Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

jfarms1956 The Comedians is a film best enjoyed by those who are 30 years or older and who enjoy the wonderful stars of the 1960s. This movie is worth watching for the wonderful stars of Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, and Peter Ustinov. These alone make the movie. I enjoy watching the on-screen romance between the Burton and Taylor, knowing that off screen they were also in love. The movie is a prime time movie, even competing with today's movies. The biggest problems with this movie is that it is too long and too predictable. The movie is a bit slow at many points. However, I still enjoy watching and listening to the stars in the film. Enjoy the film with any snack or even with a TV dinner. I give it 4 thumbs up.

dechampsmathieu When I bought "The Comedians" in DVD, I had never heard before of that movie, although I am a fan of the cinema of the specific era. Moreover, it surprised me I didn't know anything about a film with such an excellent cast: it isn't easy to find Burton, Taylor, Guinness, Ustinov, Gish and Ford in the same movie. And there was something else: it was based on a novel and written for the screen by an author whose work I admire: Graham Greene. Therefore, I was curious to find out why a movie with so many virtues flopped and was so soon forgotten. After watching it, I understood: "The Comedians" is a movie that was made for the general audience, a film that should be fun, fast and easy to digest, a typical Hollywood epic. However, it contains none of the classic ingredients: a) it isn't fun, it is a serious political drama, with a deeply British, cynical and black humour, b) it is not melodramatic enough and the love story between Burton and Taylor evolves quite unorthodoxically, without any clichés, c) it isn't fast at all, it's almost three hours without impressive action scenes and much - quite sophisticated - dialogue, d) it isn't easy to digest, it is a sad and bitter movie with an ambiguous ending. These are the reasons why "The Comedians" flopped, but they are also the reasons that make the film exceptionally interesting. Set in Tahiti during the dictatorship of Francois Duvalier ("Papa Doc"), an ideal location for Graham Greene's stories, it demonstrates the cruelty of the regime, through the story of 6 Westerners and some locals in the background. It is a big, flawless production providing food for thought accompanied by excellent cinematography, professional directing and a slow, but strong and memorable scenario. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the brutal dictatorship is exceptional, the actors give magnificent performances and it is also one of the few films that end without an answer, without a typical happy or tragic ending. I recommend it to viewers that enjoy films that provide more than a pleasant evening.

robb_772 After delighting audiences in director Franco Zeffirelli's 1967 hit adaptation of Shakespeare's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, the Burtons' popularity with audiences seemed to be on the wane as their next film, Peter Glenville's THE COMEDIANS (1967) became their first full-fledged box office disappointment. There was much publicity surrounding the political thriller as it shot in Africa (masquerading as Haiti) and the fact that Taylor accepted half her usual salary and took second billing behind Burton kept gossips wagging for months (she reportedly only took the part out of fear of being replaced with Sophia Loren). But when the film opened, critics found it slow and talky and audiences simply seemed uninterested. Although the film is never quite as interesting or as suspenseful as it could have been, I dare say that THE COMEDIANS probably plays a great deal better today without the heavy expectations of the time surrounding it.Graham Greene does a respectable job of paring down his complex novel for the screen, and director Glenville keeps the film moving at a reasonable pace in spite of its lengthy runtime of 150 minutes. The film is always interesting and occasionally gripping, although Greene and Glenville keep the audience at a relative distance which prevents the picture from striking as hard as it could have. Burton is in good form, and Alec Guinness, Paul Ford, and Lillian Gish all turn in top notch support (only Peter Ustinov feels under utilized). Unfortunately, Taylor is dreadfully miscast as a German military wife – complete with a woefully unconvincing accent – and her ill-fitting presence creates several lulls in the film as the number of scenes between her character and Burton's character are increased (in order to give the diva her proper screen time) which hampers a few long stretches of the film and slightly undermines what could have been a first-rate effort.

sol (There are Spoilers) Set in the brutal and impoverish dictatorship of 1960's Haiti where President Papa Doc Duvaliers notorious secret police the Tonton Macoute had eyes and ears in every wall and under every rock in the country.British Major Jones, Alec Guinness, thinking that he's in with the Haitian government gets the surprise of his life as he's grabbed beaten and humiliated by the Tonton as soon as he stepped off the boat. His crime? having received some $300,000.00 back in Miami for arms from the Haitian military and not delivering the goods. It turned out the major had no idea that his contact back in Miami a brigadier Pike took off with the cash. Yet he like the Haitian Col. Bische, who was the Majors contact here on the island, had to pay for Pike's crimes.While Jones in cooling off in a hot Tonton prison cell Brown, Richard Burton, who came off the same boat with the Major is back on the island to run his bankrupt hotel in downtown Port-au-Prince. Brown had been away on business in New York for three months and now can't wait to get back to Martha Pineda (Elizbeath Taylor), his not so secret love. Martha just happens to be the wife of the America Ambassador Mr. Pineda, Peter Ustinov, to Haiti. Brown is a bit taken up when he comes back home to his hotel to find the dead body a a friend and local politician Philipot in the hotel's empty swimming pool. Brown is told by the butler Joseph that he was murdered by the Tonton for saying unkindly things about Papa Doc after he got himself drunk in a seafront bar.The movie goes into a number of unrelated and boring stories with an elderly American couple the Smiths, Paul Ford & Lilian Gish,showing up at the hotel. They turned out to be the only guest there with Mr. Smith now trying to get the Papa Doc regime to buy his natural and healthy food products that he's pushing . There's also a number of bloody and stomach churning Voodoo ceremonies including the biting off the head of a live chicken and some of the people present drinking themselves blind drunk on 150% plus proof rum. This drinking orgy is done in order to conjure up the ancient spirits to do battle against the brutal Papa Doc regime.Brown even though he's having an affair with a married woman, Martha, is extremely jealous of anyone who as much as even talks to her, even Martha's Teddy Bear husband the ambassador. Which makes him anything but likable or sympathetic but a low down and creepy sleaze-ball to the audience. Even Major Jones is later seen selling out by going along with the Papa Doc boys to gain his freedom. It takes the bravery of young Henri Philopot, George Stanford, and his good friend and the Brown and Pineda family physician Dr. Magiot, James Earl Jones, to bring whatever good and courageousness there's still left in both Brown and Jones out into the open to get them to take off in the hills and mountains to do battle.Overly long, two and a half hours, movie with a lot of meaningless scenes in it that if cut out would have actually improved the film instead of water-logging it. Dick & Liz, Burton & Taylor, try to get it on all throughout the film without any real sparks flying in the some half dozen scenes that they were in together. Brown was so psychotic in his jealousy of Martha having an affair, with anyone but himself, even fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Martha's lying to him about having an affair with that stuffy and obnoxious BS artist Major Jones, hardy her type of man to spend a evening in bed with. This was done just to snap that cranky nut-job out of his self-induced depression.Major Jones gets high on rum and drives out into the hills, with Brown behind the Wheel, to join the anti-Papa Doc Haitian resistance tells Brown, not knowing that Martha is his main squeeze, that he had it on with Martha which was just harmless juvenile-like or locker room boasting on the Major's part. It almost cost both his and Brown's life as the insanely jealous Mister Brown, hearing of the Major's imaginary conquest, stepped down hard on the gas peddle as if he wanted to drive his car off a cliff and almost ended up doing so!