I admit we recently discovered "Man in the Vault", available in the DVDstores.

Well, about "The Abductors", it's really a good, a real good andentertaining B movie telling the story of a bunch of adventurers tryingto rob Abraham Lincoln's grave. Nothing less !!!

As far as I know, George Mac Ready had never played with Victor macLaglen. Perhaps I am wrong. I enjoyed it very much.

The film masterfully crafts footages and interviews and it tells us aheartbroken story. I cried, many times, like so many people in the soldout theatre. It still brings tears to my eyes when I recall the imageof the weak Japanese lady tearful plead for her abducted son’s return.She has been sick in bed for years after her son was abducted.

We probably simply shake our heads if we read the news about theabduction in a newspaper, thinking how crazy North Korea is. Butwatching this film, it puts human faces on those news reports.Everything becomes so real and so close to heart, because we can allrelated to our own families with those victims. Our families all haveparents, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters, just like those 13abducted Japanese.

We live in a very sad world. Japanese invaded China and Korea, amongmany other countries during (and before) World War II. They did similarthings as the North Korea did to these families, only perhaps not thatsecretly. Now, North Korea is doing the same thing to Japanese. Whenwill all this come to an end? Can we just live together peacefully?This is a terrific documentary.

2) I have actually had the fortunate opportunity to see this documentarytwice – at Slamdance and at Hot-Docs- both with sold out shows. I wouldhighly recommend seeing it. It tells the story of a young 13 year oldJapanese girl(Megumi) who suddenly goes missing, and her family'sefforts to find her. There is a mystery side to it – which to mostpeople, (like me) who are unaware of the the "kidnapping spies" issue -comes as a shock, almost unbelievable that this could conceivablyhappen. A political side – very timely, as North Korea is in the news.As well, it is a very emotional and heart wrenching story of love – asyou see the toll it takes on the family, and how they cope with it. Thedocumentary is very well done, it gives the viewer a real glimpse intoMegumi's life and her family's. I think the other great thing aboutthis movie is that it brings to light an issue that most NorthAmericans are unaware of, forces you to think about them, and you'll beoff to your computer to "google" for more answers.

3) This film is quite simply one of the most amazing documentaries I'veever seen. I didn't know what to expect and walked out of the theatercompletely floored at the end. The emotional story of Megumi's parentscombined with the anxiety-laden, suspenseful way the filmmakers told itmakes for an excellent experience. The way the filmmakers reveal thefates of the people abducted by North Korea had me more tense than anyHollywood movie. And then to watch the families deal with their griefand anguish with such dignity. It is hard to describe in words. I can'tbelieve Americans have never heard this story and it reminds me of allthe crazy stuff that goes on in the world that we ignore or simplydon't hear about. I'm eagerly awaiting the DVD now so I can get myfriends to see it!

4) I noticed this was playing on PBS just a day or so ago, and I saw it inthe theaters so I decided not to watch it again because the film leftsuch a mark on me. The story is about a mother and father in Japanwhose young daughter was abducted and taken to North Korea to helpteach Japanese. The film shows the struggle of the parents trying tofind information on their child. What really grips you is the timefactor. This did not happen in the new millennium, it happened a fewdecades ago. Not only do you feel the parent's torment, you becomeangry. You'll also find that others were abducted and many died youngunder mysterious circumstances. This is a very powerful film and it isnot scripted, it is a documentary. It chronicles something I was notaware of. You may really hate North Korea after watching this, but Ithink you'll hate more that no answers (or, answers that sound likehalf-truths) are given. Maybe its hard to watch more than once, but youhave to see it. When I watched it in the theater, my mouth was open andI was shaking my head, wanting to embrace the couple of then child.It'll move you. Its on the show "Independent Lens". Otherwise, rent orbuy it. Its that good.

5) In 1977, Megumi Yokota vanished without a trace. For 20 years herfamily had tried to search for an answer, but found nothing, until itwas revealed that she was amongst those who were abducted by NorthKorean spies.

The screening today opened with a video address dated in August 2007 byher parents. In it, they shared their experience in dealing with theshock, their efforts, and of course, their steely resolve in hopingthat their daughter will be returned to them one day. Containing an odeto Megumi, it was a relatively short video address, but one which Ithought summarized the entire movie succinctly.

It's an understatement to say that kidnapping is terrible, for both thevictim and the parents. But one done without a ransom provided, leaveslittle clues to the parents, and here, sparked off intense sorrow thatI'm sure any parent can identify with – the love and effort in raisinga child, now so suddenly taken away with you, with zero trace. There'sabsolutely nothing to fall back on – no motive, no eyewitnesses, noprior abnormal behaviour noticed, nothing.

This documentary charts the 30 years of the time of the abduction untilnow. It tells of the journey and struggles of Megumi's parents, butprovides as a launchpad, an introduction into a mystery unravelled.While the act of kidnapping itself might seem one-off and random, butthe putting together of little facts gathered throughout Japan byinvestigative journalists provided the bigger picture, and ultimately,the ability to point a finger, suggest motives, and seek closure.

But closure is something not easy to come by. For those who have beenfollowing press reports in recent years, you might have read a bitabout the incidents starting from Japan's ex-Prime Minister Koizumi'shistoric visit to North Korea, and the release of some of the abducteesin return for food and medical aid. Diplomacy seemed to be the best,and the only course, for Japan to engage North Korea. North Korea hasshown that it doesn't negotiate easily, and it tends to flip floparound given its poor track record and ambiguous and conflicting,unconvincing evidences.

Abduction managed to piece together a compelling narrative, and at sometimes, horrifying too, at how random and perhaps senseless these actsare. But it does suggest some reasons why these Japanese were abducted,and mostly for espionage and training reasons, which seemed highlyplausible. What was suspect though, and also not probed in depth, wasinterviews with the returned abductees. I thought that given it managedto talk to a North Korean defector, it would also be able to get thosefolks to open up. But perhaps they do not want to talk about theirordeal, or that it's classified information for confidential debriefingonly, or like they mentioned, to ensure the safety of those still heldby NOrth Korea, one will never know.

On a more personal scale, it charts the emotional turmoil and immenseefforts by Megumi's parents to champion for the return of theirdaughter. Red herring, doctored evidence, and even something thatshould provide the most compelling evidence by far were all rebutted.It's understandable, and the documentary seemed to support and debunkwhatever evidence that turns up. There's nothing like parents love, andthis film captured all that. 30 years of hope and continued fightingfor the truth shows all that. And it is their personal wish that theseatrocities are made known to as many people as possible.

6) I was lucky enough to catch this during an Asian film festival and wishthat it would come out on DVD. It's the poignant story of a younggirl's abduction by North Korean spies and her family's attempts to gether back. It's truly amazing that events like this go on in moderntimes, but they probably occur more than the general public is awareof, and we only get insight into these sad events through excellentdocumentaries like this one. The story's ending, sadly, will come as nosurprise to anyone who knows about the North Korean government.However, the story is still compelling and the ending does have a fewodd twists in store. It would be difficult to watch this movie and notfeel incredible empathy for this poor girl and her family. I've alwaysbeen a fan of documentaries, and the few that manage to expose theinjustices of society are in a league of their own. This is excellentviewing and highly recommended.

7) In the 1970's, the thirteen year old Japanese Megumi Yokota goesmissing. Decades pass with no word of where she has gone or clue as towhat happened to her. Gradually a proposal is put together that she waskidnapped by North Korean spies as part of a plan to help their spiespass themselves off as Japanese in word and action. This documentaryfollows the painful journey of Megumi's parents as they try to exertpolitical pressure on the Japanese government to force North Korea toreveal the truth about Megumi Yokota.

I have put spoilers in my summary line because, although this is adocumentary and in theory not a drama that can be "spoilt", many peoplewill not be aware of the story being told (as I wasn't) and it doeswork best if you allow yourself to be lost in experiencing all of thisfor the first time. I personally found it shocking that I found it soeasy to believe. When some accuses another country of organisingkidnapping at a governmental level so as to improve the efficiency oftheir spy network, you do want to think it is the talk of a paranoidperson, however even today I find it easy to believe and this film onlyserves to reinforce my rather negative view of humanity.

I was quite surprised that I had no heard of this story. Did the issueof abductees get no coverage in the Western media or did I just manageto ignore it (to my shame)? The film uses news and video footage reallywell to create a great passage of time so that the story does unfold infront of the viewer – making it all the more impacting that just beingtold what happened (like I said – the spoiler warning is useful forthose in my situation). On a political level the film is interesting asit follows the discussion as it hits the highest level of the NorthKorean and Japanese governments however it is the much more personaltale of loss that will really stay with you.

It is impossible to spend 80 minutes with the parents without beingdeeply moved by their loss and their understandable but destructivedrive for answers and, if need be, closure. One cannot even imaginewhat it is like to experience that type of emotion daily for decadesand to still be chasing it. The film brings this out well and producesan dramatic documentary that does hurt to watch but is no lessfascinating for it. It left me feel depressed for many reasons butmostly by the thought of governments ruining individual innocent livesas part of their wars as well as the evils (lets call it what it is) ofall scales that mankind inflicts on one another. Very good film but notone that will instil any sense of hope in your heart about our rulers.

I am generally not a fan of documentaries, but this one is a remarkablefilm! When I saw this film at George Mason University, I cried becauseit was so sad and moving. You literally feel the anguish and sadnessseep through this film. I hope and pray that all the IMDb users whoread my review or others (which, will probably be better then thisreview), will go and see this film. Hopefully, once you see the film,you will tell your family and friends about the film. Even if, you donot like this style of filming or are not fans of this genre, shouldsee this film! If you have to see a documentary film, I highlyrecommend this one and I give this film 9 out of 10!

As a woman who is `half Sicilian’ Principal has black hair which she wearsin a short bob and longer for flashbacks to her marriage. Playing a motheris unusual for Principal, and here she is uniformly excellent,particularlywith the panting fear she uses in a hospital scene after Paul has rapedher.In spite of the sombreness of the material, she also scores a laugh when ajudge orders Paul have a psychiatric evaluation – `What’s to evaluate?He’sstalking me day and night!’

The teleplay by Marshall Goldberg, based on a true story, uses flashbacksthrough most of the narrative, building consecutively as Kate remembers,sowe can see Paul’s progressive abuse. As an ex-cop, Kate believes thepoliceare stalling on having Paul arrested, in spite of him violating aprotectionorder sworn against him. Kate’s new live-in boyfriend Dan (ChristopherLawford) is also subject to Paul’s attention, with harassment and aviolentencounter before the titular act against Kate.

Director Larry Peerce presents Hays in a change of image role, so that heislit unflatteringly, and the bland congeniality has subtext. Despite somebadrear projection when Kate and Paul are in a car, Peerce relies uponPrincipal’s reactions to keep the narrative moving, and has an effectiveedit from a memory of Kate being cold in her house because Paul has turneddown the heat to save money, to Kate freezing in the snow where she hasrunto escape Paul.

2) I saw this movie when it was first broadcast, and really liked thefilm. By July 1990 it was on late night TV. I noticed it was going tobe on one night so I set my VCR and taped it. We are in the midst of amove so I am converting our old tapes to DVD. This was on tape # 3. Andonce again now 30 years later HOW much I really enjoyed this movie andstill Do , perhaps much more since I am older. Excellent cast, goodtopic, storyline holds together. A very enjoyable TV movie. Wagner is agood pick for the lead star, and this character is somewhat a precursorto his character of Jonathan Hart, 4 years later, this character in theSaint Anne film shares many of the same interests, and values andbackground as Mr. Hart

3) The summary I've given is the basis of the story. Robert Wagner starsas the one hired to protect this female (Kathleen Quinlan) who theChurch suspects may show signs of sainthood. Wagner plays the perfectskeptic, until he is witness to 'Saint Anne' kneeling and praying,withblood streaming down her face as if she were wearing a crown of thorns.The image of Kathleen Quinlan, blood on her somewhat glowing face hasstuck in my mind for years – it was strangely – hopeful. I use thatword because I've always thought it would be so cool to know there weretrue saints among us. It's an enjoyable movie. I wish ANY TV stationwould re-air older television movies all the time. It would be nice tosee this one again.

2) This movie is terrific. It does a wonderful job of telling the story ofKariSwenson’s nightmarish experience. Everything fit together perfectly; theacting, the scenery, the music…there was never a dull or boring moment.It’s the kind of movie that you don’t stop thinking about for daysafterward. I highly recommend seeing it.

Spoilers follow (although it’s hard to spoil something thisbad):

They kidnap her, but never lay a hand on her? They must be the only twoteenage hoods in the world with no hormones.

They make no effort to conceal their identities, then express great surprisewhen she names them?

The prosecuting attorney just rolls over and plays dead when the tape isplayed in court? Not even a question of, "where did this new evidence comefrom?" Never even asks, "how do we know this tape is authentic?" Not evena little whimper of, "objection, your honor?"

But of course, we’re supposed to accept all that, so that we can see thetouching scene where the girl and her father come to a greaterunderstanding. Sheesh. No wonder our population is becoming mentallydead.

2) Another near perfect movie for me. Here's the lowdown: ClareSteves(Katie Wright) is a rich girl with strict parents. Her fatherespecially won't let her go out when she wants to. So her boyfriendEddie Spencer(Lochlyn Munro) and his friend have a "meeting" with her.Then Clare's parents get a call from Eddie. He tells them to give him$250,000 or he will kill Clare. In a strange twist of events, the guysget the money but they are arrested. But Eddie claims that Clare wasthe mastermind behind the kidnapping! Is Clare as innocent as sheseems?

The only letdown of the movie was Katie Wright's acting. Her charactershould have shown more emotion, especially at the trial when she was onthe stand. But other than that, I thought she did a nice job. ButLochlyn Munro steals the spotlight as the kidnapper. The rest of theacting is what I expected it to be.

9 out of 10 stars. Perfect story, but not so perfect acting from someof the actors. Lochlyn Munro more than makes up for it though.

3) I found Abduction of Innocence enjoyable in that it had rough spots buta happy ending. Clare Steves wanted to do more than study, but herparents, Robert and Helen Steves, tried to push her intoall-work-and-no-play to get her into a prestigious college. Clarerebelled, and went out with Eddie Spencer and Leonard Buckle, whoseized her at gunpoint and confined her, leaving her in fear of beingraped. Her father paid the ransom money but found that Spencer andBuckle had BROKEN their promise to release her unharmed, finding herunconscious. Her parents assured her, in the hospital, that everythingwould be all right. However, Clare found herself arrested for aidingand abetting her own kidnapping! Did her abductors file trumped-upcharges? At her trial before Judge Curt Block, she testified that shewas made to fear being raped by Spencer and Buckle, hence her goingalong. Spencer was called to the stand; when asked about Clare'stestimony, he bellowed GO TO HELL! Judge Block dismissed him. ThenClare's lawyer pleaded that charges be withdrawn as there was noevidence that she did aid and abet her kidnapping; the prosecutorconcurred, and Judge Block approved, so Clare was free. Her fatherapologized (after recovering ransom money), and promised to let herlead more balanced life. Concluding comments mentioned her abductors'receiving lengthy prison sentences, no doubt aggravated by theirmisconduct during Clare's trial. So, this moment of truth movie had w

4) I don’t know if this made-for-TV film is based on a true story, but it wasvery interesting…a typical kidnapping tale with an unusual twist. ClareSteves is the daughter of the richest man in town, in fact, everything inthe town is named after him. She is a typical high school girl who wants togo to parties and act in the school play. But her father wants her to onlystudy so she can get into the most prestigious school. When she lands thelead in the school play, he is against it and upset that this project willtake time away from her studies. He is not a bad father, but his stricknesscauses a rift between them, and the mother is uncomfortably between them.She gets kidnapped and tortured by brutal classmates who want her father’smoney….when they are caught and she is released, they admit to their deed,but claim that she was in on it to get a share of Daddy’s money..in fact,they claim that it was indeed HER idea to get revenge on him ! So SHE ISON TRIAL FOR HER OWN KIDNAPPING !! Both parents are supportive, althoughDad has some doubts.

I watched this primarily because I am a big Fan of Dirk Benedict, who playsthe father….this is a new type of role for him, and he looks fabulous! Ididn’t like Lucie Arnaz as his wife, though, she doesn’t seem like his type.And Katie Wright’s performance, as the daughter, was very poignant.

Mozart was a fabulous composer, so one can hardly blame PDQ forstealing so liberally from him. Had he done so more competently hewould have written a much better opera. But PDQ never wrote a muchbetter anything.

The opera is very tuneful. Other peoples' tunes, mostly. PDQ Bach(1807-1742?] was an equal-opportunity plagiarist. "Abduction" issomething of an upstairs-downstairs opera, considering the number ofmaster-servant pairs involved. There's Figaro's wife, SusannaSusannadanna, and her servant Pecadillo; Donald ("Don") Giovanni andhis servant Schleporello; Dona Donna and her servant Blondie; PashaShaboom and his servant Opec. Schleporello is a mute, doesn't like itat all, and argues about it quit a bit.

Although the singers' names appear on the jacket, I'm sure they wouldprefer to remain anonymous. The performance is defective in that ituses a piano for continuo, when of course PDQ wrote for a harpsichord.Harpsichords are far superior anyway.

The overture is sprightly and sounds almost as if it had been cobbledtogether by Spike Jones — except that Jones would have done a betterjob. The opera itself is sung in English, unfortunately — not becauseEnglish isn't the original language (there's some debate on that), butbecause it allows you to understand the fairly idiotic libretto. If itwere in Italian or German, you could pretend it's better than it is.

Act I opens at the palace of Count Almamater, in the bedroom of thesick Figaro, who has mostly lapsed into a coma. After Doctor Al Defonsosings his aria ("Found a Peanut") (I told you English was a bad idea)he leaves. Susanna sings her aria, "Stand By Me", which has given riseto an acrid debate as to whether PDQ invented do-wop. Pecadillo comesin to announce the arrival of Dona Donna, who immediately charges in tosing a condemnation of Donald Giovanni and ask if she and Blondie canstay the night. Outside, later that night, Donald and Schloporello showup, while Pecadillo tries to serenade Blondie ("My Dog Has Fleas" …should have performed this in Lithuanian or something else nobodyunderstands). Donald meanwhile, is unaccountably smitten with Susanna.Things get increasingly complicated until, when the scene returns tothe bedroom, Captain Kadd (who has a hook) breaks in. He sings (withhornpipe) about how bad he is and how he's on his way to retrieve atreasure in Cuba. Using Figaro's covered bed, he sails off in with thetitle character. There is general lamentation. Donald confronts Donna(or vice-versa). Donald, Schleporello, and Pecadillo sail off to rescueFigaro. Almost immediately their ship sinks in full view of everyone(so that's where Bernstein got the idea for the shipwreck in Candide!).

In Act II the 3 men are washed up on shore and sing at length about it.At the court of the Pasha, Opec picks fruit and sings (but not aboutthat)(Opec is played by the inimitable John Ferrante, a countertenorwho was so long associated with PDQ Bach's stuff ("Iphegenia inBrooklyn", "The Seasonings", &c.) he wouldn't mind being identified.The Pasha (who's pretty much out of it) comes in and his dancing girlsdo the Dance of the Seven Pails. Donald and Schleporello discover thatBlondie and Donna are somehow already there and part of the Pasha'sharem. The latter pair are mightily annoyed when the former put moveson them. Capt. Kadd passes through. Blondie and Donna are disgustedwith men ("Macho, Macho"). Schleporello tries the serenade bit again("You Can Beat Me"), this time with a steel guitar — obviously anunwonted interpolation in an effort to get a modern audienceinterested, but by this time they're laughing too hard to notice.Donald makes another pass at Donna. OK, confess; how long ago did youget lost in all this? Donna has a hissy-fit and walks out withoutsinging her aria. Conductor (and PDQ Bach discoverer) Prof. Schickeleskips ahead. Donald, Schleporello, Pecadillo — AND Opec — decide it'stime to go and wind up in ….

Act III is set in Cuba. The 4 guys arrive, walk offstage and thenthere's is completely senseless ballet that's sort of Carmen Mirandameets Swan Lake, in which PDQ Bach actually plagiarizes himself. The 4men come back and meet Mama and Papa Geno (hard "G") and their pigs.Captain Kadd now shows up, the bed loaded with pirates, Blondie, Donna,and (of course) the still-comatose Figaro. Kadd gets the treasure mapfrom Papa Geno (huh?) and when it appears that the treasure is in thebed, it turns out that Figaro has disappeared and the Maltese Falcon… huh? huh? Well, now I'm lost and I'm actually watching it. Anyway,Schleporello gets an aria and … where did those Valkyries come from?… and then happily all ends. The idea of a "spoiler" in a work ofthis sort is ludicrous, of course.

This opera is unsuitable for children because they won't understand.Besides, nowadays children quickly reach the point where they don'tlike actual music and won't discover it again (if ever) until they getdragged to real concerts. On the other hand, an opera written at thetime of Salieri, by a composer who was actually inferior to him, isn'ta really good place to start. By the same token don't watch "Abductionof Figaro" alone. You may laugh hard enough to require CPR

2) PDQ Bach’s only full length opera. Based in unequal parts on just aboutevery famous Mozart opera you can think of from Don Giovanni to Cosi fantutti to The Abduction from the Seraglio and the Marriage of FigaroProfessor Peter Schickele once again proves that only PDQ Bach could writean opera with references to everything from Star Wars to the Maltese Falcon,Wagner’s Valkyrie, Swan Lake, Peter Pan and Dragnet. If you have never seenan opera then this is proof that not all operas are stodgy overlong andboring. I won’t give away any of the plot but suffice it to say that if yousee this opera then you will become familiar with the plot devices of mostof Mozart’s Operas. Someone even tells me that there is a reference to theFlight of the Bumbleebee in the music somewhere.

Contains spoken introduction to the production by Prof. Peter Schickelehimself.

• Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Strang is fighting Power on the beach he is using a wooden boat hook (with only a metal hook on the end). When the shaft of the boat hook and the sword clash they make the sound of metal on metal.

If you are into this kind of British gentleman costume dramas then you’redefinitely going to like this. If you love Ireland, like I do, you willlikeit even more. Daniel LaPaine gives a nice performance. This was also thefirst time I saw Sophia Myles on screen, and I can only say I want to seemore, she is just soo cute as the younger sister Kennedy.

Ok, the story might be a bit predictable, but who cares? It’s greatentertainment.

4/5

2) Abduction Club is a well-made film and it is entertaining until the lastminute. Predictable? Yes. Corny? Maybe so. But it is funny in a witty wayand is romantic in a nice, acceptable way. The characters are likeable,thecinematography is in its place, and everything else is. So what’s wrongwiththis picture? Nothing I say, accomplished what it was aimedfor.

3) I found this great little period romance to be very pleasant. It waspredictable and corny but what could you expect from a period romance -that’s why we watch them right?The scenery was terrific and certainly added to the romance of the film. Iliked the humour between the male characters and found the dialogue of thefilm to be quite funny overall. The female characters, while certainlygreateye candy were a little stilted in language and action, although IpreferredSophia Myles playing Anne to Alice Evans slightly lacklustre and woodenCatherine. I thought Matthew Rhys stole some of the limelight from DanielLapaine with his more affable portrayal of a destitute second son marryingfor money rather than love, in truth I found Strang a more attractivecharacter than Byrne. If anyone was looking for a serious period drama Iwould not recommend this movie but for some light romance with a touch ofswashbuckle, obligatory sword play and excellent scenery I would nothesitate to suggest seeing "The Abduction Club".

4) Handsome, penniless young guys with sparkling blue eyes:)Pretty, penniless ladies in frocks on horsebacks.Adventure, love, romance, comedy. The original score is very good.The plot is a bit predictable though. You know from the beginning thateveryone will be happy in the end. And that is just fine.

5) The 'Abduction Club', you soon realize, is a group of young men whoabduct the woman they wish to marry in order to charm them & propose.

This unique storyline provides a captivating follow-up of events. Andin a turn of fortune, leads you away from the predictable.

It's a lot lighter than your average period drama, & quick moving, witha twist. The two main characters compliment each others roles toprovide a comical duo, & keep you entertained until the end.

I didn't know what to expect when i began watching, but was in for apleasant surprise. Although parts were foreseeable, it was still anenjoyable film.

6) I first stumbled upon this movie when watching a video made with scenesfrom it and set to music. Though I knew little about it, the videointrigued me and I set out to find this movie.(To watch the video I sawgo to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2W6kPd-NJM) However,it isn't so easily found. For us in the United States, we have no wayof seeing this movie as it as yet to be released, but after searchingfor quite a long time, I located it on youtube.

The Abduction Club tells the story of a group of young men. All areyounger sons and will not inherit. Their only choice is to get a job(basically, to become a priest) or marry into a wealthy family.Marrying is obviously more appealing, so one at a time one young manand a young heiress are introduced, in hopes that she will fall in loveand marry a poor boy than a rich man twice her age.

When such feelings are developed, the young lady is "abducted"willingly and proposed to. No harm is done and everyone gets what theywant, but you cannot have a movie simply about an abduction that runssmoothly, can you? Of course not.

The Abduction Club centers around an abduction that goes terriblywrong. Garrett Byrne is a cocky younger son that after only one meetingwith young heiress, Catherine Kennedy, he is sure that she will accepthis proposal. He, however, is wrong and matters are complicated whenCatherine's younger sister Anne and Garrett's best friend Strang comealong for the ride and are tracked down by Anne's determined suitor andthe soldiers that he has command over.

Anne is desperate to escape her suitor, Mr. Power, and longs forfreedom, but Catherine is stubborn and wishes that they return home.However, the more time that the four spend together, the more feelingsbegin to grow and the truth about certain situations is brought forth.

Though a little predictable, this movie is charming, romantic, funny,and may even jerk a few tears. The cast is wonderful and all fit theircharacters well. There are many endearing scenes and you can be assureda happy ending.

**If you have not seen this movie, but want to, I strongly suggest thatyou follow the directions below and watch it. It is a great movie withbeautiful landscapes, and acting and really lifts your spirits.

Go to www.youtube.com and type in The Abduction Club 1/9. Click on thefirst video. There are nine videos in total, each labeled with TheAbduction club and a number (2/9, 3/9) By typing in each of thenumbers, you should be able to find all of the videos. There are Germansubtitles, but they are ignorable. If you watch the movie and enjoy it,I suggest that you download realplayer at www.real.com and use it todownload the videos to your computer. You never know when it will betaken off of youtube for copyright violations.

Update: Another set of videos has been added on youtube. Type in TheAbduction Club (El Club del Rapto)1/10 and that should bring up thevideos. There are ten in total. The quality is better than the otherset and there is no weird pausing. There are Spanish subtitles, buthopefully they can be ignored.** Anyway, I hope that was helpful. Iknow that if I was looking for this movie, I'd want someone who knewwhere to find it to tell me, so there you have it. Just go watch it,relax, and enjoy.

And I apologize for the essay size comment. I guess I got a little wordhappy.

7) I saw this quite by chance last week – June 2008 on TV and taped someof it. I thought it was fabulous. I just loved it from start to finishso much so that I have now bought both the DVD and VHS from Amazon. Ijust wanted to time travel back and be right there with them. Awonderful story from start to finish especially since the 1700's hasalways been a favourite time – my first stop if I had a time machine. Idoubt if I would come back to the (21st century) again. The story wascharming and the chemistry between them all was magical. Such charminggentlemen and who would not wish to be in their company. Magic! Icannot wait to receive the DVD and VHS tape.

The fact that this story is based on actual events is very interestingindeed. Just remember, the premise is based on actual events ofhistory, not the story. Whether or not this story is true matters not.The whole adventure is worth watching if you're a romantic or you enjoya good old love story.

The idea that this could have been happening in those times is verybelievable. I never knew about this as being an actual occurrence untilI saw the movie. What an education!

This is a great yarn if you make some allowances, so, if you don't takeyour history too serious, watch this movie.

9) Wow, I just finished watching this film again, I love it soo much! Ilove the fact that it is predictable, but also that it is a comedy. Ithad me and my flatmates laughing with joy. We all "awww"ed at the righttimes and I have to say it is definitely one of the best movies. It hasno vulgar swearing, no sex and it is a joy to watch. I stronglyrecommend all to watch it! The sweet lines, and underlying message thattrue love conquers all gives everyone hope. My favourite line in themovie is when Strang says "I pity those who have not looked upon youface, how barren their dreams must be" how I wish that someone wouldsay that to me!! This film makes you feel good whilst not being overlycorny. Surely thats the best mix a film can get?

Keeks

10) If you love period films, especially romances, then you'll love this.The scenery is beautiful, the romance fraught with difficulties anddangers, and yet extremely sweet. It is amusing, and yet informative,being as how it's based on true events in Ireland. There is also a nicebit of swash and buckle going on, always a great addition to films ofthis type. The film has a great storyline, and has been well puttogether. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about it. Allof the actors play their part well, and are well suited to their roles,right down to the bad guy we love to hate. This film is definitelynumbered among my favourites.

2) I'm not really surprised that this film has been banished intoobscurity – the kidnap plot doesn't contain all that much in the way ofthe excitement that mainstream crowd craves, and it doesn't containmuch in the way of exploitation, which a lot of the cult crowd craves.That being said, this is a surprisingly decent little film, directed byJoseph Zito; the director who would go on to direct the strangelypopular slasher flick 'The Prowler' as well as an entry in the Fridaythe 13th series. The film is based on a book named Black Abductorwritten by Harrison James. Black Abductor is a book about a politicalkidnapping; and it's interesting that a year after the novel wasreleased, the story actually happened as Patricia Hearst was abductedfor political reasons. The plot follows a political group who kidnapthe daughter of a politician and want the destruction of a building forthe ransom. At first the girl is afraid of her kidnappers, but soon shewarms to them and even decides to dedicate herself to their cause.

The film is not very ambitious and I would have assumed it was a TVmovie had I not known otherwise. Most of it takes place in a singlelocation and the director keeps the focus on the main characters. Thisenforces the abduction plot line well as we are constantly remindedthat the girl is being forcibly held captive; or at least for a shortwhile after she is abducted. The idea of Stockholm Syndrome – thatbeing where a victim falls in love with their kidnapper is veryinteresting and the film plays up to the offbeat kidnapping story well.The acting is generally very good with Judith-Marie Bergan convincingin the lead role and receiving good support from a rugged cast ofabductors. The plot moves rather slowly and clearly the main point ofthe film is to focus on the interplay between the main characters andthis is always interesting and keeps the film going. It boils down to afitting and suitable shocking twist ending and overall I have to saythat this is a very good film from Joseph Zito and I certainly preferit to his slasher films that I saw previously. Recommended if you canfind it.

This short film was on late on TV one night and I thought I’d give it astab. The subject matter is always interesting and it is hard to do areally bad film on the subject and this short keeps to that rule by beinginventive and punchy. The subjects all talk to camera or in voice overabout their experiences while visually these are represented by a variety ofstyles of animation. This mix of talking heads (both in hypnosis andnormal) works really well. I don’t know if I was totally convinced as tothe truth of the whole affair but there was so much going on that I didn’thave a great deal of time to really to question all that I was seeing andhearing.

The animation is well done by several animators and it really helps bringthe words to life. While there is obviously room for artistic license, thevoiceovers match very closely with the visuals and they both manage toenhance each other and make for a better, fuller short.

Overall this is not intended to be a very factual short that makes acompelling case that this stuff is real, it simply presents testimony insuch a way that is interesting and entertaining to watch and leaves it up tous to decide for ourselves – nothing is pushed down our throats or mocked –it just `is’. Worth a watch out of curiosity – there are better, longerfilms on the subject but this is short, punchy and involving.

2) This was shown after Alien 3 today and I couldn’t look away. It was animpressive mix of video and animation. "Abductees" were shown on videosorthrough voice overs while it cut into animations of what they weredescribing. The descriptions and the visuals complement each otherperfectlyand I was quite affectve by the situations (which is unusual for a shortbecause they usually have little time to get us engaged with thecharacters). Maybe this worked because you assume the people are tellingthetruth (and are not just actors for the purpose of entertainment). Andwhether or not they are genuine, it’s still quite powerful.

If you ever see this available on TV or at a festival (which I doubt, itsfrom 1995), it’s definitely worth a viewing.

7/10

3) This is a very odd film in many ways. First, the cartoon style is verysplashy and constantly changing–with many types of animationinterspersed with rather warped looking video of people. The filmconsists of many interviews with people who claim to have been abductedby aliens and they tell their stories. There is no narration but it'sinteresting how the film maker pieced it all together to show thattheir accounts are completely at odds with each other. In other wordsIF alien abductions are true, then there are a huge number of differentalien species coming to our planet to mess with us! This actually isquite telling and makes the film worth seeing. However, be advised thatthe strange animation style is certainly not for everyone.

By the way, this strange short can be found in a DVD collectionentitled "Cartoon Noir". It's a collection of strange avant garde filmsthat really have nothing to do with Film Noir and would probably not beappreciated by most viewers. Of the six films included, ABDUCTEES is byfar the best. The rest, sadly, made my brain hurt.