In these days of widescreen, hi-def, Blu-ray video pictures, cast a thought back to the late 1920’s and early 1930’s – even then they had widescreen, large format film presentations.

The release of Fox’s “The Big Trail” in both normal (35mm) and  Fox’s “Grandeur” widescreen (70mm) editions on a 2 disc Region 1 DVD set is a welcome addition to the catalogue.

An excellent article from  American Cinematographer September 1930 (link below) by Arthur Edeson (ASC)  gives a flavour of the atmosphere of the time regarding widescreen   processes.

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/grandeur-sep1930.htm

HTML Transcription ©1998 courtesy THE AMERICAN WIDESCREEN MUSEUM

Still waiting for my copy of this DVD to wing its way from the US, but will add some remarks later……………

The recent, excellent BFI 4 DVD release “LAND OF PROMISE” is a delightful ramble via 40 film documentaries through Britain of the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s. Seminal directors like Robert Flaherty, John Grierson, Alberto Cavalcanti, Paul Rotha and of course Humphrey Jennings are given pride of place here, along with less well-known names: Geoffrey Bell, Ruby Grierson, Basil Wright, Ralph Bond, John Page, Max Anderson and many other fine film craftsmen.

Classic documentaries like “Listen To Britain” (Jennings/Stewart McAllister: 1942), a marvellous, evocative sound and visual record of war-torn Britain, using popular and classical music as its framework - Myra Hess rubs shoulders on the soundtrack with Flanagan and Allen to great effect, while the UK’s versions of Rosie the Riveter sing along as they work tirelessly in the factories - unforgettable! And “Housing Problems”, (Arthur Elton, Edgar Anstey: 1935) a raw view of the UK slum problem, featuring real inhabitants voicing their opinions about the state of Britain’s homes in the thirties.

Mostly filmed in black and white, which paints those massed clouds and the rolling British landscape in such a picturesque light - no vista is  complete without a horse and cart plodding tirelessly home in the setting sun; although there is a rare venture into Dufaycolour in the faded grandeur of “Farewell Topsails” (Jennings: 1937).

Add a 92 page, well written booklet and lavish packaging, and you have an irresistible DVD set for anyone even remotely interested in the state of Britain from the joyful innocence of the ’30’s to the cynical and jaded views of the early post-war 1950’s.

And if you tire of the propaganda, there is always the game of “spot the star”: look out for Bill Owen (Compo from “Last Of the Summer Wine“), John Gielgud, George Woodbridge, a pre “Dad’s Army” Clive Dunn and Bill Slater, among others, all doing their bit here.

Disc One
Industrial Britain (Robert Flaherty, 1931)
Shipyard (Paul Rotha, 1935)
Workers and Jobs (Arthur Elton, 1935)
Housing Problems (Arthur Elton, Edgar Anstey, 1935)
Children at School (Basil Wright, 1937)
Farewell Topsails (Humphrey Jennings, 1937)
Today We Live (Ruby Grierson, Ralph Bond, 1937)
Eastern Valley (Paul Rotha, Donald Alexander, 1937)
People of Britain (Paul Rotha, 1936)
If War Should Come (no director credited, 1939)Disc Two
Britain at Bay (Harry Watt, 1940)
Transfer of Skill (Geoffrey Bell, 1940)
They Also Serve (Ruby Grierson, 1940)
Tomorrow is Theirs (James Carr, 1940)
Words for Battle (Humphrey Jennings, 1941)
Ordinary People (Jack Lee, J B Holmes, 1941)
Five and Under (Donald Alexander, 1941)
Night Shift (J D Chambers, 1942)
The Countrywomen (John Page, 1942)
Summer on the Farm (Ralph Keene, 1943)
Listen to Britain (Humphrey Jennings, Stewart McAllister, 1942)
Builders (Pat Jackson, 1942)
Words and Actions (Max Anderson, 1943)
A Diary for Timothy (Humphrey Jennings, 1946)

Classic Musicals FromThe Dream Factory Volume 3

Once again, Warners have taken MGM’s motto “Do it big, do it right, and give it class” and given us devoted film fans more of what we crave……..yet another fine set of MGM musicals to get our collective teeth into. From widescreen, ravishing colour, big budget blockbusters to Academy ratio, black and white delights, there is something for everyone here. And not content with giving us the films, there are all those extras as well - shorts, cartoons, interviews, trailers, audio and video outtakes, radio shows. Hot damn, this set will take weeks to get through (am I complaining?!)

Now, about volume 4. Warners…………….!!

          Hit The Deck,Kismet, Deep in My Heart, Broadway Melody of 1936, Broadway Melody of 1938, Born to Dance, Lady Be Good, Nancy Goes To Rio, Two Weeks With Love.

Hit the Deck

Special Features:
· Soundtrack remastered in both a new Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and 5.0 presentation of the original 4-track theatrical mix
· Classic M-G-M Pete Smith Specialty comedy short The Fall Guy
· Classic M-G-M Tex Avery cartoon Field and Stream
· Audio-only bonuses: Dolby 5.1 music-only track for song sequences
· Audio-only outtake song Sometimes I’m Happy (Powell/Damone reprise)
· Original Theatrical trailer

Deep In My Heart

Special Features:
· Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, as well as original theatrical Mono
· Oscar®-nominated musical short The Strauss Fantasy
· Classic cartoon Farm of Tomorrow
· Outtake musical numbers Dance, My Darlings (Traubel) and Girlies of the Cabaret (George Murphy and Esther Williams)
· Theatrical trailer

Kismet

Special Features:
· Soundtrack remastered in both a new Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and 5.0 presentation of the original 4-track theatrical mix
· Oscar®-nominated CInemaScope short The Battle of Gettysburg
· Classic cartoon The First Bad Man
· 2 excerpts from The MGM Parade TV Series
· Complete version of partially-censored musical number Rahadlakum
· Audio-only bonus: Outtake Song Rhymes Have I
· Theatrical trailers of both the 1944 and 1955 Kismet

Nancy Goes To Rio /Two Weeks With Love

Special Features: Disc 1
Nancy Goes To Rio
· Oscar®-nominated Pete Smith Specialty comedy short Wrong Way Butch
· Classic cartoon The Peachy Cobbler
· Theatrical trailer
DISC 2
Two Weeks With Love
· TCM special Reel Memories with Jane Powel, hosted by Robert Osbornel
· Vintage short Screen Actors
· Classic cartoon Garden Gopher
· Theatrical trailer

Broadway Melody of 1936/Broadway Melody of 1938
Special Features:

DISC 1
Broadway Melody of 1936
· Vintage short Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
· Classic cartoon To Spring
· Audio-only bonus: Leo Is on the Air radio promo
· Theatrical trailer

DISC 2
Broadway Melody of 1938
· Oscar®-winning short That Mothers Might Live
· Classic cartoon Pipe Dreams
· Audio-only bonuses: Outtake Songs Yours and Mine,
· Your Broadway and My Broadway and Sun Showers
· Feelin’ like a Million test recording
· Good News of 1938 radio program and Leo Is on the Air radio promo
· Theatrical trailer

Born to Dance (1936)/Lady Be Good (1941)
Special Features:

DISC 1
Born to Dance
· Vintage short Hollywood: The Second Step
· Oscar®-nominated cartoon The Old Mill Pond
· Audio-only bonus: Hollywood Hotel Radio program
· Theatrical trailer

DISC 2
Lady Be Good
· Vintage FitzPatrick TravelTalks short Glimpses of Florida
· Oscar®-nominated cartoon The Rookie Bear
· Audio-only bonuses: outtake song I Love to Dance and Leo Is on the Air radio promo
· Theatrical trailer

Great news for all us Alfred Hitchcock fans - that nice UK Network DVD company is releasing a 10 (count ‘ em ten!) film set comprising some of the Master’s early sound films. To be released on the 25th of February, the contents are:

The Pleasure Garden [print used is from the Rohauer Collection]
The Lodger
Downhill
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The 39 Steps
Secret Agent
Sabotage
Young and Innocent
The Lady Vanishes
Jamaica Inn

Plus, Network promises us assorted “extras”!

The only drawback, is that I, for one, am not really happy with the projected DVD cover image (pictured at the top). It uses a photo of Hitch from much later in his career, but I suppose it is an image that most casual buyers would recognise more easily than one from the 1930’s. I have, however, adapted their cover and made my own (see above: bottom image):

Fox DVD have just redeemed themselves in my eyes - after failing to release some of their classic films on DVD, they have come up trumps (nothing to do with Donald) and issued three of their masterpieces (well, two masterpieces and a close also-ran) in a fine 3 DVD set, just in time for Hallowe’en.

“Fox Horror Classics” contains director John Brahm’s “Hangover Square”, “The Lodger” and “The Undying Monster”, the first two starring the excellent and doom-laden actor Laird Cregar. Each disc has extras, including short featurettes on Brahm, Cregar and the making of “The Lodger” as well as radio shows, commentaries and restoration comparisons. My “Hangover Square” slimcase (nice touch using these, Fox) also contained 2 still reproductions, but am not sure if the others should have included these as well? (Any responses out there re this?) A small booklet giving overviews of the films and genres is also included.

Quality is excellent, with crisp blacks, pure whites and a good tonal range throughout. Do yourself a favour - chill yourselves for Hallowe’en………

Rivalling the recent Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland set in packaging, content and extras, this landmark musical finally arrives on DVD in tremendous style - truly worthy of the high esteem in which this movie is held.

A three disc set, the first two discs contain the film, various contemporary film documentaries relating to the early years of film sound, an Al Jolson trailer gallery and a new feature-length documentary “The Dawn Of Sound”, which puts the film in context with developments in early film sound recording. The third DVD consists of over four hours of Vitaphone short films, from the sublime: the delights of George Burns and Gracie Allen in “Lambchops”, to the ridiculous: the antics of the strangely-named Sol Violinsky in “The Eccentric Entertainer”. But as a visual and sound record of some of the acts of America’s vaudeville tradition this disc is second-to-none.  Also included are two surviving colour excerpts from Warners 1929 two-colour Technicolor musical “Golddiggers Of Broadway” (but early pressings have the ballet from “The Rogue Song” incorrectly substituted for one of these.)

Any self-respecting film buff MUST have this set.

After a relatively quiet few months, Warners in the US have given us film fans a bumper treat! They have been in the works for some time, but now all four of the M-G-M musicals that Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney made together are available on DVD in a lavish and spectacular box set.

Containing “Babes In Arms”, “Babes On Broadway”, “Strike Up the Band” and “Girl Crazy”, along with a bonus DVD containing a Judy Garland Jukebox (21 complete song sequences from some of her other M-G-M musicals); a Mickey & Judy Trailer Gallery; “Private Screenings” with Rooney; and with added shorts, introductions and other extras, this set just has to be THE contender for “Best DVD set of 2007″!

Packaging is deluxe, with a hardback book containing the bonus DVD, a portfolio of 20 behind the scenes photos and the film discs themselves, contained in an overlapping digipack. (The only slight cavil - slimcases would have been so much better…)

Films include “Torrid Zone“, “The Bride Came C.O.D.“, “Captains Of the Clouds“, “The Fighting 69th” and “The West Point Story“. Usual Warners extras like trailers, shorts, newsreels and featurettes on all discs.

The Errol Flynn Signature Collection: Volume 2

“The Adventures Of Don Juan“, “The Charge Of the Light Brigade“, “The Dawn Patrol“, “Dive Bomber” and “Gentleman Jim“. As with the Cagney set, heaps of extras like newsreels, shorts and cartoons are also included.     

The guys at Warners are spoiling us film fans - some great Doris Day musicals here:

Doris Day volume 2:

  ”By the Light Of the Silvery Moon“, “On Moonlight Bay“, “My Dream Is Yours“, “Lucky Me“, “I’ll See You In My Dreams” and “Romance On the High Seas“. Loaded with extras, too - cartoons, shorts, trailers.

And there are more to come: promised for later this year an Esther Williams box set, an Eleanor Powell box set, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland box - and, hopefully, more!