This book focuses on the protestant reformation in England from the time of King Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth I. It draws extensively from quotes by key persons involved in the Anglican reformation, as well as opponents. The author's conclusions paint a very different picture from many other texts on the subject. Highly recommended.

I have watched this movie over and over and over. To imagine the wonder of a Star like Bette Davis. As far as I am concerned Ms. Bette made that movie. Her acting is superb. She is insane of course, due to circumstances beyond her control. She was definitely true to her part. Bette is so many different people in Jane Hudson. No one can perform the horrid cry or laugh like Bette Davis Baby Jane Hudson. Victor Buono also perfect to his part. Robert Aldrich certainly knew what he was doing in selecting the characters for the movie. Now Joan Crawford she is great too, not as good as Bette. Joan ticks me when she doesn't scream loud enough for the neighbor to hear her. Joan seems to make alot of stupid mistakes. This is my favorite movie, and I think everyone should at least see it once. As you will never forget it. Oh I can't believe I almost forgot Elvira. I loved it when Elvira tells Jane what time it is. Elvira is an excellent actress too. Anyway if you plan on becoming an actress. SEE THIS MOVIE. THE BEST

In their only appearance together on film - they didn't have any scenes together in the 1944 wartime morale - boosting film HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN - Davis and Crawford each sparked their quickly fading careers by doing this excursion into the macabre. The picture isn't exactly Hitchcock, and it goes on and on in a light dimmer than necessary, and the climax - when it belatedly arrives - is rather something of a cop-out. However, this low - budget film which was directed by Robert Aldrich has achieved cult status, because the acting impresses those who relish it. Bette Davis is absolutely amazing in her characterization of a misfit who can't forget that she was once a child star in vaudeville. Bette had just been through what she termed her "ten black years" when this movie thrust forward her screen stock and again made her a bankable star. Joan Crawford plays the role of Blanche, a wheelchair bound cripple and former movie star who lives in constant torment due to her sister's shenanigans. Crawford, (who is considerably better groomed than Davis) wisely underplays Bette and director Aldrich drew to nicely contrasted performances from two actresses the likes of which we'll never see again. Davis is astonishingly grotesque in her playing of Jane and the public ate it up in 1962; it was the runaway sleeper hit of the year. If these two legendary stars did indeed have a feud, there certainly aren't many juicy stories connected with it in books: it is probable that they respected each other enough to succumb to such drudgery. It is well - known that Joan enjoyed Pepsi spiked with vodka, insisted that the set be kept at fifty degrees and would say "bless you" for "thank-you". Bette was her unaffected opposite and walked around the set in slippers and an old robe with make-up on the collar. Victor Bouno plays obese mama's boy Edwin Flagg and his acting is at once grotesque and brilliant. That's Bette's fourteen year old daughter B.D. playing Anna Lee's daughter; she would marry in real life two years later and the marriage is still going strong; in 1985, she would pen her infamous "expose" MY MOTHER'S KEEPER. Davis received her tenth (!) Academy Award nomination for this macabre classic and footage from two of her vintage films PARACHUTE JUMPER & EX-LADY (both 1933) were used to show what a lousy actress Baby Jane was as a young woman - the old movie in which Blanche watches herself with genuine fondness at is a 1934 MGM flick entitled SADIE MCKEE.

Now that this film has been made into a musical (ye Gods!) I had to finally put my say in. This is not a "black comedy". This is not a "camp classic". This is a study in madness and delusion of the first order. Bette Davis should have won the Oscar for her portrayal of Baby Jane Hudson. Her characterization is still macabre after all these years. Her victimization of sister Blanche (a subdued Joan Crawford) is still disturbing in it's demented ferociousness. This is a Hollywood Horror Story. To call it a "horror movie" isn't fair. It's a psychological thriller if you need to place it in a genre. It's a classic film any way you look at it. The TV remake was abysmally unnecessary. And now a musical? Well that should up the sales of the DVD anyway. But "Baby Jane" is too serious subject matter to be called "camp". Blanche is handicapped. She is tormented by her crazed sister over grudges developed years before. The starvation, the physical abuse, the mental torture---these are all too seriously played out to be dismissed as just "camp". These scenes are gripping and squirmish to watch. The movie is too well made to be taken that lightly by cultists and newcomers to it. And the acting is too serious to elicit chuckles instead of shivers. Maybe people need to sit down and watch this again....alone. Maybe it won't seem that campy to them then.

This movie is unequivocably recommended. The themes are mature and the subtitles use the most common of language. Fortunately the subtitles don't translate the most common of those words as often as they're said in this delightful Spanish farce. The movie is meaningless, but very funny and very entertaining with lots to recommend it.

The movie has excellent character development, charming and humorous dialogues, lovely cinematography and an overall attractiveness.

The male lead has led an innocent existence in which he spent some time in a seminary, and then has deserted from the army. Now when he meets the four daughters of a libertine aging artist who has befriended him, he wants to make up for lost time. The older three daughters use him for their forbidden pleasures, and don't take the encounters seriously. Being unsophisticated, he falls in love with each until the next one seduces him. He doesn't realize until almost too late, that the youngest actually loves him, although I can't see what qualities he has except for his looks. Oh, that's right, he cooks better than anyone in the family.

The costume celebration and its aftermath is one of the most hilarious I've seen in a movie regardless of language.

I'm sure there were social messages that without knowledge of Spanish customs and history, were not apparent. There seemed to be a strong association with death. The side story of the young man who is infatuated with the second daughter but can't break away from his mother or tradition, until his frustration causes him to falsely renounce everything his mother stands for, probably symbolizes certain hypocrises in Spain at that point in history as it tried to break away from a moonarchy but couldn't make up its mind.

Enjoy!

This is an entertaining romantic comedy. It is funny, sexy, saucy and inventive spanish film. The movie never gets heavy, it manages to be a light, fluff of a comedy with an excellent premise (4 beautiful women, every man's dream!). If you liked this movie I recommend 'Cinema Pardiso', 'Il Postino' or 'Like Water For Chocolate'. From a scale of 1-10 I give this movie a 7!

I disagree with the Amazon editorial. Yes, this is a funny, sexy movie; maybe a young man's dream come true. It also has a lot of real commentary on Spanish society at the time; right before the Spanish Civil War. The characters end the movie thinking all is well in the world and don't know the Civil War is right around the corner. I am sure this aspect is lost on most American audiences, but it is a very real part of the film and juxtaposes the light, sexy, comic aspects of this movie. The scene where the priest hangs himself in the church right before the young couple get married is very symbolic of how the church felt at this time of liberalization and the backlash that led to the Civil War (1930s). See the movie! It is one of my all-time favorites.

MacCulloch seeks to present Archbishop Cranmer as a radical protestant with little scholarly interest or knowledge of the early church, and also that the "via media" of Anglicanism that resulted from the English Reformation was contrary to Cranmer's radical protestant beliefs and is a "myth." While MacCulloch may have written a biography he failed to examine the source of Cranmer's beliefs and theology. MacCulloch claims that Cranmer's eucharistic theology stems from the Swiss Reformed tradition: one had only to read Basil Hall's essay in "Thomas Cranmer: Churchman and Scholar" edited by Ayris and Selwyn to see that this is demonstrably false. Cranmer was heavily influenced by Lutheranism as well as by the "exposition of the most holy and learned fathers and martyrs" of "the holy catholic church of Christ from the beginning" (Cranmer's words) and as such his theology clearly stands in the same line as that of Richard Hooker and Lancelot Andrewes. This sort of "scholarship" with an obvious ax to grind is perhaps the worst sort. If you want to know Cranmer's views on the Sacraments (as most Anglicans or scholars of the Reformation do) please read him in his own words in "A Defense of the True and Catholic Doctrine of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ" (if you can find a copy in the library) or in "Thomas Cranmer: Churchman and Scholar."

As a descendant of the famous Archbishop, and a lover of biographies, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this tome. Well...as scholarly as the author's perspective, and as meticulous as his research, it was still a rather laborious read. Maybe in this case, less is more. Readers should prepare themselves for the long haul...Hillaire Belloc's biography is a much more enjoyable read.

I am not much of a biography/history reader, but I was forced to read this hefty volume for a research paper on Cranmer (took me all of nine days, reading for several hours a day). This is quality, scholarly research, well-written and keeping a good balance between describing the events of Cranmer's life and career, and analysing his theological development. MacCulloch writes favourably about Cranmer, and his account is bound to inspire sympathy and admiration for someone who was a flawed hero, but a hero nevertheless.

This book is a very comprehensive guide on how to be a better salesman. As the author points out, salesmanship is an invaluable skill because you are always selling. Even if you are not a professional salesman, you still constantly try and sell your ideas, your skills, your values to employers, friends, family and so forth.

The book is written in a very easy to read style. It is a comprehensive guide that covers a wide range of topics from staying in shape to handling customer objections. The thing I appreciate most about the book is that it focuses upon fundamental principles rather than gimmicky sales techniques. A lot of the book is just common sense, something that the author acknowledges. However, as we all know common sense isn't.

There are no profound revelations in this book, despite the author's claim that everything written is a "secret". It is a good, solid book on salesmanship and I would recommend it to anyone who needs to acquaint themselves with the fundamentals of the sell.

A perfect book for individuals entering the cold call sales field. It helped to explain how to analyze individuals your attempting to make a sale with. By analyzing the individual, you can learn better tactics to target them(personally). It was extremely easy to follow and included really life scenarios and situations.

Being a longtime fan of Disney & Pixar films I found myself particularly touched by Monsters, Inc and was eagerly looking forward to learning more about the how this film came about. Previous "Art of" books from Disney and Pixar were rich sources of information on how the story and characters developed from initial inspiration to big screen. As such I was dissapointed to find this book contains primarily concept art. Rich and vivid imagery but very little commentary.

In recent years everytime a major animated film, particularly those associated with Disney, is released a flood of products overwhelms the consumer market. This is not however your typical 'making of' or 'behind the scenes' look at "Monsters Inc.". I'm certain that if it is not already out there it will soon follow if that is what you're looking for. This book is unique, especially since the movie is 3-D rendered computer animation, because it is not filled with wire-frames, and storyboards, and studio character layouts. This book is more about inspiration. The vast amount of illustrations are beautiful, whimsical, and as varied as the imagination itself. I thouroughly enjoyed this book as a lover of cartoons, of paintings, of drawings, and of monsters of all kinds. I highly reccomend it to children of all ages and art lovers everywhere.

What's surprising is that in this book there is hardly any screenshots or CG graphic art. But that's what makes the book great! It really proves that computer does not dominate in the animation industry; everything is still from sketches and traditional works. The book filled with great works from Eggleton (director of "For the Bird") and many other amazing script illustrators. The only thing that is disappointing is that most of the images are already available in the Monsters Inc. DVD. Overall, no animator should miss this book! Don't want to miss those amazing prints!

Yet another book on Tantra that adds nothing to those already on offer. Go for Sexual Energy Ecstasy instead or perhaps Sexual Secrets.

I disagree strongly with the previous reviewer, but I'm just learning about Tantra and he (Colin) sounds well-read on the subject. "Tantric Sex," emphasizes relationships, intimacy, and making sex sacred. I've seen a few other books on the subject that make Tantric sex seem like either a technical exercise or a "lost in the clouds" New Age endeavor. This book is simple and straightforward and practical, with a very sensual and reverential - - yet playful - - tone to it. If you're looking for a book to become a master of Tantra, this isn't it. But if you're looking for some introductory information about Tantra that makes for an enjoyable read, this might be the book for you. I'd like to hear from women who have read this book, because I feel that "Tantric Sex" provides information and stories that can guide many women into the kind of comfortable and meaningful sex they have always wanted. I have only recently entered into a relationship where the sex is more woman-focused instead of male-dominated, and the concepts discussed in this book are exactly what we were looking for, to help keep our relationship growing and vibrant.