The Orson Welles Collection [1946] [DVD]

I will not comment the feature "David and Goliath" in this review, as it is below anyone's dignity, including the viewer's and the most honourable Mr. Welles himself.

I knew I could download "The Stranger" from many a'places, but chose not to, and instead opted for a decent copy on DVD. At least that's what I thought I would get. I was however completely wrong. I'm OK with less-then-perfect video quality when I'm about to watch an old flick, but what on earth have they managed to do with the sound, this Czech production company?! Through the whole movie it has a very annoying clicking sound -- I actually couldn't sit still and finish the movie because of it. Therefore I ended up (don't read this next part) going back to the place on The Internet where they are renowned for their collection of legal public domain movies, and there I found one in the 720p format.

As already mentioned in another (short) review, you could be one of those who are considering to buy this becasuse of the inclusion of "King Lear", made-for-TV play. And yes, this is one of the few possibilities of obtaining a copy of this. And no, it's far from good quality on this print, but it is bearable, mainly since it is not many options for anyone who want to watch it before they perish. The image is of course not sharp, and voices out of sync. Still, the production is an important piece of our history and of Mr. Welles's theatre participations recorded to tape.

And finally, let me quote the small inscription on the back of every DVD in this box, where "Elstree Hill Entertainment" CLEARLY states that they DID NOT INTEND TO RE-MASTER OR IN ANY WAY BETTER THE QUALITY of the features, when they write: "When transferring to digital format some quality may have been lost." ???? Isn't this the complete opposite of any self-respecting company who deals with the combo 'DVD' and 'significant movie classic' would try to achieve?

- Thank you for reading!

Clearly, this box set does not deserve the label 'The Orson Welles Collection'. Get it if you're interested in the TV Lear - but otherwise don't bother. The quality is really bad.

There are better versions of 'The Stranger' out there and you will not be interested in the 'David and Goliath' (trust me).

This box set should never have been offered for sale. I've seen two of the DVDs, and assume the other three are the same. Both "David and Goliath" and "King Lear" have a permanent onscreen logo saying "Orson Welles Collection" throughout the duration of the films, and this makes them completely unwatchable. This set should be withdrawn from sale and all copies destroyed, in the hope that this will leave room for another more intelligent company to make an alternative set WITHOUT the offensive onscreen logo. This review and rating only applies to this particular box set, not to any of the actual films