Rating: Summary: Nice picture; not-so-great soundtrack Review: This is a great print, with a much better picture than any of the previously released versions. Because the disc was made from a European print, however, there is "PAL to NTSC speed up" making the dialogue sound slightly sped up. To my ears, hearing Stan and Ollie's voices at a higher pitch than normal is very distracting, although reviewers elsewhere have said they were not bothered by this.
Rating: Summary: Good mixture of pathos and humor Review: This is one of those films that you will enjoy seeing as a child, but will understand better as an adult. The airplane and soldier gags are quite hilarious. But there are interesting moments of pathos. For some reason, I was always touched by the scene where Hardy tells Laurel that without him, "People will wonder what you are" and Laurel begins to cry. The finale with Ollie as a reincarnated horse also strikes a note of whimsy, as well as Stan's dancing to Ollie's cheerful rendition to "Shine On Harvest Moon." The Three Stooges give us belly laughs, but Laurel and Hardy have a more human quality that makes us smile.
Rating: Summary: Another unwatchable Madacy video Review: This is the second video with the "Madacy" label that posed extreme viewing and quality problems. The print itself is only fair, but the video stopped functioning at several points and needed to be advanced manually. The synchronization of lip movement and sound was constantly poor. Needless to say, our young Laurel and Hardy fan was extremely disappointed. It is a shame that a company like Madacy, which seems to have so little regard for video quality or the quality of their product, is putting out movies on DVD.
Rating: Summary: Platinun Disc Corp. version is the best Review: This movie was produced outside of Laurel & Hardy's regular studio and is not quite up to par with their classics. The Platinum Disc Corp. version is the best DVD, it is sharp and clear.
Rating: Summary: Platinun Disc Corp DVD is the best Review: This movie was produced outside of Laurel & Hardy's regular studio and is not quite up to par with their classics. The Platinun Disc Corp. DVD is the best around, it is sharp and clear.
Rating: Summary: ...................WHAT Restoration? Review: When I see the word RESTORED, I think WOW! This will be the best ever!!!!!In this case....WRONG. This is simply an improvement over previous releases but not a major improvement. The bar has been set so high on previous classic film restorations, some examples of which are SINGIN IN THE RAIN, ROBIN HOOD and the CHAPLIN COLLECTIONS, that we expect an image that looks like it was filmed yesterday. The film opens with the Astor pictures re-release titles, not the original R.K.O. titles. Strike one. In fact the titles look like they were from a 16mm dupe, not the 35mm Nitrate print that they boast of. There are wear lines that could have been removed by simple digital cleanup. Strike two. Notice that THE END appears and the screen goes black but the music continues. That is because instead of black there should be the cast listed. Strike Three. While I complain, the extras are nothing special either. THE STOLEN JOOLS is an o.k. transfer. It looks much better on one of the LAUREL AND HARDY THE LOST EPISODES dvd. THIS IS YOUR LIFE is from a kinescope dupe. TREE IN A TEST TUBE.dupe. Laurel and Hardy on tour in the 30's just o.k. visuals but not even a music score! *sigh* The real crime of all of this? The original negative to FLYING DEUCES is in the possession of TURNER/Warner Bros. C'mon guys put this out in pristine form!
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