Warner Legends on DVD
Warner Home Video is really putting out some good stuff on DVD these days,
including excellent digital video versions of some classic titles from the studios
history.
Weve seen fabulous special edition DVDs of such films as Casablanca,
The Right Stuff, Amadeus,
and Unforgiven, among others, and now theyve
unleashed a seven disc, three movie Warner Legends Collection that
really does belong in every collectors library.
The three movies span about a ten year period from the golden age
of Hollywood and theyre all true classics that illustrate just why this
era is looked back upon so fondly. The movies are The Adventures of Robin
Hood, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and The Treasure of the Sierra
Madre. Each title has been given a deluxe, two disc special edition treatment
thats worth the price of admission - and to sweeten the deal Warners has
thrown in fourth title thats a full length retrospective of the studio:
Heres Looking at You, Warner Bros.
The latter is gravy, but its also very nice to see included. It runs
about 108 minutes, which probably makes it a two and a half hour TV show when
you include commercials and promos, and it features such Hollywood names as
Clint Eastwood, Barbra Streisand (who, fortunately, reads from a script rather
than "thinking" up her own words), Steven Spielberg, Goldie Hawn and more. Its
an interesting look at the studio, and includes rare outtakes, screen tests
and other fascinating stuff.
But of course the real meat is the movies, and each has been restored and given
a new digital transfer, so the audio and video quality as about as good as you
can get from such old films. You also get enough extras to choke a horse with
each movie - and perhaps best of all, Warners has crafted each feature so you
can watch A Night at the Movies the same way you would have when
they were in theaters.
What this means is that you can watch the movie by itself, or take the night
out approach and start with a trailer, followed by a newsreel, then a
short subject, then a cartoon, and then the feature itself. Its terrific,
and thats how we decided to watch the features. What a neat idea!
As for the movies themselves, well how can you go wrong with these titles?
Errol Flynn is Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood,
the only one of these three features that was shot in color.
Its a grand swashbuckling adventure, kind of the Indiana Jones
of its age. The great Michael Curtiz co-directs, and the excellent cast is rounded
out by Olivia de Havilland (Maid Marian), Basil Rathbone (the evil Sir Guy of
Gisbourne), Claude Rains (the evil Prince John), Alan Hale (Little John), Eugene
Palette (Friar Tuck - Hes one of us? He looks like three of us!
some Merry Man says), and more.
Its a grand film, with handsome sets, lovely Technicolor images and a
stirring, Oscar-winning Erich Wolfgang Korngold musical score.
Prince John uses the absence of his brother King Richard (The Lion Hearted,
whos on a crusade) to bring to life his dreams of being King. He taxes
the population, well, the ethnic group he doesnt like, into poverty -
but wouldnt you know that rascally rebel Robin Hood and his Merry Men
of Sherwood Forest rise up and fight back in guerilla style.
Flynn's perfect in the role, with his easygoing manner a great counterpoint
to Rathbone's pompous and overbearing aristocrat. Robins just one of the
guys.
The movie climaxes with a beautifully choreographed battle featuring a fast-paced
sword fight between the main good guy and bad guy.
The picture looks great. Old Technicolor films have a wonderful old Hollywood
look and this restored version really does it justice. The aspect ratio is the
original 1.33:1, full frame, so it isnt 16x9 TV compatible, but thats
okay as long as owners of widescreen TVs remember to stretch/zoom the
picture to avoid burnin.
Audio is okay but, since this movie is some 65 years old, unremarkable.
Extras, besides the abovementioned Night at the movies features,
include a new documentary on the film, outtakes, Robin Hood through the
ages - a look at the character as he was portrayed in films even older
than this one - and home movies shot on location.
You also get a couple of nifty shorts, one dealing with archery and one a docudrama
of Flynns adventures on his yacht the Zaca. Theres some audio-only
stuff, too, an Angela Lansbury-narrated feature on Technicolor - and a couple
of great Warner cartoons: Rabbit Hood (with Bugs Bunny) and the classic Robin
Hood Daffy, one of Daffy Ducks best cartoons.
And thats just the first movie in this set!
Yankee Doodle Dandy is a biopic of George M. Cohan, the great writer,
composer and showman of the early 20th century.
James Cagney is outstanding in (and won an Oscar for) this song-and-dance extravaganza,
playing Cohan with incredible energy. The movie is told in flashbacks, beginning
with the youngster George during his formative years as part of his familys
act, and on until he's awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his contributions.
We get to watch him go from starving wannabe to Broadway's brightest star,
and get some excellent looks at some of his musicals and other artistic triumphs.
Again this movie was crafted by Michael Curtiz, and it gives Cagney plenty
of opportunity to craft a charming performance.
Cagney, who according to the supplementary material had a lot in common with
Cohan, is best known as a tough guy, but this movie (and his cameo in The
Seven Little Foys), show his talent as a hoofer and singer as well. Its
a real treat.
Speaking of the Foys, among many terrific scenes theres one between Cohan
and Eddie Foy Senior (played here, approptiately, by Eddie Foy, Junior) that
beautifully shows both of the mens brashness, egos, talent, and good nature
- all in about three minutes.
You know the songs, and unless youre an angry liberal youll find
it hard not to watch this movie without your heart swelling with American pride
- even if you arent an American, but especially if you are!
The movie is also presented in full frame, so isnt 16x9 TV compatible,
but the restored black and white picture looks fine. Audios okay, too.
Extras include the Night at the Movies features (Including a very
interesting patriotic short Beyond the Line of Duty) and "Let Freedom
Sing: The Story of Yankee Doodle Dandy, a wonderful documentary on the
film, a reminiscence on Cagney by John Travolta, a 1943 Warner short You:
John Jones starring James Cagney, and a photo gallery.
There are also two classic Warner Brothers cartoons: Yankee Doodle Bugs and
Yankee Doodle Daffy, though they arent nearly the best of the breed. And
Michael J. Fox hosts James Cagney: Top of the World, a full length
profile of the Hollywood legend. There are also some audio recordings.
Last, but certainly not least, in this boxed set is
John Hustons The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, a masterpiece from
the legendary director.
This film stars Humphrey Bogart, though you wont like him. Hes
small time loser Fred C. Dobbs, down on his luck in Mexico, wandering from low
paying job to begging, to low paying job again.
He hooks up with fellow down and outer Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) and they hitch
their wandering star to an old gold prospector (Walter Huston) whos up
for one more kick at the can.
It starts out as a grand adventure, with the two wet behind the ears prospectors
being hard pressed to keep up with the crusty old veteran, but its also
an excellent character study of what makes a man a man - and how the lust for
gold can drive some people around the bend.
They do strike a vein of gold, and their futures are set, but at that point
the movie turns more from an adventure to a human study. You want to reach into
the screen and slap Bogart as his character grows paranoid and violent, afraid
his partners want to steal his gold. Hes really a hateful dude!
Huston's character has seen it all before, so isn't surpised at the turn of
events, but Holt unhappily gets caught in the middle.
In the end, it turns out that there is a type of justice - or perhaps karma
or God is at work.
Oscars went to John and Walter Huston, both of whom deserved them. This is,
indeed, an American classic thats still powerful today.
The DVD looks great. The black and white picture is in full frame, of course,
so it isnt 16x9 TV compatible, but its sharp and clean. Audio is
okay.
Extras include the aforementioned Night at the Movies stuff, and
a bunch of trailers. The second disc includes a fascinating, full length look
at the life and career of John Huston, hosted by Robert Mitchum. Theres
also Discovering the Treasure: The Story of The Treasure of the Sierra
Madre, a new documentary narrated by writer/director John Milius and featuring
a host of commentators.
The classic cartoon this time is 8 Ball Bunny, which features an
homage to the film as an animated Bogart/Dobbs comes in periodically trying
to bum money. Theres also a photo gallery and some audio programming.
Whew! This is one heck of a boxed set!
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