for gold, Bogart’s performance stands as a high point in his grand career. But it was the Huston father-and-son team who won the film’s three Academy Awards — Walter for Best Supporting Actor and John for Best Director and Screenplay.

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Beat the Devil

Beat the Devil VHS box cover art. Classic adventure comedy crime movie starring Humphrey Bogart. With Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lorre, Robert Morley, Marco Tulli, Ivor Barnard, Edward Underdown. Screenplay by Truman Capote. Directed by John Huston. 1953.

Beat the Devil on VHS. Starring Humphrey Bogart. With Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lorre, Robert Morley, Marco Tulli, Ivor Barnard, Edward Underdown. Screenplay by Truman Capote. Directed by John Huston. 1953.

From the box:

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A strange lot of characters plot to capture a uranium treasure on the African Coast.

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Chinatown

Chinatown VHS cover art. Movie starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston. Directed by Roman Polanski. 1974.

Chinatown on VHS. Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston. Directed by Roman Polanski. 1974.

From the box:

Jack Nicholson is private-eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway), to investigate her husband’s extramarital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for one, unforgettable night in Chinatown.

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The Hobbit

The Hobbit on VHS. Starring Orson Bean, John Huston, Brother Theodore. Directed by Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr. 1977.

The Hobbit on VHS. Starring Orson Bean, John Huston, Brother Theodore, Richard Boone, Otto Preminger, Hans Conried, Cyril Ritchard, Glenn Yarbrough. Directed by Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr. 1977.

From the box:

The place is Middle Earth. The time is long ago, when man shared his days with elves, wizards, goblins, dragons, heroes… and hobbits. Bilbo Baggins is a hero and a hobbit, a roundish, peaceable homebody who sets off on a dangerous quest–even though adventures make hobbits late for dinner!

The adventure begins when the great wizard Gandalf enlists Bilbo’s aid in retrieving a fabulous treasure stolen from friendly dwarves. All Bilbo must do is brave dark forest, towering mountains, hobbit-eating trolls, a slimy Gollum, gigantic spiders, a flame-breathing dragon and more terrors that would alarm any hobbit who’d much rather be home eating buttered muffins. But, reluctantly, off Bilbo goes — so dragons beware!

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