Product Details

• Actors: Laurence Olivier, Elisabeth Bergner, Felix Aylmer, Richard Ainley, Lionel Braham
• Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Alpha Video
• DVD Release Date: May 25, 2004
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001ZMX9A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,756 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

AS YOU LIKE IT - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous sets, costumes, actors - but too many missing lines, October 8, 2004

By 

Tim Daugard - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: As You Like It (DVD)

"As You like It" Should be as light and lively as the recent version of "A Midsummer Nights Dream." Considering the age of the film, the sets and costumes are wonderful. Crowd scenes actually have a reasonable number of people. The production is movie - not stage play.

With that in mind, too much of the play is missing. Too many lines have been deleted, some for no reason. Often, the actors stand for a long silent shot, when the director easily could have had the missing line spoke in the same time. Many of the long passages are reduced to the first and last couple of lines. This hinders the character development and the pacing. It also makes the long speeches left, stand out to much, as if the director is saying "now wait, this part is important." Elisabeth Bergner as "Rosalind" is the worst offender. Many of her lnes are skipped, the worst of it is in the epilogue. Also missing - almost completely is act five.

The film transfer is okay, the sound is lacking high end compared to modern films. This may be due to the limitations of filming at the time. What was jarring, until I got use to it, was silence. When the actors aren't talking, there is no background - no music, no foley, just quiet. Something modern films should try once in a while.

As the only film of "As You Like It" on DVD, it will have to do until something better comes along. At the bargin price, it is a good film to fill the slot on the Shakesphere shelf. I lay in bed after watching it, trying to figure out who should play Rosalind in a new version. . .

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing transfer of this Shakespeare classic., May 5, 2008

By 

DB Edwards "Tally Ho!" (Blackpool, England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: As You Like It (DVD)

I had not viewed the 1937 version of AS YOU LIKE IT for many years and was appalled how poor a dvd transfer this ALPHA VIDEO is. The film appears flakey and beaten up, low contrast (blurry) with a barely audible sound track. It is a shame because this is an endearing performance of Shakespeare's masterpiece, with outstanding performances from Sir Laurence Olivier (his first Shakespeare film) and Elizabeth Bergner. The "seven ages of man" soliloquy is one of the greatest ever written. J.M. Barrie, the author of PETER PAN, adapted the bard's play for the screen. Into the waste bin this travesty goes. I have opted to buy the HBO version (1999) and am keeping my fingers crossed (HBO typically delivers quality product and I have been delighted with their offerings in the past).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lost in the fog, May 14, 2009

By 

Caballero del febo (Antony, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: As You Like It (DVD)

The sound on this Alpha Video DVD is dismal: you often can't make out what the actors are saying. After paying a bargain price for this unwatchable film, I'm going to fork out some more to get the Image Entertainment DVD (As You Like it), which has got good reviews on Amazon. I'll update this review after comparing the two.