Arms and the Man

Amazon.com A delightful Helena Bonham Carter stars as Raina, a Bulgarian woman from "a civilized family." News arrives that Bulgaria has prevailed in its war against the Serbs, a charge led by Raina's fiancé, Sergius, reportedly the deciding factor. On "the happiest night of my life," Raina receives an unexpected visitor in her bedroom, a chocolate-scarfing Swiss soldier of fortune who had been fighting for the Serbs and is fleeing for his life. His views on the military ("Remember, nine soliders out of ten are born fools") and disdainful account of the vainglorious Sergius's foolhardy charge are counter to her starry notions and high ideals. The return after the war of her "chocolate crème soldier" set in motion romantic entanglements that include Louka (Patsy Kensit), the family maid who is having a clandestine affair with Sergius. Satire may be what closes on Saturday night, as playwright George S. Kaufman famously quipped, but it plays very well on the BBC, from which this sterling 1989 production of Bernard Shaw's 1894 play originated. Shaw himself called his subversively funny play an "anti-romantic comedy," but it is more an anti-romantic-notions comedy whose observations about the "romance" of war and heroism still sting. --Donald Liebenson Product Description Arms and the Man (The Shaw Collection) (DVD) One night, a frightened Swiss soldier of fortune climbs into the bedroom of a young Bulgarian girl, Raina (Helena Bonham Carter), and soon deflates her romantic notions about love and valor. The cast of characters includes a jealous fiance fighting for the other side, a bumbling military father, and a domineering and social-climbing, mother not to mention the servants who see and hear all. This hilarious and charmingly ludicrous look at the misconceptions of love and war continues to delight and unsettle audiences even today. ]]>
ASIN: B000E8JNQ0
VSKU: HBSV.B000E8JNQ0.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Helena Bonham-Carter|Patsy Kensit
Binding: Dvd
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Dvd comes in original case and case has original artwork. Disc may have some minor scratches but is in good condition.Case may have some general wear. Be sure check out thousands of our other dvds on this platform. If dvd came with digital code, code may be used.