Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #107931 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-04-03
• Format: NTSC
• Running time: 84 minutes

Customer Reviews

UNACCEPTABLE DVD IMAGE, SOUND QUALITY AND NO COMMENTARY!!

I SAW THE ORIGINAL RESTORATION OF THIS FILM AT THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES IN BEVERLY HILLS BACK IN THE 1980'S WHEN IT WAS RESTORED TO ITS' ORIGINAL GLORY BY BOB GITT OF UCLA.

IN FACT THIS WAS THE KICK-OFF FILM FOR FILM PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION BY THE FILM DEPT. AT UCLA, HEADED BY MR. GITT. THE STAFF AT UCLA DID A MAGNIFICENT JOB IN THE RESTORATION OF BECKY SHARP FROM WHAT THEY ORIGINALLY HAD TO WORK WITH. IN FACT, ONLY CINE-COLOR PRINTS WERE THOUGHT TO EXIST, BUT THEN AN ORIGINAL TECHNICOLOR PRINT WAS FOUND SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE. ALL THE ORIGINAL TECHNICOLOR FILM WAS AVAILABLE, EXCEPT A FEW MINUTES AT THE MOVIES END, WHERE THE EXISTING CINE-COLOR FILM WAS USED IN THE RESTORATION.

THE EVENING OF THE PRESENTATION KICK-OFF AT THE ACADEMY'S SAMUEL GOLDWYN THEATRE IN BEVERLY HILLS, THE AUDITORIUM WAS FILLED TO CAPACITY, AND THE PRINT, EVEN ALONG WITH COMPARISON VIEWS OF BEFORE AND AFTER WERE SHOWN. ALSO, ORIGINAL SCREEN TESTS, INCLUDING MIRIAM HOPKINS AND EVEN MRS. LESLIE CARTER WERE SHOWN IN TECHNICOLOR. MRS. CARTER DID NOT GET THE PART IN THE FILM, AND THE ROLE SHE TRIED OUT FOR EVENTUALLY WENT TO THE GREAT ALISON SKIPWORTH.

A GREAT DEAL OF ADDITIONAL FILM FOOTAGE RELATING TO THIS FILM WAS SHOWN THAT EVENING, AND COMPARISONS SHOWING HOW MUCH WORK WENT INTO THE RESTORATION OF THIS FILM, FRAME BY FRAME, AND BEFORE AND AFTER SEGMENTS OF THE CINE-COLOR PRINTS AND THE TECHNICOLOR FILM. IT WAS FASCINATING TO SEE ALL THE WORK THAT UCLA DID IN THE RESTORATION OF THIS FILM! UCLA PRODUCED A NEW PRINT, WITH PERFECT CLARITY, RICH COLOR, AND VERY CLEAR SOUND, WHICH IS TOTALLY MISSING FROM THE AVAILABLE PRINTS ON THE MARKET TODAY.

SO MUCH COMMENTARY COULD BE ADDED TO THIS FILM, EVEN ALONG WITH THE ORIGINAL SCREEN TESTS, AND OTHER FOOTAGE THAT IS AVAILABLE. NONE OF THIS EXISTS IN WHAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.

A SHAME WHAT IS ON THIS DVD BY SYNERGY, AND AN EVEN WORSE EFFORT PUT OUT EARLIER BY ALPHA. THIS IS BETTER THAN THE ALPHA ONE, BUT NOT MUCH! AFTER ALL THE RESTORATION WORK DONE ON THIS HISTORICAL FILM, BEING THE FIRST THREE-STRIP TECHNICOLOR FILM EVER FILMED USING THE NEW THREE-STRIP TECHNICOLOR PROCESS UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE NOTED NATALIE KALMUS.

THE FILM AT THE UCLA ARCHIVES IN LOS ANGELES IS AVAILABLE IN PERFECT COLOR AND TRANSFER ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL TECHNICOLOR ORIGINAL, WITH A GREAT DEAL OF ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE RELATING TO THE MAKING OF THE FILM. WHEN AND IF THIS WILL EVER COME OUT I DO NOT KNOW, BUT I DO KNOW A PERFECT PRINT RESTORATION AND ACCOMPANYING FOOTAGE IS AT UCLA.

DO NOT BOTHER WITH THIS DVD BY SYNERGY OR THE ONE BY ALPHA, AS THE QUALITY OF PRINT AND SOUND IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE! AFTER HAVING BEEN AT THE SAMUEL GOLDWYN THEATER AND HAVING SEEN WHAT A BEAUTY THIS FILM RESTORATION HAS BEEN, IT IS VERY SAD SEEING SUCH AN INFERIOR TRANSFER, AND WITH NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY, OR ANY EXTRAS AT ALL. OF THE TWO AVAILABLE, THE SYNERGY ONE IS SLIGHTLY BETTER, ESPECIALLY THE SOUND, AND THE COLOR, BUT ONLY MINIMALLY IMPROVED.

BECKY SHARP IS A VERY HISTORICAL FILM AND WELL DONE BY NOTED DIRECTOR ROUBEN MAMOULIAN AND STARRED MIRIAM HOPKINS, WHO WAS NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR HER EFFORTS THAT YEAR OF 1935.

MIRIAM HOPKINS INDEED GIVES A STELLAR PERFORMANCE AS THE LEADING CHARACTER OF WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY'S NOVEL BECKY SHARP. CEDRIC HARDWICKE, FRANCIS DEE, ALISON SKIPWORTH, AND NIGEL BRUCE COMPLETE THE CAST THAT BRINGS OUT THE CHARACTER OF THACKERAY'S ORIGINAL NOVEL OF VANITY FAIR. I THINK THIS WAS ALSO FILMED IN THE 1920'S AND WAS A SILENT FILM. VANITY FAIR WAS RECENTLY AGAIN FILMED, AND AGAIN TITLED THE ACTUAL NAME OF THE NOVEL, VANITY FAIR AS WAS THE CASE WITH THE SILENT VERSION.

FOR INTERESTS SAKE, THE PURCHASE PRICE IS NOT BAD FOR THIS ONE BY SYNERGY, AND IT WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO WHAT THE FILM WAS LIKE. EVEN THE OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE IN THE RESTORED VERSION AT UCLA WAS IN A RICH BLUE, AND IN BOTH THE SYNERGY AND ALPHA RELEASES, IT IS A MUTED GRAY.

THE STAFF AT UCLA UNDER THE DIRECTION OF BOB GITT, COMPLETELY RESTORED THIS FILM FRAME BY FRAME TO ITS' ORIGINAL GLORY. I JUST HOPE UCLA WILL UNDERTAKE TO SEE THAT THIS FILM IS GIVEN THE APPROPRIATE TRANSFER SHOWING THE BEAUTY, AND HOPEFULLY SOME TYPE OF COMMENTARY, OF THIS VERY HISTORICAL PHOTOPLAY IN THE ANNALS OF FILM HISTORY.

Print better than previously available
A terrific film that unfortunately has not been given the deluxe DVD treatment is seen here is a print much superior to the one available on Alpha DVD. Sharper image, more accurate and pleasant color, but still not quite the ravishing Technicolor print many fans of the film might hope to see. The earlier DVD versions are difficult to watch, but this time around, the sound is of a higher standard, the image is at least clean, and detail is more apparent in the night scenes.
Miriam Hopkins is just fine as Becky, and the film itself is fun, bright, sarcastic, and entertaining. Recommended to fans of this, the first three-strip Technicolor feature, since it represents the next stage in evolution on the way to the restoration we're wishing for.
No special features, no menu items to speak of, just this acceptable print, and a reasonable price.