As Mr. Brooks’ second directing effort (his first being the conspicuously absent The Producers), it would be interesting to see what his later work evolved from, and how much his early work was influenced by others.  Did the movie deserve its obscure status, or was it worthy of more attention as part of the Mel Brooks legacy?

Film

I found this movie surprisingly difficult to categorize.  In fact, of all the Mel Brooks films I’ve seen, this was the least “Mel Brooksian” of them.  It had elements of older-style comedies, the Three Stooges, and even a bit of Monty Pythonesque lunacy.  Really, this made the film a bit challenging to watch, as it borrowed so heavily on the work of other diverse films in the comedy genre.

Like most folk tales, the story was quite simple to follow.  Matveevich Vorobyanov (played straight by Ron Moody) is a former aristocrat who has fallen on harder times since the Russian Revolution.  However, he discovers from his mother-in-law (on her deathbed) that she hid jewels from the communists in one of the chairs from the family’s old dining set.  Since this furniture was seized during the revolution, Vorobyanov must now search across Russia for the chairs.

As part of her deathbed confession, the Mother-in-law also admits the hiding of the jewels to her Russian Orthodox priest, Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise).  He immediately cuts his beard, and heads off on his own quest for the jewels.

Complicating matters is that a vagabond con man (played by the velvety-voiced Frank Langella) gets word of Vorobyanov’s quest, and extorts Vorobyanov into including him the search for the chairs.

Many hijinks follow, including Father Fyodor’s stalking of a party official, and Vorobyanov’s attempts at acting.  Their adventures lead them to Siberia, the Black Sea, and Moscow, all in an attempt to find the chairs first and extract the jewels.

Generally this was an entertaining film, though much of Mr. Brooks’ trademark over-the-top humor was absent.  The story was told in a linear and traditional manner, and although slow at times, Mr. Brooks did the original material a great service.

The three main actors were a bit of a mixed bag.  Ron Moody was asked to play a caricature, and he did so very well, maintaining a credible mix of greed and nobility.  His increasing obsession with the jewels and their worth progressed nicely as the movie proceeded.

Frank Langella was also very good in his role of a con man.  With a rich baritone voice, dashing good looks, and a suave demeanor, he offers an excellent counterpoint to the increasingly frayed and reckless Vorobyanov.

However, Dom DeLuise puts in one of the poorer performances of his career.  Any moral standing he may have had as a Father is never apparent in the film, as he shows nothing but green and avarice throughout.  In many ways, Father Fyodor appears to be in the story to provide comic relief; it is unfortunate that he really isn’t that funny.

The pacing of the film is also a bit tedious.  Although there are some funny scenes (enjoying a free lunch at the railroad engineers’ club, chasing a high wire artist for a chair, faking epilepsy as part of a panhandling scheme), these are simply too few and far between.  And although Frank Langella oozes con man from the moment we see him, he simply isn’t given quite enough to do.

Overall, it is interesting to contrast this to later Mel Brooks films as it has very little resemblance to them.  And overall, this is not a bad thing, as Mr. Brooks’ development of a madcap frenetic comedy style is what earned him his reputation as a director.  Although this was a good film, it is nowhere near as memorable as Mr. Brooks’ other work.

Video

In the entire box set, this is the first film in which I was disappointed with the video quality.  Grainy, soft, with irregular lighting and sharpness, this appears to have been a straight transfer from film to Blu-ray.

On the positive side, there was little evidence of heavy digital post production, as I did not spot excessive noise, macroblocking.  However, this was already evident through the relatively poor picture quality.

Audio

As stated in my review of High Anxiety, I expect a lack of dynamic range, a strong front-loading, little LFE information, and muffled dialog in a film of this vintage.  As expected, this film had the poorest audio track in the collection so far.

As per the glossy book included in the collection, this film was under budgetary constraints, and I believe the sound is where this is felt the most.  Muffled and centre focused, with a lack of dynamics or crispness, the overall presentation is passable.  In fact, I’m not sure one would find a great jump in quality by changing from the DTS-HD to the Mono tracks.

Special Features

This film doesn’t deserve even half a disc, as it only includes one special feature, this being Mel Brooks trailers.  That’s it, and again reflects the almost “afterthought” treatment this film received as part of the collection.

Final Thoughts

This film was somewhat entertaining, though lacking in the areas we enjoy in a Blu-ray (sound, picture, extras).  In short, this film appeared to have received the lowest level of special treatment for its inclusion in a Blu-ray set, though how much this was a product of the source material is hard to tell.

Overall, this was the poorest movie in the collection so far; I have a much higher likelihood of watching Young Frankenstein again than I do this film.

Second up for review was 1974’s Young Frankenstein, a film from which I had seen various scenes, but never sat through the whole film.  Of all the Mel Brooks movies, this one appears to have the most loyal following, and I was intrigued again by Mr. Brooks making an atypical movie (a horror movie throwback in black and white) in the 1970’s.

Film

This film has a very loyal and dedicated audience who can likely fire off lines at will from various points in the movie.  I am not one of these, and I find it highly unlikely that I will ever become one of them.  After watching the movie, I admired Mr. Brooks’ skill with the camera, and loved Gene Wilder’s lunatic acting as the Young Frankenstein (Frawnk-en-steen!), but found the movie generally uninspiring.

The plot is straightforward enough – the young Dr. Frankenstein is a respected medical teacher and doctor, who has attempted to distance himself from his nefarious ancestor who brought the dead to life.  However, a reading of his dead grandfather’s will (I think it was his Grandfather’s – the geneaology in the film is a bit confusing) ends up with Dr. Frankenstein moving to Transylvania (which has nothing to do with Frankenstein) and discovering the lab where the original monster was made.

Although originally opposed to reanimating the dead, he comes across the original Dr. Frankenstein’s journal, and decides that it may work, and that he too, can bring back the dead.  Of course, problems are caused when Igor (Eye-gor, effectively played by Marty Feldman) has an accident, and destroys the brain that Dr. Frankenstein wanted, replacing it with an abnormal (Abby Normal) brain.

So, the poor monster goes off on his adventures (mimicking those from Universal’s iconic “Frankenstein”), followed by an attempt to prove to the townsfolk that the monster is really not a monster (via a musical number).  Will Dr. Frankenstein be able to save his monster from the townsfolk?  How will he resolve his relationship with the luscious Inga (Terri Garr) and his tightly wound fiancé (Madeline Kahn)?

On the plus side, this is a beautifully shot movie, and shows Mel Brooks’ love of the old Universal horror films.  Superimposing images over people’s faces, using different styles of screen wipe, the well-timed thunder and lightning, and use of lighting and shadows is truly a love letter to these classic movies.  A special mention also goes to Cloris Leachman, who as Frau Blücher steals every scene she is in.  She has an ability to make hot milk and Ovaltine sound like a nasty and naughty thing.

However, the humor in this movie fell flat for me.  Whereas in Silent Movie, slapstick and over-expression was needed due to a lack of dialog, it fails to elicit much laughs here.  Kneeing an old man in the groin?  Not really funny.  Using a corpse’s hand as yours?  Not really funny.  Getting spun in and stuck in a revolving bookcase.  Still not funny.

Some scenes were bit more humorous, and the “Puttin’ on the Ritz” number was one of the best parts of the film.  However, these laughs were too few for me to consider this a comedic masterpiece.  Double entendre, juvenile humor, and penis jokes can only carry a movie so far.

Video

This is a difficult movie to score, as it was deliberately made to look like an old Universal horror film.  Shot in black and white, there was plenty of grain and noise throughout the movie; overall, it had a very natural “old and soft” look to it.

Favorably, the film did not appear to have much digital noise or artifacting, which suggests that its restoration was done carefully and neutrally.  However, it is difficult to score it higher than I have, and I am left to ponder if the picture on Blu-ray is substantially better than that of an upscaled DVD.

Audio

Although the soundtrack is advertised in being in DTS-HD MA, there appears to have been a deliberate attempt to make the film sound as close to mono as you can through 5.1 speakers.  The dynamic range resembles that of an AM radio station, and I could not discern any real sounds coming from the surrounds or LFE.  Even the thunder had no rumble.

Again, this lack of dynamic range appears to be a deliberate attempt to make the movie sound like an old Universal horror film.  And although this has a true sheen of authenticity, this isn’t the reason I have a Blu-ray player and a surround sound system.

Special Features

Where Silent Movie fell short on special features, Young Frankenstein has an excellent mix of both older material (from previous DVD releases), and newer material for the Blu-ray.  This is not surprising, as Young Frankenstein has also received a solo Blu-ray release as well as its inclusion in this package.

Although I am not a big commentary fan, Mr. Brooks’ commentary on this disc is very good, and in many cases, funnier than the movie.

Also included are a very good trivia track, deleted scenes (both SD and HD ones included), comments on specific scenes in the making of the movie (Inside the Lab), two HD featurettes (It’s Alive, Transylvanian Lullaby), and a number of recycled SD features (Making FrankenSense, Production Photos, Interviews, Trailers, TV Spots, and Outtakes).  The quality of these is mixed, but the volume is good, and should have lasting appeal to fans of the film.

Final Thoughts

It is rare that I am as disappointed by a movie as I was with Young Frankenstein.  After hearing for years about it’s legendary status, I was truly underwhelmed by this film.  And although the visual and audio presentations were consistent with Mr. Brooks’ vision for a comedic version of a Universal horror film, laughs were simply in too short a supply.

For real fans, this Blu-ray is available as part of this package, as well as a standalone Blu-ray.

Therefore, when The Mel Brooks Collection showed up in my docket for review, I was quite intrigued.  Not only did it contain the Mel Brooks movies I had missed, it also contained movies that I had loved when younger.  However, this is also a formidable task reviewing nine (yes, nine!) movies, so I beg the reader’s patience as I wander through this box set.

First up for review was 1976’s Silent Movie, a film I had never seen before, and one that had intrigued me.  As a boy, I loved both Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy silent shorts, and I was curious to see how well Mr. Brooks could deliver a modern version of this art form.

Film

As a silent movie, one can check their expectations for character development at the door.  Like most movies of this genre, visuals become the medium of comedy, with a large emphasis on slapstick humor and visual gags.  However, the plot is quite easy to follow, even though much of it is delivered through tersely-worded intertitles.  Mel Brooks plays Mel Funn, a famous movie director who’s career has taken a downward turn due to a drinking problem. 

Funn is determined to make a comeback through his new screenplay for a silent movie.  Presenting this idea to the “Chief” of Big Picture studios (Sid Caesar), he is told he can make his movie if he can get big stars to be in it.  We also discover that a lot is riding on this movie, as Big Picture Studios is doing poorly financially, and has become a hostile takeover target by the New York conglomerate, Engulf & Devour.

Accompanied at all times by his associates Dom Bell (Dom DeLuise) and Marty Eggs (Marty Feldman), the three engage in all nature of gags to enroll actors in the silent movie, including Burt Renyolds, Anne Bancroft, James Caan, Liza Minnelli, and Paul Newman (plus a phone call to Marcel Marceau). 

Of course, each actor who signs on to the movie is announced through the silent movie technique of putting important events on the headlines of newspapers (that accompanies another running gag involving the newspaper seller).  Nervous with the number of famous actors signed on, Engulf & Devour tries to derail Funn through having a sexy nightclub singer Vilma Kaplan (Bernadette Peters) pretend to fall in love with him.  More visual gags follow, and lead up to an appropriately over the top and satisfying ending.

At first I found the film to be a bit disconcerting to watch, as I am used to today’s modern “talkies”.  However, it did not take long to settle into the flow of the movie, made even easier by the extremely funny sequence with the first big star (Burt Renyolds).  The natural gift for physical comedy that Brooks, DeLuise, and Feldman all posses was never more evident than in the scene with Liza Minnelli, which had me laughing out loud.

Overall, this was a very different, yet very funny movie.  The three main leads make full use of their overexpressiveness and facial expressions to convey emotion, feeling, and thought (plus slip in some naughty dialog for you lip readers).  The score is cheery and upbeat (and provides it’s own jokes at times), and includes appropriately off-time sound effects.  It was also an admittedly nostalgic trip down memory lane for me, seeing actors I grew up with featured as “stars” – no one was bigger than “The Burt” in the 1970’s, and we forget how adorably cute Liza Mannelli was when younger.

More importantly, this film does have re-watchability  I can picture viewing this a few more times, simply to try and pick up more inconsistencies between the actors lines and the intertitles, or to catch additional gags I may have missed the first time.

Generally, I was very pleased that this was the first movie out of the collection that I watched.    

Video

I really liked the visual appearance of this movie, though am somewhat hard-pressed to say why.  It truly had a 70’s feel to it.  The sets were 70’s.  The actors were 70’s.  Even the color, tone and grain of the film was 70’s.

However, it was a brightly colored, reasonably sharp, and clean version of the 70’s.  As expected, grain was present, but lent a nice softness to the picture without being distracting.  Dark areas had no issues, suggesting Fox did a loving restoration of this film.  In many ways, it looks as if the Blu-ray reflects what the director wanted. 

Audio

Audio is trickier with a movie of this vintage, and the folks at Fox did a very nice job with the DTS-HD MA presentation of the film.  The score is expansive and moves nicely around the listener, as do sound effects and ambient sounds.  With no dialog (excepting one word), centre channel levels are not an issue.

However, the presentation is far from perfect, as there is no LFE information to speak of, and they dynamic range of the sound is very limited.  Although the top end has good dynamics (highlighted by the main theme in the score), the low end is sadly lacking. 

In summation, the sound is very good for a 1970’s movie, but below the high standards that have been set by some other restorations.

Special Features

It is difficult to rate the special features for this disc, as The Mel Brooks Collection comes with a lovely hardbound book discussing Mr. Brooks and his career.  However, for review purposes, I will rate what is on the disc only.

For Silent Movie, what is on the disc is not very much.  Included are the trailer for the film, trailers for other Mel Brooks films, a trivia track, and a feature on silent movies, and their inspiration for Silent Movie (in many ways, an homage to Buster Keaton).

Although a generally uninspiring collection of extras, the featurette was very well done, and also in HD.

Final Thoughts

Internet opinion seems to be somewhat divided on this film.  There are those who seem to love it, and those who are not enamored with it.  I gladly place myself in the first camp, as I do enjoy well done physical comedy and sight gags; this movie is chock full of both.

Furthermore, I admire Mr. Brooks for doing something different, especially in the formulatic and contrived 1970’s.  It is likely that Silent Movie was a parody of what Mr. Brooks had to actually go through to get it made, making it even more admirable.

Unfortunately, as of the date of this review, this film is currently only available on Blu-Ray through the collection.  Despite this, I will give it a “Buy It” recommendation.

The African Queen also has an intimidating pedigree.  Nominated for four Academy Awards, it has become legendary for the danger and hardships director John Huston exposed the cast and crew to.  Filming in wild parts of the Belgian Congo, legend has it that Bogart and Huston avoided the sicknesses that afflicted all other cast and crew by drinking only Scotch.  Legend also has it that Huston stalled production in his obsession with hunting an elephant, later fictionalized into “White Hunter, Black Heart”.

As a film, The African Queen continually appears on AFI’s “100 years, 100 movies” list, has been selected for preservation in the U.S. Film Registry, and was the source of Humphrey Bogart’s only Academy Award.  How well does it survive its restoration to Blu-ray?    

Film

One of the challenges of viewing a movie of this vintage is being able to tie up one’s cynicism when watching it.  When a movie was made in a less cynical time, and is about an even less cynical time, it can be a challenge not mocking or expressing incredulity at what one is viewing. 

To properly enjoy this film, the viewer has to mentally shift their frame of reference away from what they expect in a current movie.  If one can successfully do this and place the movie in the context of when it was created, they will be treated to a perfectly satisfying movie that defies being labeled with a single genre.  Action, adventure, romance, and comedy are all in the movie, with many chuckle out loud moments.

The plot of the movie was quite simple.  Rose Sayer (Katherine Hepburn) and her brother Samuel  (Robert Morely) are prim and proper British Methodist Missionaries in German East-Africa at the start of WWI.  Humphrey Bogart is Charlie Allnut, a coarse Canadian steamboat captain who provides a link to the outside world through his mail deliveries to the Sayers.

When Germans visit the Sayer’s village, round up the locals, and burn down all of the town structures, Samuel is struck by a German soldier, leading to dementia and death.  Left on her own, Rose decides to flee with Charlie.  Upon learning Charlie has a number of supplies and explosives that he was unable to deliver to a local mine due to unrest caused by the war, Rose devises a plan where she and Charlie can assist the war effort (and gain revenge for her brother’s effective murder).

To carry out this plan, the African Queen must negotiate through two sets of rapids, escape by a German river fort, then be turned into a torpedo to sink a German boat which is preventing Allied attacks into German East-Africa.  Although Charlie seems to think this is a path to certain death, he agrees to help Rose, leading to their adventures throughout the movie.

One cannot argue with the quality of the performance of the leads, especially considering the filming conditions.  Katherine Hepburn is superb playing Rose in three different ways – prim and proper, thrill seeker, and doting girlfriend.  Humphrey Bogart is also excellent, transforming from a drunken ruffian, to an able sailor and tradesman, to a doting boyfriend, to a heroic figure.

Overall, this is a perfectly satisfying movie, with the exception of a few plot holes.  Even considering the era of the movie, Charlie and Rose’s rapid romance seems quite a bit implausible, especially considering the rigidity with which Katherine Hepburn plays Rose in the movie’s opening scenes.  Rose’s transformation from an uptight missionary to a thrill-seeking adventurer also happens with startling speed.  The number of well-timed rain storms, positioning of the sun, and the ultimate fate of the African Queen all work out 100% in favor of our protagonists.  However, once we strip away our modern-era cynicism, we are left with something that has been missing from many movies for a very long time – innocent, guileless, clean, and optimistic entertainment.

Is this a good movie?  Absolutely!  Is it a great movie?  Unfortunately, no, and I believe that much of this movie’s endearing popularity relates more to its unique location (for the time), and the other legends, tales, and controversies that surrounded its production.  The movie itself is lightweight, perfectly satisfying as entertainment, but missing the necessary gravitas that I believe truly legendary movies need.     

Video

With the incredible advancement in video standards over the last ten years, we as viewers have come to expect movies which have been highly produced to exacting standards.  We have been spoiled by superb special effects, incredible use of green screen techniques, and the advent of CGI.  Each of these can make movies look like reality (or even create new reality), and it raises the viewer’s expectations of how scenes should look. 

Unfortunately, this sort of technology was not even dreamt of or even conceivable in 1951, and when a movie of this era is transferred from film then digitally restored, it will highlight all flaws and limitations in the original work.

Starting with the bad, being in 1080p reveals models that look like models, action scenes that appear different between long focus and close up shots.  Film treatments to create the visual effect of buzzing mosquitoes look nothing like an attack of mosquitoes.   The early Technicolor print also presents challenges, with less depth of or consistency of tone then I’d like, and oddly shaded flesh tones.  However, the film gets a pass on these from me, as to clean these up or reshoot them would destroy the original fabric of the movie.  As an almost 60-year old movie we simply have to live with these shortcomings.

However, Paramount did a smashing job with the digital restore of this movie.  Colors are bright, grain is appropriate and present, and digital noise is only obvious in certain scenes.  By no means is the picture perfect, and it can be a bit soft at times, but the overall quality of it exceeded my expectations. 

Audio

The audio is mono.  Not really much you can do with that.  Surrounds?  No.  LFE?  No.  Generally, everything sounds like it is coming out of the dashboard speaker of a ’76 Plymouth Aspen.  The score can be jarring and distracting, and sometimes dialogue fades off so that you cannot hear exactly what was being said.  Not a great presentation all around.

Although I would normally not dock a movie of this era as badly as I did The African Queen, one only has to listen to the enhanced soundtrack Disney included on the older Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to hear what can actually be done with a mono track.  For all of the effort Paramount put into the video presentation, it would have been nice for the soundtrack to have received a little attention as well.

Special Features

I was honestly disappointed with the level of special features on this disc.  For one, even a small booklet discussing the movie, or a commentary with one of the people who feel this is a legendary movie (Leonard Maltin anyone?) may have been illustrative of what I may be missing.  Apparently other goodies (Hepburn’s memoir of making the movie, a CD of a radio play of the movie, and some other collectibles) are available in the Commemorative Box Set, not the Standard version I reviewed.

The only special feature contained on the standard issue BRD is the excellent documentary “Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen”.  Although this includes some of the elements I would have looked for in a commentary, as a separate feature it loses some immediacy to the movie.  However, as a feature on its own merit, it is as equally entertaining as the film itself.

Unfortunately, when I compare this level of features with those on the Studio Canal release of Le Mépris, it is rather underwhelming.

Final Thoughts

I am always challenged when reviewing a movie that is a “classic” or “legendary”.  In some cases, I find the film has remained as relevant as it was when released, retaining a feel of currency even in our ever-changing world.  Other times, I find that the movie earns a reputation more based on the era in which those who apply the labels of “legendary” and “classic” were born.

Take Star Wars, Episode IV as an example.  I first saw this movie as a seven-year old, and proceeded to use my allowance to religiously view it bi-weekly until it ended its theatre run.  To older critics at the time, it was “space opera” and “melodramatic”.  To me, it is a “legendary classic”, and a movie I will always cherish as I saw it through the uncolored eyes of a seven-year old.

I think The African Queen falls into this same conundrum.  It had the good fortune to be produced in a golden era of Hollywood films that gave genesis to a whole generation of future filmmakers and critics.  I imagine many of them viewed this movie through uncolored youthful eyes; theirs seeing the wild and verdant river in Africa in the same way I saw Tatooine and the Death Star.  The striking visuals and wild frontiers portrayed in both of these movies provided rich nourishment so appreciated by the young imaginations of movie goers.   

However, when we take The African Queen out of the context of when it was made, and look at it as a movie on its own merits through adult eyes, it is a good, not a great movie.  It also feels like an old movie.  And although its transfer to Blu-ray comes with a beautifully restored visual, the skinny special features and poor sound relegate this title to a rental.

Film

Michael Corleone’s rise to power and plunge into darkness is on the verge of completion within the sequel to Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. We see the Corleone family as their empire expands to Nevada and begins to thrive off of the casinos they own.

The film also takes us back prior to the first film and shows us the rise to power of the young Vito Corleone (played by Robert De Niro), which was part of the storyline cut out of the first Godfather script. Both tales are weaved together to form the continuation of the Corleone saga.

The sequel is often considered to be more of an extension of the first film, whereas The Godfather III is considered to be an epilogue. The film is sometimes edited with the timelines of Godfather I & II in chronological order, showing the strong relationship these films have.

The Sapphire Series version of The Godfather II, however is the original theatrical cut and does not contain some of the deleted scenes that appeared on previous releases of the film. We get to enjoy the film as the original audiences enjoyed it. If you’re disappointed by the fact that there are missing scenes of the film, please note that sometimes the edited down version of Francis Ford Coppola is the better version… Case-in-point: Apocalypse Now Redux!

The Godfather II is one of the few sequels that is as beloved as the original film and considering the fact that The Godfather is one of the most beloved films of all time… That says a lot! The film’s dark and noir tones really suit the content and with Paino giving a great performance once again as Michael Corleone, we get to truly see how the rise to power has so many consequences.

De Niro’s performance as the young Vito Corleone is definitely my favourite part as he captures the spirit that filled Marlon Brando’s iconic performance and gives us some backstory about what it takes to become the Don.

The film contains just as many thrills as the first and has just as many, if not more, emotional moments that make you both loathe and somewhat respect the characters you watch. Without giving anything away to those who may not have had the opportunity to see this great film, it’s an essential watch.

Video

Godfather II ‘s video is in 1080p and uses the AVC MPEG-4 codec to display the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The film overall is very clean considering the age and the concern surrounding whether or not the original prints would last. There are a few shots that are subject to noise and grain overloads, but they’re few and far between… The transfer is definitely well done.

The film’s dark and moody lighting definitely give the film a signature look; from the chiaroscuro style lighting that was a marquee of noir filmmaking and German expressionism within art, to the candlelit scenes where our characters spend more time dwelling on their thoughts than expressing them through dialogue. It definitely says a lot about a movie when characters spend a lot of time in silence and yet the way the actor is displayed speaks louder than words could… A scene that comes to mind is the great two-face moment where Al Pacino’s face is lit from one side leaving the other side of his face in darkness, representing that great battle of duality within. It brought back to memory a similar shot from Citizen Kane.

It was definitely a treat watching this film with my projector and it definitely stood up to being projected to 100” so it will look even more remarkable on an HDTV!

Audio 

The Godfather II’s sound comes at us in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital Mono in English only, there are also English and Portuguese subtitles.

It never comes as a shock to me that when I’m faced with a great transfer of an older film, that the time was really spent cranking out a stunning image while the audio is lower on the priorities. The sound lacks dynamic fidelity and really doesn’t take advantage of the surround presence that makes TrueHD one of my favourite audio codecs. I’d imagine that a new mix wouldn’t be too hard to get a go ahead for considering the importance of these films, but nonetheless we are presented with a less than great audio source to go along with The Godfather II. The sound definitely isn’t bad, it carries over that great seventies tone that came with the equipment and although the overall mix is a little quieter it definitely stpood up to being cranked through my speakers.

The dialogue is handled very well and comes through crisp and clear while maintaining the warmth in the vocals. The foley was done quite well, some of the gunshots and fireworks (Vito timeline scene) were mixed a little louder, making me want to reach for the remote after turning up the volume to hear the dialogue, but it wasn’t that bad at all.

The epic and famous score comes at us beautifully, giving you goosebumps when you first hear it as it recalls all the memories from the first Godfather.
Although I wasn’t as impressed with the sound as much as the video, it’s definitely not a deal breaker.

Special Features

To hear that there is only one special feature within Paramount’s Sapphire Series, which Paramount considers their version of the Criterion Collection, is a bit of a disappointment. However the commentary by Francis Ford Coppola is definitely one of the best I’ve heard and considering the length of the film, is an achievement in itself… Can you imagine going on about a film for three and half hours while trying to be insightful and keeping the audience interested? Considering this is Francid ford Coppola, let’s just say he did it.

Final Thoughts 

The film is a classic and I believe the whole trilogy is a must-have… yes, even the third one. These films are some of the most important pieces of cinematic history and having them on Blu-ray is simply allowing you the ability to watch them in the best possible way. Although the Sapphire Series version of The Godfather II is practically barebones, whereas the Coppola Restoration Trilogy set has an entire disc dedicated to special features, most of the features are regarding the first Godfather film.

To lovers of the original saga, The Sapphire Series release of the first two Godfather films is probably the most essential Blu-ray purchase out there.

Film 

Alfred Hitchcock gets a lot of credit for this film, which is well deserved for the great direction, however the unsung hero is the screenwriter, Ernest Lehman. Everything from the overall plot to the dialogue are well crafted. The fact that such a great script was helmed by a talented and influential director is what really makes the film astonishing, for a script is only as good as how it’s directed.

Before the movie starts were treated with some really amazing and artfully done opening credits, this is obviously way before visual graphics and thus making it even more impressive.We’re then thrown into a classic “you’ve got the wrong guy” caper, which combines a great performance by Cary Grant and some of the best chases from the 50′s.

The film weds elements of humour and suspense so well, there are few gags in the film (such as the taxi cab stealing in front of the hotel) that almost feel like we’re watching a slapstick comedy, but they’re quickly followed up with these great scenes of subtle thrills that really keep you at the edge of your seat in a way that only Hitchcock could do.

A great side-not e about the film is that Hitchcock had to use some modern guerrilla filmmaking approaches to get a shot of the U.N. building, which was off-limits to filmmakers at the time. Hitchcock had to hide a camera in a taxi cab in order to get the shots, which really goes to show the tenacity and will of one of Hollywood’s greatest directors.

It’s hard to review a Hitchcock film and it’s almost better to see them for yourself with no preconceived notions towards what you think they’ll be like. Hitchcock’s films are from another galaxy when compared to movies made today, his psychological approach to the medium is one of the factors that sets him apart from the directors today; whether it’s his surreal cinematography to the connotative meaning behind his shots (train entering the tunnel comes to mind), he’s a rare breed of director that really knows how to make a well-rounded film and North by Northwest is a prime example of such.

Video 

North by Northwest is brought to us in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and uses the 1080p/VC-1 codec. The quality within this new restoration is nothing short of amazing. When dealing with 50 year old film you wouldn’t expect such a vibrant and clear picture.

It’s definitely a great to see a classic film get the restorative treatment it deserves and everything from the contrast to the colour are treated perfectly. The colours throughout are vivid and should be for it has been said they took a black & white master over the colour master due to fading and recoloured the film using filters; painstaking and expensive… but overall worth every penny for this is one is a great transfer!

Audio 

The audio is definitely a come-down from the great quality of the video. Coming at us in TrueHD 5.1 in English and unfortunately only MONO for French, Spanish, German, Italian & Portuguese. There are subtitles for all the languages above as well as Danish, Swedish, Finnish, & Norwegian. Make note of that due to the low decibel mix of the film, might make a lot of us reach for the subtitles function to actually make out what everyone is saying.

The score and foley comes through louder than everything else, which is bitter sweet . The sound is very clear but when compared to the quiet dialogue there’s a lot of those surprise noise jumps in overall level.

The film is definitely not meant to push the limits of our sound systems so I forgive the mixing issues, however for the diehard fans there is a significant difference between the video quality and audio quality.

Special Features  

Ranging from a great commentary track to a series of documentaries and featurettes that covers both the making of the film and another which covers Hitchcock and his directing style; the collection of special features is definitely expansive for a film that wasn’t a part of a time where behind-the-scenes was remotely as important as it is nowadays in the consumer purchase. However that being said, the special features are all presented in SD .

The commentary track with Ernest Lehman stands out as my favourite, but there are some great informative documentaries that really were insightful and gave me some backstory about a film that, although it’s classic status, I didn’t know much about.

If you’re not picky about the fact there are no HD extras, then this is probably the definitive North by Northwest collection.

Final Thoughts 

The film is a classic and it’s definitely one of those essentials that should be in a film buff’s collection. There are many other great Hitchcock films that may be a higher priority, but for the quality transfer and the great wealth of special features, it’s definitely worth a rental for an evening of cinematic history and a display of Hollywood at it’s best.

Film 

The Green Berets was originally a novel penned by author Robin Moore.  Moore’s literary vision made the transition to film in 1968.  John Wayne starred in and co-directed the Vietnam piece, though he did receive a little help in establishing some of the film’s realism.  As the back of the Blu-ray case points out, Wayne actually wrote President Lyndon B. Johnson at the time for military help.  The vehicles and pyrotechnic tools he received would help him bring success to this dramatic tale.

For the inundated, the Green Berets are a special forces group within the U.S. Army.  Though pretty much every special forces group has taken a backseat in popularity to the Navy SEALs, these guys are not somebody I would mess with and I’m glad to have them on our side.  Wayne and co-director Ray Kellogg teamed up to bring us a story focusing around one specific Green Beret group whose duty, led by Col. Mike Kirby (Wayne), is to maintain the security of a certain firebase and assist the Montagnards while fending off any North Vietnamese Regulars and Viet Cong in the process.  Also along for the ride is newspaper reporter George Beckworth, played by David Janssen.  Beckworth and his employer have serious doubts about the purpose and cause of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, so he eventually gets cleared to tag along with soldiers. 

You will find the film does a great job of establishing a foundation while not taking long to jump in the mix early on.  What you won’t find is an unrealistic propaganda film in The Green Berets.  This was a well-assembled production and quite gripping for its day and still maintains some dramatic effect today.  There weren’t any shot soldiers mumbling, “Oh they got me,” while their comrades in arms unrealistically took out droves of the enemy in retaliation.  You’ll see the Americans and allying South Vietnamese take their licks just the same as the commie bad guys. 

As for the special effects, some are unacceptable by today’s standards, but we can’t go by that.  Some of that stuff was the best they had to work with back in the day.  What I can critique is the blood shown in the movie.  I’ve never seen blood so vibrantly red with paint-like thickness before.  It was distracting the first time I saw the movie in the 80′s and it’s still distracting today.  Blood isn’t new.  Why was it so difficult back then to replicate the color?  I’m not sure, but it is just plain silly looking at times in the film.  Also, don’t focus too much on the extras, particularly those used as VC in their assault on the base.  There are a few Caucasians in there with nothing more than smeared shoe polish on their faces to somewhat disguise their otherwise obvious features.  Oh, let’s not forget the North American foliage and pine trees that dotted the Vietnamese landscape in this movie.  Can anyone say ‘Georgia?’  Because of this, I couldn’t tell if the characters were still on a base in the U.S. or if that scene was supposed to be Southeast Asia. 

Regarding the acting, everyone from George Takei to Aldo Ray does at least a fair enough job in their roles.  Though John Wayne wasn’t the greatest of actors, his performance does enough here in all its sometimes stoic, sometimes grinning delivery.  All in all, The Green Berets is worth a rental if nothing else.  This film is on such a pedestal of its own though that many would have to recommend a buy.

Video 

Although you won’t find a lot of distracting grain dancing about on the screen in this 1.77:1 aspect ratio, there is this somewhat smoothed-over appearance that doesn’t really bring out a lot of the finer details that Blu-ray is capable of revealing.  Unfortunately, The Green Berets only takes partial advantage of the 1080p, VC-1 encode.  I don’t want to send you down the wrong path.  The movie still looks decent.  There’s just room for improvement. 

Audio 

The film’s audio track is presented in a monaural format.  While unfortunate, this is not the fault of something lost in the transfer to Blu-ray, as this was more a case of the track’s original recording.  Still, the end result is uninspiring and feels like a glass of Coke left out over night.  It’s flat as flat can be.  If the sub-woofer got used during the film, I certainly missed it.  The performance there is forgettable and unimpressive.   

Special Features 

Anyone buying this disc for its extras is going to be sorely disappointed.  There are two, yes just two items to view here in standard definition:

• The Moviemakers: The Making of the Green Berets – This featurette gives viewers a brief glimpse behind the scenes of the film being shot on location at Fort Benning, Georgia (7:11).
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Thoughts 

Pure and simple, The Green Berets is a darn good movie with a lot of replay value.  If it wasn’t for the scarlet semi-gloss used for blood, I’d pretty much be sold on this film.  Still, after some mental debating and quieting the voices that weren’t talking about this flick, you’ve got to add this John Wayne classic to your high def library. 

Bring home The Green Berets on Blu-ray today!

Film

25 years ago Stephen King was the go to author for material to adapt to the screen. His books and short stories spawned dozens of classic horror films (The Shinning, Carrie, etc) however Cujo was not one of them.

Following a family that’s on the brink of falling apart, their paths are intersected with that of a mechanic and his dog, Cujo. Cujo has been recently infected with rabies (bats… they’re always causing problems) and without warning becomes a ravenous killing machine.

The film tries to recreate the psychological thrills and chills that the novel was famous for, but fails to do so relying mainly on cheap scares and gore. The film’s third act finds a mother and her son trapped in their car as Cujo circles and awaits…

The film hasn’t stood the test of time, the bloody trail that the dog leaves in its path is nothing when compared to amounts of gore the horror audience has been exposed to today, with film’s like Saw and other torture porn out there, our tolerance of blood is rising rapidly.

Beside the movie’s inability to do its job as a horror flick, the cinematography is just annoying and gratuitous. Shots dragged on, the running time had me staring at the clock and the overall dry tone of the film left me bored. This movie might’ve been scary 25 years ago and I’m sure it incited unnecessary fear towards St. Bernard’s, but today the only thing I fear when seeing a St. Bernard is whether or not it will try and waste 95 minutes of my life away.

Video

Watching a movie that is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 1080p is definitely interesting… The film stock the filmmakers used definitely had a noticeable grain to it that is hard to hide when the image is crisp. Overall the video isn’t bad. It’s definitely not showroom quality, but during daylight shots the crisp less-grainy shots do stand out. Cujo makes the best out of the AVC MPEG-4 codec and being framed in its original 1.85:1, fans of the classic horror film will be able to enjoy the film as it was meant to be seen (and heard, see audio)

The colour is a bit washed out throughout the movie, which isn’t surprising due to some of the limitations of film stock at the time. Overall, the video quality doesn’t stand out over the DVD release of the film, I felt like I wouldn’t have missed much watching an up-converted DVD.

Audio

Presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio as well as the original English monaural mix (which is an interesting feature for older flicks, back in the day when 5.1 and 7.1 weren’t as common, we get a glimpse of how Cujo was meant to be heard. Also for those who are hard of hearing or those who were sick of trying to hear the dialogue through this terrible mix, Cujo comes with English & Spanish subtitles.

I’m sometimes shocked when I hear a movie that seemed to be mixed by cavemen (apologies to any cavemen). It’s fine when you’re listening to dialogue and a quick loud sound is heard to scare the audience, but when you’re trying to hear two people talking over ridiculously over-cranked sound effects (not even explosions, but rather foley of day-to-day sounds in the kitchen… like a chair moving)… than something is seriously wrong.

Special Features

The special features included are:

• Audio commentary with Director Lewis Teague
• Three-part documentary: “Dog Days: The Making of Cujo”

As far as special features go, having a commentary and a featurette about the making of the film as your only features, is rather insignificant considering the disc proclaims 25th anniversary edition on the cover. Even in terms of DVD’s amount of features, this is a pretty pathetic amount.

The behind-the-scenes doc wasn’t very exciting; it consisted of a small back-story of the novel and moved on to finding the cast and the right dog… groundbreaking. Some of the interviews with cast and crew were better than others, but overall the doc didn’t do much except fill up some room on the Blu ray.

The commentary with Lewis Teague was probably the best thing on the Blu-ray, I found that in the documentary itself Teague’s interviews were the best, so it was nice to get some back-story on his process while filming this movie over some of the other people involved in the interview who were less charismatic.

Final Thoughts

To the horror fans who liked Cujo, this release is targeted for you. However with a very scarce amount of special features, very poor audio and video quality even the fans will be disappointed. As for those who may be interested in giving Cujo a chance, it’s best to rent it for the replayability is non-existent.

Film

Quite frankly, the original incarnation of Miracle on 34th Street is a wonderful film. The film has been remade several times, for both TV, the theater and even a broadway musical. However, none have had the impact of the original released in 1947 which remains a timeless Christmas classic to this day. While the film is set during the Christmas season, it was originally released to theaters in June 1947. Despite being released during the summer, the film was an instant success at the box office. It is easy to see why.

The film tells the tale of an older gentleman (Edmund Gwenn) living in a home for the aged who believes himself to by Santa Claus. He has all the markings of Santa, with a white beard and a kind and engaging, even jolly, disposition and the perfect name to boot, Kris Kringle. He comes into Manhattan on Thanksgiving for the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade and discovers that the man hired to be Santa in the parade is drunk. He brings that to the attention of one of the parade’s coordinators, Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), a single mother who is an executive at Macy’s and who hires Kris to replace him in the parade as well as in the store.

He quickly becomes a hit with the crowd as well as the shoppers at Macy’s and quickly comes to the attention of Mr. Macy himself for his innovative idea of referring shoppers to Macy’s competitors such as Gimbel’s for items that Macy’s did not carry. Mr. Macy saw this as a great way to promote Macy’s during the holiday season. Kris becomes friendly with Doris’ young daughter Susan played by a very young Natalie Wood, who like her mother, is very grounded and who doesn’t believe in fairy tales or Santa Claus. However, not everyone loves Santa and Kris is provoked by the store’s psychiatrist and taps him on the forehead in anger which the psychiatrist reports to the authorities. Kris deliberately fails a competency test and faces an involuntary commitment proceeding where his friend, lawyer and boyfriend of Doris Walker Fred Gailey (John Payne) has to prove Kris actually is Santa Claus to preserve his freedom and in doing so, teaches Doris and her daughter the true meaning of Christmas.

The film is perfectly cast with Edmund Gwenn a real delight as Kris Kringle, a performance which earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It is interesting how the film frowns on the commercialization of Christmas 62 years ago, something that has only gotten worse all these years later. This is a wonderful film that is still a joy to watch, even after repeat viewings. It is witty, funny and poignant and as relevant today as it was to theater goers 62 years ago and will likely remain so for decades to come. Highly recommended.

Video

Despite the color photos on the box and the description of the back that indicates that this release contains the colorized version of the film, it does not. The film presented here is in black and white, which is how it should be IMHO. The print used for this transfer appears to be in very good shape as I really didn’t notice dirt, speckles or scratches marring the image. The film is presented in its original 4×3 aspect ratio with blacks bars on the side. The video quality is just average and not quite up to the standard set by another black and white film of similar vintage released on Blu-ray, Casablanca. This transfer of Miracle on 34th Street lacks the deep black, fine detail and clarity that made the transfer of Casablanca so special, looking a bit softer in comparison. However, I can state that the film has never looked better on any prior home video release than it does here on Blu-ray.

Audio

There is not really a lot that one can do with a mono film audio track of this vintage so I was not expecting much in the audio department and as such, was not surprised by the audio on this release. While remixed to 5.1 from mono and featuring DTS HD Master Audio, they really shouldn’t have bothered. The original mono mix is included as an option. so that you can compare the two. The real issue I had with the sound is the overall fidelity rather than the mix. The sound is thin and bright with no dynamics and precious little bass. The dialogue track is clear and easy to follow which, given the age of the film, is really about all we could have expected.

Special Features

There are several extras included with this release, none of which are in HD. An audio commentary with Maureen O’Hara is included as well as an AMC Backstory feature on the film which details the history of the film and includes interviews with some surviving cast members and/or members of their families. Also included is an old Fox Movietonenews feature on the film as well as a featurette on the history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as the original theatrical trailer for the film and a photo gallery. The most interesting thing that I learned from the extras concerns the trailer which was very original in that it told audiences nothing about the actual film. The trailer mentions nothing about it even being a Christmas film. Given that the film was set to open in the summer, I can see why the studio took this approach. Other than this little tidbit, the extras here are rather pedestrian.

Final Thoughts

Miracle on 34th Street is a charming and entertaining film that retains its relevance and charm 62 years after its release. Highly recommended for a holiday viewing.

Film

To say that Snow White is a classic film is an understatement. In fact, it could be argued that it is one of the most significant films of all time given that it was the first feature animated film ever made and was ground braking in terms of its animation and musical score.

The film forms the foundation of the Disney empire, laying the ground work for all that came after it in terms of the Disney catalogue as well as the theme parks not to mention all of the rest of the animated films from all the studios that followed. It is even claimed that Warner Brothers didn’t give the final go ahead on the Wizard of Oz until the smashing success of Snow White. And a smashing success it was.

The film cost a whopping $1.5 million to make, which was a ton of money back in the 1930′s during the height of the Great Depression. It strained not only the legion of animations employed by Disney to make the film, but Disney’s finances as well. In fact, Disney could have lost it all had the film been the flop that the press pundits at the time had been anticipating. However, Disney’s gamble paid off immediately upon Snow White‘s premiere on December 21, 1937, which met with not only rave reviews but overwhelming commercial success by an adoring public who was craving for just this type of film and the message it communicated.

I can’t image that I need to go into much detail about the story itself, which is now well ingrained into the American collective conscious. Suffice it to say that despite the fact that the film is now over 70 years old, it is still as charming and moving as it ever was. This is a truly classic film if there ever was one and is a release that belongs in the library of every film fan. Very highly recommended.

Video

Quite frankly, the video quality on this release is spectacular. I can’t image it looking any better than it does here, at least given the limits of today’s technology. The restoration work here is every bit as impressive as that on Pinocchio, and really brings the film and characters to life, with details I had never seen before. The animation is not quite as refined as that in Pinocchio and as a result, the image looks just a tad softer than that in Pinocchio, hence the slighlty lower score. This is not the result of the transfer or any digital noise reduction or filtering that I could tell, but is just how the film looks.

While I have never seen the original cells that were used to make the film, this release looks to be completely faithful to the original, with excellent color rendition and excellent levels of detail. Colors are bright and bold and beautifully saturated with excellent black level. It is simply astonishing to me that a film of this age, with animation really at its infancy, looks this good. This is an incredible restoration job by Disney which should thrill all fans of the film. Well done.

Audio

Given the age of the film and the limitations inherent in the state of recorded sound in the 1930′s, I was not expecting to be bowled over by the audio on this release. However, considering the limitations of 1930 audio recording, the audio on this release is much better than one would have expected. Clearly great care went into re-mastering the original sound elements and creating a new 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio lossless soundtrack. For those purists out their, the original mono mix is included as well.

As one would expect, the audio here lacks much in the way of dynamics and depth. While a 7.1 mix is provided, most of the film is very front heavy with only sporadic use of the surrounds. As a result, there is little if any immersive feel here with most of the sound in the front of the room. However, when used, the surrounds are used effectively, to create a sense of drama. If you are expecting deep bass, this also is not the film for you. I wasn’t and hence was not disappointed. Otherwise, the overall fidelity of the sound was quite good breaking down a bit only at reference sound levels, where the sound became a bit lean and bright. The dialogue track is well presented however and all of the dialogue is clear and distinct and easy to follow. Given the age of the film, the 7.1 track included with this release sounds about is as good as one could possibly expect and possibly as good as it may ever sound.

Special Features

As one would expect for such a significant and historic film, this release is packed with extras. The release is a three disc set with one of the discs being a DVD copy of the film which is great as it enables you to take the film on the road and play in your car or laptop or a DVD player in your hotel. Frankly, given the minimal costs involved in the DVD replication process, all Blu-ray releases should include a DVD copy as well. Disney should be commended for including one here.

Disc two includes the feature plus some extras including a featurette in HD about the the newly discovered storyboards found in the Disney faults which hinted at a possible planned sequel to Snow White entitled Snow White Returns. Also included is a music video of Tiffany Thornton performing Some Day My Prince Will Come as well as a sneak peak of Disney’s forthcoming film, The Princess and the Frog as well as an audio commentary.

Disc three contains several extras under the banner Backstage Disney including a more detailed look at the possible planned sequel Snow White Returns, a look at Disney’s Hyperion Studios where the animation for Snow White took place before the studios were moved to Burbank California and the featurette “The One That Started it All”, which details the historic significance of the film both in the history of cinema as well as as the foundation of the Disney empire. The Hyperion Studios and The One that Started it All featurettes are highly recommended and are well worth a look.

The remainder of the extras are those included on the prior DVD release of the film, including Disney’s Wild Mine Ride, Heigh-Ho Karaoke Sing Along and the featurette Disney Through the Decades. The release is also BD-Live enabled allowing you to access What Do You See? to decipher the scrambled image, Mirror, Mirror On the Wall to see what princess you most are like and Jewell Jumble which allows you to test your matching skills.

Final Thoughts

Snow White represents another stunning restoration of a classic Disney classic and belongs in the library of any film fan. Very highly recommended.