DVDs:

	Patterns Van Heflin, Everett Sloane ROAN, 2005 average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Written by Twilight Zone and Night Gallery creator Rod Serling, PATTERNS is the made for Television movie based off the successful play.

DVD EXTRAS:

- Informative and intriguing introduction by chief film critic for the New York Post, Lou Luminick!
- Lloyd Kaufman on the depiction of "business" in Hollywood and Independent Cinema.
- Rod Serling scene from "Stuck on You" featuring Prof. Irwin Corey.
- Vincent Sherman on Hollywood and the business of blacklisting.
- Film Background and Production Notes
- A lesson from the "Make Your Own Damn Movie" DVD Box Set.
- ?and many exclusive Roan DVD Extras.

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Patterns- the movie version

This film is a superb piece of work. The direction is solid and riveting, and the casting is excellent. Every actor contributes in a major way and adds to the tension and saddness as the story unfolds. Everett Sloane and Ed Begley are the foundation for this film, and I would say that this movie is probably Van Heflin's finest (as Fred Staples). I only wish the "live" television version (Kraft Television Theatre) was available, for Richard Kiley was the definitive Fred Staples. Since the television performance was "live," it added to the tension and intimacy of the actors, and the build-up from the beginning was electric.

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Patterns - PROVES GREED WAS GOOD BEFORE WALL STREET - AN AWESOME TRANSFER TOO!

This DVD proves that Greed Was Good in Big Business long before the Movie Wall Street's now infamous phrase "Greed Is Good!". Mr Ramsey of Ramsey Companies is a brutally driven man small in stature but gigantic in his business domain he rules like a tyrant! Flanked by his pocket shark an equally heartless cold fish head office manager named Ms Lannier whose job it is see things get done to Mr Ramseys liking. Ms Lannier is totally business like in ways ruthless and effcient also patrols the corporate executive halls of Ramsey Company making sure everyone is fully engaged in towing their part of the corporate load.

There's the rub, one member of Ramsey's executive staff one Mr. Briggs is definately NOT pulling what Ramsey feels is his part of the corporate load. Ramsey made sure something was done quietly to address the situation involving a faltering doddering unsatisfactory efforts of Mr Briggs. That nice Mr. Staples a from a factory out in the corn midwest somewheres a man who is an Industrial Engineer by profession and people person by instinct was hired to help failing Mr. Briggs supposedly as an assistant! But are things ever what they seem in business NOPE!

It is later revealed that Mr Staples is Mr. Briggs replacement and then the dye is cast. Mr Ramsey rides Briggs without mercy never letting up on beating down poor old Mr Briggs for even one moment. This is class corporate warfare where the object is to destroy your enemies with pen, ink and properly used words. Ramsey was ably helped by his hench-woman Ms lannier who spread thick the bloody chum of rumours that suggested that Briggs days at the Ramsey Company firm were numbered best in smaller single digits.

Ramsey the consumate corporate shark swim circles around old skool trusting kind Mr Briggs a throwback to the humane gentility of a bygone day. Ramsey an middle aged man himself embraced the new cut throat bigger is better and do anything to get bigger business mantality. To Ramsey Briggs was a fossil touting old world corporate virtues of loyal to workers when Ramsey wanted a hard cold bootom line oriented plan to grow the company andif workers had to suffer along the way so be it if their suffering makes the company bigger, stronger and hence more competitive.

Staples was the man with the plans Ramsey wanted to hear and Ramsey said so to Briggs at every turn. Ramsey really lays into Briggs with a gusto only a saddist could love, I mean this was mean so bad I think it would turn stomachs in todays borad rooms. Briggs body falling apart driven to hard drinking first thing in the morning and in secret at work and home is a broken man. Briggs however has a pair and as such will not let Ramswy just force him out like a used shoe. What happens next. Will Briggs finally get the message and leave. Will Mr Staples a genuinely nice man stay with Ramsey and company after seeing the perfectly evil things Ramsey will do to force Briggs out.

Man this is an awesome DVD and to find out all those things you mustbuy the DVD it is worth it and then some.

I will address the quality of the transfer before ending. the quality of this transfer is the best I have seen. I have seen the Kenetiscope version that was done for TV which is horrible, scratchy, too white uneven grainy beyond beleif and sound quality I would not wish on anyone. I saw a VHS version that was only barely passable. This DVD version is by FAR superior when compared to both the VHS and the Keniscope versions I have seen. This version of patterns is not perfect but it is so much better than everything else I have seen under this title that if I were you I'd grab this DVD of Patterns while it is available at Amazon.com like I did. I would not be a Happy Wolf Dude without a good qaulity DVD copy of patterns in my collection.

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"I didn't hire you to like me!"...

...Thus utters the President of a company in a showdown with the film's protagonist. This sums up this film the same way "Greed is Good" sums up Wall Street 30 years later.

This movie is very good at portending the future of American business 25 years before the age of the billionaire-boys-who-won't-grow-up and right-sizing began in the early 80's. Fred Staples (Van Heflin) is the 30-something industrial relations expert at a small plant in Ohio that has been bought by Walter Ramsey's (Everett Sloane's) company. He is courted by Ramsey for an executive position at the parent company's headquarters in New York. He arrives full of small town values and good ideas, and really likes his new boss, VP William Briggs (Ed Begley).

However, soon he realizes what is really happening. He hasn't been hired to help Briggs, he's been hired to replace him. There is no love lost between Briggs and Ramsey. Briggs, at 62, sees Ramsey as only in the President's chair because his dad started the company. Briggs also sees Ramsey as discounting the human element, thinking it a small thing to shut down a plant for six months while it retools although it comprises half the payroll of the village in which it sits. Ramsey says in the long run the village will be better off because the retooled plant will employ twice as many people as before. Briggs sees growth as something coming from the productivity and loyalty of the employees. Ramsey sees the need for acquisitions as a tool for growth in a world of ruthless competition.

Fred is put in the middle of all of this. Hand-picked by Ramsey, he sees reports that he and Briggs worked on together having total credit given to himself. Briggs' secretary of seven years is taken from Briggs and given to Fred. Basically, Ramsey is choking Briggs out with a death of a thousand cuts and small humiliations. In these days it still wasn't fashionable to fire employees with 30 years of tenure, so Ramsey hopes to get Briggs to resign. Fred protests all of this - to some degree - but even he admits to his wife he doesn't protest too much because he wants this job. It's not about the money, but the challenge. Ramsey realizes this and exploits this knowledge to ultimately corrupt Fred, all the while having Fred believe that he has won his round with the devil.

Actually, both Ramsey and Briggs have valid points in how to best run the business. Ramsey may be portraying the ruthless side of the business in this film, but in today's world he would be considered a humanitarian. He wouldn't be retooling a plant to double its size. He'd be shipping the jobs overseas, and he wouldn't give a second thought to outright firing someone he thought was too old for the job regardless of years of service. Written by Rod Serling, this film is scary in how accurate it is in depicting today's business world. The performances are wonderful. Ed Begley, so often playing the heavy, is poignant as the aging VP trying to hold on to a place in the world where he still feels he has value while trying to raise a teenage son. Beatrice Straight has a small but important role as Fred's wife who tries to get him to be honest with himself about his own motivations. Highly recommended.

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Excellent movie - a must see

I first heard of the story "Patterns" during a PBS documentary on the life and work of Rod Serling. The premise sounded quite interesting, so when I heard there was a film version of "Patterns" available on DVD, I just had to have it.

The Roan Group did an excellent job in putting together this DVD version of "Patterns." While the picture quality isn't perfect, it in no way distracts from the high quality of the acting, especially the roles played by Van Heflin, Ed Begley Sr. and Everett Sloane.

Unlike some films set in the corporate world, the characters in "Patterns" are not one-dimensional suits looking only to climb the corporate world. They're real people who are interesting to watch as they each live their lives and conduct their business. Even the secretaries are interesting.

Everett Sloane as Mr. Ramsey is by far, the best ruthless boss character I have ever seen in a movie, even more so than Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter in "It's A Wonderful Life." What makes Everett Sloane so convincing is that many people have likley had a work boss almost exactly like him. Someone who can't simply be described as greedy, but rather as hard-nosed and strict as a task master.

The ending of "Patterns" is fascinating, because it begs the question, if you were in the shoes of the Van Heflin character, what would you do?

The only reason I'm giving this DVD four stars instead of five, is that the Roan Group has added a few things in their extras which have practically nothing to do with the actual movie. Other than that, this DVD is excellent. Lou Lumenick and Lloyd Kaufman's commentaries about "Patterns" are first rate.

SEE THIS FILM IF YOU HAVEN'T!!! I promise, you won't be disappointed.

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Patters (Roan DVD)

Agreed that the extras aren't too substantial. In reference to an earlier review, yes the original TV version does exist, it was released on Laserdisc in a box set The Goldren Year of TV Volume 2. This is the theatrical version. It's interesting to see the differences. The transfer here is pretty good. Not exceptional, but certainly the contrast and detail is there. I certainly wouldn't hesitate purchasing this DVD for any fan of Serling, The Twilight Zone, Seven Days in May or even Executive Suite.


reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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