On video: Maguire, Jewel 'Ride with the Devil'

Jeffrey Wright, Tobey Maguire and Jewel in "Ride With The Devil"

Disney on DVD

July 18, 2000
Web posted at: 1:55 p.m. EDT (1755 GMT)

In this story: Ride with the Devil Disney DVD tips RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Scott Hettrick

(Universal, VHS priced for rental, DVD $24.98, rated R) 1999.
Directed by Ang Lee; starring Skeet Ulrich, Tobey Maguire, Jeffrey Wright, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jim Caviezel and Jewel Kilcher.

After too many graphic depictions of brutal violence in this "Ride's" first hour, the two-hour, 19-minute picture settles into a much more palatable character study.

Accomplished director Ang Lee ("Sense and Sensibility," "The Ice Storm") seems unnecessarily distracted with capturing the harsh realities of the guerrilla skirmishes of the border battles between Missouri and Kansas during the Civil War in the first half. In fact, so much time is spent on fighting and killing and so little time on character development that many viewers may still be confused about who is who and what side anybody is on by the time the widescreen epic reaches its midpoint.

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The fact that so many of the main male characters are dressed in similar scroungy clothing and have scraggly long hair doesn't help matters. But when Lee decides to return to what he does best, "Ride With the Devil" grows into an engaging film.

This is helped in no small part by the introduction of a female love interest, played well by singer Jewel (credited with the last name of Kilcher). Her introduction slightly precedes the departure of her initial love interest, Jack Bull Chiles, also played convincingly by Skeet Ulrich.

But it's Tobey Maguire who winds up holding up the last half of the movie with a terrific performance as the childhood friend and partner of Jack Bull and two other men, including a free black slave with sympathies for the South.

The movie begins with the quartet joining forces with a vicious group of local Southern sympathizers called Bushwhackers whose aim is to retaliate against the pro-Union Jayhawkers who occupy towns such as Lawrence, Kan. They do this by riding from farm to farm and killing men, women and children in cold blood at point-blank range. Such violent actions subside only when the woman -- a young widow -- enters their lives and they settle in hiding for the winter. At that point, they all get a little perspective on things, although there is no sign of reflection or remorse, only consideration as to whether they want to continue an activity that puts their own lives in jeopardy.

Three more Disney animated features have been released on DVD (for $29.99 each), two lesser-known theatrical compilations of musical cartoons and a recent movie:

"Pocahontas" was one of the top Disney-animated-movie moneymakers of all time but is sadly not considered by many to be one of Disney's stronger efforts. It is. "Pocahontas" is a delightful spin on the historical story and is filled with terrific songs, such as "Colors of the Wind" and "Just Around the River Bend," which can be enjoyed best in this DVD presentation.

Although this release does not offer nearly as much supplemental material as the special laserdisc edition, including a rare deleted scene that was built around yet another wonderful song, "If I Never Knew You" -- a song that wound up being played over the end credits -- it does provide the music-video version of the song as well as the music video of "Colors of the Wind."

The DVD also features a basic trivia game and a storybook that can be read or followed along by young DVD users.

"Make Mine Music" and "Melody Time" come just as attention to Disney's most celebrated music-driven collection of animated shorts is being revived with the theatrical release of the updated "Fantasia 2000."

Although many of the shorts in these compilations have become well-known individually, they were originally strung together along with "Fun and Fancy Free" as Disney's first three post-World War II theatrical releases from 1946 to '48. Originally a 75-minute collection of 10 shorts in 1946, "Make Mine Music" is presented here as a 67-minute compilation of nine shorts, without the opening segment "The Martins and the Coys" that depicted feuding families who shoot and kill each other.

Among the remaining nine segments is "Blue Bayou," originally created for "Fantasia" to accompany "Clair de Lune"; the swinging "All the Cats Join in" and "After You've Gone" with music by Benny Goodman and his orchestra; "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnett," sung by the Andrews Sisters; and the two most famous cartoons in the movie, "Casey at the Bat" and "Peter and the Wolf."

Also included as extras on the "Make Mine Music"' DVD are the music-related Disney animated shorts "The Band Concert," "Farmyard Symphony" and "Music Land."

"Melody Time" is a 75-minute program consisting of seven shorts that were arranged in a different order in the film's original theatrical release in 1948. The most prominent of the shorts are "Johnny Appleseed" and "Pecos Bill."

Other segments include the adorable tale of a tugboat called "Little Toot" sung by the Andrews Sisters; and the lovely animated musical postcard "Once Upon a Wintertime," depicting a winter romance between human and bunny couples sleighing and skating in the 1800s.

The "Melody Time" DVD also presents three fun cartoon shorts as a bonus: "Casey Bats Again" (why isn't this paired with the original "Casey at the Bat" on the "Make Mine Music"' DVD?), "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" and "Donald Applecore," the latter featuring Donald Duck pitted in one of his many entertaining encounters against his cute chipmunk irritants Chip and Dale.

(c) 2000, Scott Hettrick. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

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