Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26044 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-08-18
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, Arabic, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Hebrew, Turkish, Greek
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's always a small surprise to revisit this movie and realise what a subtly dark performance James Stewart gives as an alcoholic who claims he keeps company with a six-foot-tall, invisible rabbit. As Elwood P. Dowd, the actor emits a faint whiff of decay and spirits, yet Stewart also embraces Dowd's romanticism and grace with splendid ease. Based on a hit play and directed by Henry Koster, the film is terribly funny at times, especially whenever Elwood decides it is only polite to introduce Harvey to complete strangers. The supporting cast can't be beat. --Tom Keogh

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart) is a good-natured, slightly sloshed man whose faithful companion Harvey is a 6-foot-3-inch rabbit that only he can see. When his sister Veta (Josephine Hull) tries to have him committed, she's taken in instead--and it's up to Elwood and Harvey to straighten out the mess. Based on Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, HARVEY's sweetness and humanity--as well as Stewart's trademark amiability--has made it one of the most beloved films of all time.

Customer Reviews

HEARTWARMING AND AMUSING VINTAGE CLASSIC
I just have to start by saying that I love Jimmy Stewart and I love movies like this. Adapted from a Pullitzer prize winning play, James Stewart stars in this classic black and white 1950 movie as the good natured gentleman Elwood P. Dowd, friend to everybody and in particular his constant companion "Harvey", a 6' 7" rabbit that nobody else can see. Unfortunately for Elwood's sister Veta Louise (in an Oscar winning performance) life becomes more complicated when her mission to find her daughter a husband are repeatedly scuppered time and again by Elwood and his obsession with his best friend. This inevitably leads to Veta Louise deciding to have her good natured brother committed to a mental hospital leading to all sorts of mix-ups, including being his sister being committed instead, leaving Elwood to sort everything out with his kindly and unwaveringly pleasant approach to life.

This is a beautifully written and perfectly acted movie that should appeal to anyone with a heart and an ounce of sentiment. They really don't make movies like this anymore and so this is a perfect addition to a movie lovers library, particularly at this budget price. Other favourites that appeal to my sentimental side and I'd recommend include Arsenic and Old Lace, It's A Wonderful Life (and virtually every other Frank Capra movie) and I'd also add Field Of Dreams to the list of all-time greatest heart-warming movies.

Harvey - finest friend a man could ask for ...
Whimsical - certainly ; funny - absolutely ; touching - definitely; perceptive - without a doubt.

The dialogue is at times stunning. There is not a better film around. I recommend it to you. However many times you watch it ...and I think you will watch it many times there is always something new to spot and delight in. I can't quite remember whether I actually saw Harvey or not ...I guess it depends how much you believe ...

A multi-layered treat
I first saw this movie when I was about seven years old. I thought it a marvellous and convincing story of an adult with a gift for seeing a fantasy figure invisible to all the more ordinary people. I was sure Harvey was real, and was entranced as I waited for a glimpse of him on screen. Seeing the movie again, it seems now to me to be about something else entirely - how do people come to the point where they think they must send the one they love to an asylum for their own good? Can the cure be worse than the disease? Weighty subjects, but handled with delicate humour and grace. James Stewart is the ideal actor for the part. His portrayal of the alcoholic and supremely courteous Dowd is engaging and flawless. And in the end, you will want to live in his world too, where extraordinary and magical things can happen every day, and a little kindness and consideration go a long way in getting through life.