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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Eleven Harrowhouse')

 

Directed by Aram Avakian
USA
1974

 

This Is Like No Robbery You’ve Ever Imagined
The Challenge: Steal $12 billion dollars in uncut diamonds.
The Task: Break into the most securely guarded fortress devised by man.
The Plan: Use amateurs armed with ingenuity, guts, a cockroach, a thin cord and a vacuum cleaner.
The Risk: Death.

With the help of a wealthy widow (Candice Bergen), an eccentric oil baron (Trevor Howard), an angry employee (James Mason), and, of course, a cockroach, a talented burglar (Charles Grodin) attempts a daring robbery of the world’s largest clearinghouse for gems.

Based on the novel by Gerald A. Browne and adapted by Charles Grodin, 11 Harrowhouse delivers precise wit and comedy through its talented ensemble cast, resulting in a wild-ride spoof on suspense thrillers.

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 26th, 1974

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DVD Review: Shout! Factory - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK to order from:

Distribution Shout! Factory - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime 1:35:12 
Video 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.46 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s   

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0) 
Subtitles None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Shout! Factory

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1

Edition Details:

• Trailer (2:30) 

DVD Release Date: February 1st, 2011

Transparent Keep Case
Chapters: 13

 

Comments:

Yea - this is pretty cute with a great cast. I'd never heard of it before but folds into the mold of similar tongue-in-cheek caper films. This focuses on an inventive plan, with a cockroach, to steal the billion-dollar contents of a London diamond broker. I kept thinking of Flawless with Michael Caine as the 'inside man' - here it's James Mason who is also resentful of his forthcoming retirement pension. 11 Harrowhouse has Grodin occasionally narrating which, along with Candy Bergman as sidekick, adds a much needed distraction from the typical proceedings. Overall - quite enjoyable. 

This is a bare-bones single-layered, progressive and anamorphic transfer in the film's original 2.35 aspect ratio. It is not particularly sharp but is clean and consistent. The source of this 20th Century Fox film seems in good shape and Shout! Factory have simply rendered it to disc without any manipulation fanfare.

Audio is unremarkable but close, I'll wager, to the way it was produced. There are no subtitles and only a trailer as an extra.

It has taken a while but we keep getting some of these decent flics out on DVD for the first time. I'm usually less a fan of the comedy-infused thrillers but this kind of works in a weird way. The performances are spot-on, atmosphere excellent and Bergman's smile makes it a nice evening in the home theater. Shout! Factory aren't gouging on the price but considering the lack of extras it should have gone for a few bucks less. Still, many will embrace the value. 

Gary W. Tooze

 


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DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK to order from:

Distribution Shout! Factory - Region 1 - NTSC



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