Heidi
(1993/FilmRise DVD*)/Original
Christmas Specials Collection
(2021 steelbook edition of 2018 upgrades/Rankin Bass/Universal
Blu-ray Set)/Roy Rogers
Double Feature: Mackintosh and
T.I.
(1975)/Under
Western Skies
(1933/Blu-ray Set/*both MVD)
Picture:
C/B/B & B- Sound: C/B-/B & B- Extras: D/B-/B-
Main Programs: C+/B/C+
Here
come the holidays and that includes family titles, some of which are
upgrades or reissues...
We'll
start with the oft-filmed classic Heidi,
here in its 1993 min-series version once touted by Disney as being
theirs. Many of the versions have been a success, going back to the
1937 Shirley Temple version (a Fox film Disney now owns) but this one
has Jason Robards, Jane Seymour and Patricia Neal with music by Lee
Holdridge and Noley Thorton in the title role. It is not bad, but
not the best version, though it has some good moments. If you are
unfamiliar with the story of the young gal who goes to live in the
country with her family, you can read about this more recent 2017
import production I was not impressed with, but my fellow writer was
at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14897/Heidi+(2017/Studiocanal/Omnibus+DVD
This
is a 2-DVD set with no extras.
Next
up are The Original
Christmas Specials Collection
now owned by Universal of the Rankin Bass TV classics we first
reviewed in 2018 when the studio restored most of them, which you can
read more about at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15350/Blaze+Saves+Christmas+(2015+-+2018/Nickelode
It
also has the same exact extras, so you can now choose from two cases,
but these remain popular and the restorations hold up well in the
face of increasing 4K releases.
Finally,
we have a Roy Rogers
Double Feature: Mackintosh and
T.I.
(1975) and Under
Western Skies (1933,)
which are his first and last films where he is the star. We reviewed
the final one at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15914/Boogie+(2021/Universal+Blu-ray)/Final+Fantasy+V
His
first dinging cowboy film obviously set the tone for the rest of his
insanely successful popularity and career, thriving at Republic
Pictures, but it only lasts 65 minutes. Originally intended for Gene
Autry, he left the studio because he felt they were not paying him
enough money, but also continued to have his own hugely successful
career as well. Almost a musical, like the other many such films, a
greedy local water company intends to stick it to farmers in a severe
drought until you-know-who shows up and gets the farmers to unite.
It
has the great fighting and stunts Republic was known for and the
supporting cast (including Smiley Burnett and Carol Hughes) cement
the formula for a new star. A historical film, it is worth a look
for serious Rogers fans and makes a nice pairing with the other film.
Extras
this time include a new trailer for the film, a trailer for
Mackintosh and a half-hour look at location used for the film
called Exploring The Alabama Hills (in Lone Pine area) that
looks better and is smoother than expected.
Now
for playback performance. The Christmas
set has the same solid 1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image
transfers and same solid sound as the other set, while the 1080p 1.33
X 1 black and white digital High Definition image transfer on Skies
can show the age of the materials used, but has its moments despite
being a 16mm reduction print. Apparently, this is the only surviving
copy of the film as we post! The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix shows its age, but is
as good as this will likely ever sound, but the film is 83 years old
and on, so background noise, a little harmonic distortion and lack of
dynamic range for such a low-budget film is expected.
Finally,
the 1.33 X 1 image on Heidi is soft and noisy, from apparently
an older video master and an issue that also gets in the way of its
sound, here in older, lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. The
combination is trying and not great, so you had better be a big fan
of this one to get this version. Also, be careful of high volume
playback and volume switching.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
