|
The
Adventures of
Robin Hood |
|
|
|
|
|
| . |
. |
| Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude
Rains, Alan Hale, Eugene Palette Directed
by: Michael Curtiz, William Keighly |
Theatrical Release: 1938
HD DVD Release: 2006
Released by: Warner Home VideoDolby
Digital Plus 1.0
Fullscreen |
| More Classics in the HD DVD
Format  Paramount has just released a 25th anniversary edition of Warren
Beatty’s Reds (***1/2) in SD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray editions. The HD is
stunning. Beatty intersperses the story with talking-head commentaries from
"witnesses," folks who were actually around in the late 1910s, the time the
movie takes place. Their faces, full of lines and character, appear against a jet-black
background. Sharp HD close ups have never been better than this. In the story part of the
film, period details seem three-dimensional and clear, and the colors have a richness I
have not seen in any SD disc. The whole effect is very movie-like. The movie is offered on
two discs, which might bother some, but there was an intermission for this very long film
so the two parts fall just right on the discs. It is hard to believe anyone would want to
watch its 300 minutes straight through without taking a break. All of the extras from the
SD version will be found on the HD discs.
 Universal’s Spartacus (***1/2)
did not fare as well. On SD there are versions from Universal and Criterion. The latter is
clearly superior. But Universal has used its same SD print for this HD DVD. The
result is that we have an image that is much sharper than the SD but not as color rich as
the Criterion. It’s not awful, mind you, it is just frustrating that it could have,
should have been better. The Dolby Digital Plus sound is another story, far superior to
either SD version. There’s not a lot of surround (this is a 40-year-old film, after
all) but the front soundstage is beautifully transparent and focused. Alex North’s
quirky score comes through clean and clear. There are no extras at all. The movie itself,
by the way, wears well. It is so satisfying to see huge well-planned battle scenes that
are not digitally created.
...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |
|
|
The film was completely restored a few years back, using
Warner’s new system, and it is that print which is used for this HD DVD. Color
was relatively new in 1938 so the set designer and costume department went to great
lengths to see that there were many colors on the set. You will often find bright primary
colors in the costumes that actually clash, chosen just to prove that Technicolor could
reproduce anything. It is scarcely authentic; these clothes look like new costumes, but
such grand ones that one cannot complain. The HD DVD shows it all in a picture that
is bright and crisp, with appropriate contrast. It in no way looks "old."
If the picture is splendid, the sound is a different matter
and the only weakness of this disc. The original was optical mono so I guess one really
shouldn’t expect much, but it seems weak and pale with little frequency or dynamic
range. It is interesting that Warner has chosen to present it in 1.0 that just uses the
center channel. That should be no problem for systems that have the subwoofer crossover
set correctly, but in truth, there’s little here that will set your .1 LFE going.
The extras contain two Looney Tunes cartoons: Rabbit
Hood and Robin Hood Daffy. They are presented in HD 1080p and might be the best
thing I’ve seen on HD. There’s not a trace of wear, no artifacts, and the colors
are bright and rich, without any bleeding. The picture is perfect and you can’t get
any better than that. The soundtracks for these are still mono but considerably more
robust than the soundtrack in the feature itself.
The other extras, in SD, offer what amounts to a film
course on this movie and the period in general. Rudy Behmer offers an informative
commentary. Leonard Maltin hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1938, which adds
a newsreel and a vintage short to the feature to provide an authentic, complete program,
as would have been seen in ’38. There are two in-depth documentaries, one that
studies the history of Technicolor and yet another that examines Robin Hood through the
ages. There are two vintage shorts: one about archery, outtakes, art, scene concept
drawings, and poster galleries and the other outtakes and a hilarious studio blooper reel.
Audio-only bonuses include piano sessions with Korngold, The Robin Hood Radio Show,
and a music-only soundtrack.
If you have HD DVD capability, you will surely want to
see this release of a classic that’s been given its full due. |
