Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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176 of 178 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Truly, Truly Disappointing!, 23 Feb 2006
After owning, loving and playing to death the wonderful Universal Fred and Ginger Collection Volume 1 for the past couple of years I was salivating at the prospect of the release of Volume 2. I have rarely been so disappointed, there's only one word to describe it - awful. The packaging, is identical to the first collection and excellent. I opened it with growing anticipation and put 'Flying Down To Rio' in my DVD player. It was almost unwatchable with scratches and bad picture quality throughout the film and an equally unlistenable soundtrack of varying volume, hissing and bad quality. Next 'The Gay Divorcee' almost, but not quite, as bad. 'The Story Of Irene And Vernon Castle' - better but not really sharp enough - the improvement obviously coming from a better print. Lastly 'Swing Time', this was the best of the lot, but again obviously due to a better print of the film (even so there were quite a few 'jumps'). I haven't felt so conned in ages. It is obvious that someone felt with all us Fred and Ginger fans out there they could get away without the expense of restoring and they probably will, because by the time you find out about it it's too late. I suppose now it's too much to hope we'll ever get to see properly restored versions of these films. My well-worn VHS tapes are probably better quality.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Half a loaf is better than none, 3 Jan 2007
You face 3 issues with this set: how much you enjoy the films; the quality of the transfer to DVD; and the value for money.
In terms of enjoying the films, "Swingtime" is up there with the best of the Rogers/Astaire films - boy meets girl, boy and girl don't hit it off due to misunderstandings etc... great music and great dancing. "The Gay Divorcee" is similar but before they fully got into their swing (as you might say). It's nevertheless highly enjoyable. The other two films are completely different. "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" is more a straight story of the lives of the Castles without the usual will they/won't they anticipation and with dances which mostly are the Castle's ballroom dances rather than plot elements. In "Flying Down to Rio" Astaire and Rogers are not romantically involved and are only a sideplot. They dance in the marvellous Carioca, but the main stars are the wooden Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio.
Technically, "Swing Time" occasionally has some small marks, which you probably won't notice if you're caught up in the story. The sound is a little muffled, as if the treble has been cut to remove sissing. You will need to turn up your volume and, if you're able, increasing the treble will help.
"The Gay Divorcee" also has muffled sound and at one point there is a jagged line on screen but you may not think about it - after all, old films have defects.
"Flying Down to Rio" has OK sound but often has small scratches and in a number of places bad ones. I compared this with my off-air video recording and that also had many small scratches but also a noisy soundtrack which is more irritating, to me. We would all like a perfect print but perhaps some films just don't have one. However some work in editing out the odd frame here and there would have much improved this DVD release.
In conclusion the quality in parts is disappointing but for around £14 you get 2 excellent films and 2 less good! In terms of value for money, just the 2 films would be worth it.
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still Magic !, 21 Jan 2007
Having read the previous review I held off buying this collection until January 2007. I needn't have worried.
THE FILMS: The films are still classics of movement, light and music with the incomparable dancing pair.
FLYING DOWN TO RIO (1933) is the oldest and most dated with too much footage devoted to the rather wooden Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. The climax with the aerobatics and wing walking is still exciting despite the use of back projection.
THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934) is a lighter than air farce about mistaken identity, co-respondents and seaside hotels. Despite a dated title this has good comedy and much more dancing. It resembles Top Hat but is more like a trial run.
SWING TIME (1936) is very polished under the direction of George Stevens but like SHALL WE DANCE (1937 not in this collection) the plot is annoying. However the dances are among the duo's best.
THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE is the only non-comedy, albeit a light, agreeable biopic of real dancers who were Astaire and Rogers predecessors. The ending is tragic but not unbearable.
Together with the previous box set all the Astaire-Rogers films are included with the exception of ROBERTA (1935) about a troubled Parisian fashion house with Fred, Ginger, Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott (in a pre-western role). This little seen film is essential viewing for fans.
THE DVDs:
No extras just scene menus. This is a shame since Fred Astaire's daughter pleasantly introduced the films in the first DVD collection. The sound on the earliest films is a bit tinny but this is unavoidable for the age of the films. The films do jump momentarily where repair splices have been made - I counted 3 in Gay Divorce, but the picture quality is clean and sharp.
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