Superman

Rating:
Summary: Superb! Highly recommended...
Review: I bought this video, watched it and enjoyed it. I have to agree with others being that the sound isn't all too great but one can't expect perfection with a 1940's cartoon. If you enjoy early 20th century cartoons, you'll enjoy this. I gave it -1 star because of the sound but I took that into account when I purchased it. However, it would be great if the sound was cleared up, even though it has been with this collection. I would recommend buying it if you're a Superman fan. There was alot of work put into these short cartoons on the tape; art work that you don't see anymore.

Rating:
Summary: Better than I expected
Review: These cartoons have to be the best example of American animation and by far the best superhero cartoon series ever. I grew up reading Superman comics and even though these cartoons are over 50 years old, they look like they could have been made yesterday due to the excellent restoration. This cartoon series was the inspiration for the art of the current Batman cartoon series on FOX. The resoration of these cartoons is amazing and so is the sound. There were added sound effects to the original sound track, so some of the effects may stand out from the original restored sound, but if you listen to this with a Dolby 5.1 receiver and set the sound on the DVD to Dolby, you will not notice a difference. The resoration demo on the disk actually shows how well cartoons like this were restored. The original aspect ratio is close enough to the full screen mode, so nothing is missed from the original. There is an informative history that describes the background behind the production of these cartoons as well as a description for each cartoon in the series. There is also an added cartoon for the "feel the sound" sound restoration process. There are adds for their "Cartoon Crazies" series too, I liked these because I was interested in that series, but wasn't sure of the content. The fact that these adds were an option to watch was also appealing. Overall this DVD has more content than I expected and a higher quality of visual and audio restoration. An excellent buy for someone who is a Superman or animation fan.

Rating:
Summary: Fleischer's Superman Cartoons
Review: Even in the light of today's animation and Disney, these were unique and very entertaining. Max and Dave were underated. You will find them very enjoyable and it is great to have them all together. Many effects were done here that were not done elsewhere, and as well. I remember when the very first one came out. It was well received.

Rating:
Summary: It's not Anamorphic. Not even Widescreen!
Review: I have to agree with the reviewer from Shrevesport who found it so disappointing that these early cartoons were not in Widescreen. Where do these DVD producers get off? Max Fleischer was a terrific innovator and the fact that widescreen wasn't offered in cinemas in his day didn't stop him making them that way. The fact that half the image was lost when projected is probably why there were only 9 cartoons. The DVD companion volume, 'the lost Superman episodes' has been released in 4.3 ratio as well -- another great opportunity lost since Fleischer made these cartoons in what he called 'NarrowScreen', with the picture twice as high as wide, which is why Superman has lost his head and feet in the DVD pan-and-scan. When will DVD producers learn? PS -- I've heard a rumour that the DVD series 'The Lost Laurel and Hardy' isn't in Widescreen either. 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Casablanca' are another two films that have been denied the Widescreen treatment. And apparently 'Citizen Kane', when it makes it to DVD,is going to be standard ratio as well -- and it might even be in black-and-white ! Finally, a question. I'm a bit of a film buff, and love film history. Can anyone tell me if the very first sound film ever made, 'The Jazz Singer' with Neil Diamond, has made it to DVD yet? But I'm not interested if it's not Widescreen and Dolby 5.1.

Rating:
Summary: Fleischer's Superman/Lost Episodes
Review: First of all, l was less than pleased with this DVD set, and also the one that preceeded it. The sound has modern sound effects dubbed over the original sound track (why? the original sound effects are fine) and the original sound track has been messed up to sound "tinny" and like it's coming out of a tunnel! Image Entertainment has also released a DVD set with all 17 cartoons on one set. I originally bought the laser disc version of this release, some time ago. On the laser disc, picture and sound where fine, except they had the opening title only on the first short, with the end title, only on the last short. Someone elses review on the dvd version said the quality was not good, well then l would have to say to collectors, do not buy either of these dvd releases. You are better off with the laser disc set, or the vhs tapes, which are all better quality, and no tampering with the sound on those!

Rating:
Summary: A great collection, with some minor glitches
Review: This two-pack is a great value and a must-have for Superman fans and fans of animation in general. The presentation obviously was by folks who appreciated the value and importance of the Fleischer/Famous Superman cartoons. The restoration work is well done (although it seems a couple of the cartoons didn't give the restorers much to work with), and, particularly on the Lost Episodes disc, the story summaries and history blurbs are well-researched and informative (if you can excuse the many typos). Unfortunately there are some glitches. On the first disc, Max Fleischer's Superman, all of the story summaries and histories are the same throughout (at least they were on my disc). On the Lost Episodes disc, the cartoons are allowed to awkwardly fade out at the ends. On both discs, the restoration demonstration is impressive, but it would have been nice to have some narration or at least some text frames to explain how the restoration was achieved (was it digital restoration, or physical repair to a print or negative?) Also, the restoration demo on the first disc doesn't even use the Superman cartoons as examples (that happens on the second disc). If you purchase this set, first read the overview and historical information on disc two, then pop in disc one to see the cartoons in some semblance of order.

Rating:
Summary: The content is good, but the video is horrible
Review: The video was horrible, having plenty of digital artifacts, and some weird looking lines at the bottom of the screen. I reccomend going with the other company who is selling the two pack. Theres has DD5.1 while this one is in mono. These superman cartoons do have historical significance and i would rate the actual movies at 5 stars, but the dvd is pretty bad.

Rating:
Summary: Historic Cartoons, Interesting DVD
Review: The Superman portion of this DVD is everything I wanted it to be. The sound is great, the picture is great, and I love the convenience. Two VHS tapes become one disk, and it is very nice to be able to select the episode you want to watch. These cartoons are amazing, and they are possible the finest example of American animation. Very history making. The use of shadows and color is beautiful.

My only complaint is the bonus features, which are not really features but adds for other tapes in the collection. The nice thing about it is you don't have to watch them. I am very happy with this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: See the birth of a new film genre, the Superman shorts
Review: This video represents the Superman animated shorts produced between 1941 and 1943 and distributed by Paramount Pictures. These cartoons are unlike any of their era. While the Disney studios were perfecting "fairy tale" realism and MGM and Warner Brothers were pursuing comedy, Max and Dave Fleischer were striving for a different style. They would hit their stride with Superman. Although the animation of the characters in these cartoons were not as polished as Disney or MGM, the attention to detail in other aspects was great. The Fleischers used light, color, and scene direction to give these shorts a unique look and feel that would not be duplicated for years afterwards.

Only the first nine of the cartoons in this collection were produced by the Fleischers, starting with "Superman" and ending with "Terror of the Midway". "Superman" is a little shaky storywise, with some comic relief distracting the viewer from the plot but in general each new cartoon would improve on the last. "Terror on the Midway" shows the Fleischer studio's maturity with handling their star. Unfortunately, it would be the Fleischer's last. Each of these cartoons are fun to watch.

In mid-1942, the Fleischers were ousted from their studio by Paramount and it would be renamed the Famous Studio. Part of the motivation of this ouster was the relatively high cost of the Fleischer's product. The Superman shorts were very expensive and would last only one more year before the series were cancelled. The loss of the Fleischers' creative input and cost pressures took their toll on the remaining Superman output. The Second World War also had a negative impact. Five of the last eight shorts had Superman fighting Axis foes, usually with poor results. "Eleventh Hour" is especially bad, with an improbable storyline, only one suspenseful scene involving a firing squad and of lots Japanese bashing. Superman has in fact switched roles, causing systematic destruction instead of preventing it and even though it is against an enemy country, it is not very effective. Superman fares much better in the three non-war shorts with "Showdown" the best among them. In fact, "Showdown" is the only Superman short that plays for laughs and it can easily be the favorite of many who watch this video. In addition, "The Mummy Strikes", "Jungle Drums" and "The Underground World" contain excellent 'nightmare' sequences.

The quality of this video recording very good, there appears to be no blurred frames. Most of the prints used for the recording are of good quality. The one major exception is the print used for the short "Terror in the Midway" where it appears that the first minute and a half of the print is badly damaged and rest of the print is substandard. Another minor shortcoming is the fading out from most of the cartoons before the closing credits are finished.

Despite these shortcomings, this video would be a good addition to any cartoon buff's collection. One word of warning to the unaware: these cartoons are not kiddie fodder. There is plenty of violence, the kind you see in action comic books, not in Tom and Jerry. In addition, the propaganda shorts have unflattering German and Japanese stereotypes.

Rating:
Summary: The Pinnacle of American Animation!!
Review: If you are an animation fan or a superman fan, you must see this. Simply the finest comic to screen adaptation ever done. Beautiful visuals. One of the best that American Animation has to offer.