Submitted by:
Roger Mellor
The Red Shoes (1948)
Review of the American release of the DVD
David M. Green
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 Beechams 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
-
1
-
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.
-
2
-
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.
Back to index
