Several years back, Criterion released a laserdisc edition of this film
which, like the own companies' Raging Bull, Citizen Kane, and Brazil sets
were, and still are, among the finest examples of the art in laserdisc
presentation. It, and the massive complement of supplement material that
came with it jumped in almost from left field, for as much beloved as the
film has remained in the fifty some-odd years since its release, its
following is much more in line with a cult audience than the mainstream
audience of, say, a Gone With The Wind or Casablanca. Filmmaker Martin
Scorsese and his editor (and Michael Powell's widow) Thelma Schoonmaker
are most responsible for the lavish attention poured onto the film, and
we are certainly the wealthier as enthusiasts for it. Justifiably, I did
rave about the laserdisc edition in 1994, and so shall I rave here.
The film does have a sharper image and better color balance than the
laserdisc did, but to a much higher degree than the usual Criterion DVD
comparison with one of their laserdiscs. It could be because this edition
on laser was done so recently, and the mastering equipment was better
controlled, but whatever the reason, this is quite simply the best looking
vintage color picture yet to come on DVD in my opinion. Sure, Gone With
The Wind and some other fine releases are brightly colored and undeniably
sharp, but The Red Shoes looks more like film than the video presentation
I find many older films looking like on DVD. All you need to look at is
the colors and shadow undertones to the Red Shoes ballet sequence and there
is a crispness, a truth if you will to the image that reminded me (in thinking
of other recent DVDs) of the best of analogue LPs when compared to digital
audio. Like the analogue LP, the image may seem at first a tad less
accurate before you find yourself immersed in the performance, and note
details that seem to be beyond the scope of light or 1's and 0's, never
mind a complete lack of artifacts or other anomalies that often give away
our manipulation by the technology. A seemingly great mastering like the
DVD of Gone With The Wind seems, by comparison, analytical and less involving
with its coloring and other 'perfection's' seeming cold, almost unreal.
This, to me, was the home video equivalent of the LP/CD comparison of playing
a CD after an LP and being reminded of the often heightened naturalness
of great analogue sound that 16 bit digital never quite got right in my
opinion [1].
Criterion's Red Shoes is, in this instance, Gone With The Wind's opposite;
lively, warm, and involving.
The audio on the disc is in AC-3 mono and comes through clean and even,
maybe with a slight less punch on the bottom octaves than the laserdisc
had, but to a much lesser degree than I usually find when comparing laserdisc
and DVD soundtracks from the same original source. But between picture and
sound, I can't stress enough that this is clearly one of the finest DVD
authorings to come along.
The disc includes the theatrical trailer, a Powell and Pressburger
filmography which will do nothing but make you want to see the bulk of their
work [2], a commentary track that's so blessed great
it makes you realize how mediocre most commentary tracks really are, another
audio track with Jeremy Irons reading The Read Shoes' novelization, lots
of photos and publicity materials, a video trip through Martin Scorsese's
Red Shoes memorabilia collection, and lastly, a copy of the drawn storyboards
set to the Red Shoes ballet sequence that the filmmakers used as a blueprint
for the live action. It is a short film all its own, complete with the music
excerpt from Beecham's well-conducted score and uses the angle feature to
compare side by side with the finished product if you wish. Also, you have
the option of hearing Irons read the original fairy-tale while watching
the sequence too on track two.
A marvelous disc preserving a truly special film experience that belongs
in all serious collections. It is also a welcome reminder of how great the
DVD format can be when the product is cared for. Thanks and both of my
thumbs up for Criterion.
David M. Green
Laser Tribune, 1999
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1
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Of course not all LPs beat out a CD counterpart, but it has been
convincingly demonstrated to me, and many others, that CD never really was
'Perfect Sound Forever', but more a marketing hype to re-sell back
catalogues and save a dying music industry in the early 80's. They had the
right idea, but went too few in bits and gave us another compromise. Even
now, in 1999, with DVD audio on the horizon, in my own opinion, the best
of analogue playback is easily distinguishable as a more 'musical' and
involving presentation over any form of digital audio... and before anyone
smirks while disagreeing with me, ask yourself whether you've really heard
a great LP playback system from the last decade, they are nothing like the
systems you might remember from before 1985.
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2
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Black Narcissus, The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp, and 49th
Parallel are good places to start, all previously done by Criterion on
laserdisc, and hopefully soon to arrive on DVD.
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