Customer Reviews

Becky Sharp

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A clever, intelligent, funny, and entertaining movie, Becky Sharp is notable for being the first full Technicolor feature film. Sadly, this DVD release has not been minted from the restored print many of us would have wanted to see. Curious, since the recent version of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" would make such a release fortuitous.
Miriam Hopkins hits just the right notes as Becky, capturing each smirk, twitch, and flourish of a complex and sometimes unlikable character. The screenplay is witty and moves briskly- though purists will, I'm sure, lament changes to the original novel. Supporting cast is perfect, as are the costumes and other technical appointments. This version, though quite short (about ninety minutes) holds up well next to the superlative BBC miniseries with Natasha Little as Becky, and is more entertaining and caustic than the unfortunate Reese Witherspoon film, which is handsome and opulent, but oddly uninvolving. No extras worth mentioning on this disc, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone who cherishes this unusual and cleverly nasty movie. Perhaps if there's enough outcry, someone will dig up that glorious Technicolor print and make Becky's fans happy. I'm in agreement with my fellow reviewer, who described accurately and humorously (as Becky might have) the quality of the picture in this sadly mishandled DVD. A missed opportunity, and fans should check Amazon for the newer release, which features a somewhat improved print. NOTE: This review applies to the original, "ALPHA" DVD release. For some reason it is often connected to the newer, improved DVD release which has sharper, cleaner (but still not restored) picture. Occasionally Amazon will group reviews in confusing ways, so be aware. Regards.

This review concerns the Alpha Video DVD release ALP4438D.

The good news is: Becky Sharp is available on DVD!
The bad news is: It's a faded, unrestored, public domain print.

The colors look like really bad colorization, or a Metrocolor copy of an Eastman Color copy of a Technicolor film that was copied onto VHS in the slow speed from a 1980's TV broadcast. Get the picture?

The sound is somewhat distorted, but listenable.

My joy at having Becky Sharp on DVD is only tempered by the disappointment that the gloriously restored UCLA version still hasn't been released except to AMC TV.

Many of the UCLA Film and Television Archive restorations have been released by Turner Entertainment on DVD, so why not the original 1935 three-strip Technicolor debut picture? Hopefully with the recent release of Vanity Fair, some DVD producer will go back to Becky Sharp and present her as she was meant to be seen.

A terrific film that unfortunately has not been given the deluxe DVD treatment is seen here is a print much superior to the one available on Alpha DVD. Sharper image, more accurate and pleasant color, but still not quite the ravishing Technicolor print many fans of the film might hope to see. The earlier DVD versions are difficult to watch, but this time around, the sound is of a higher standard, the image is at least clean, and detail is more apparent in the night scenes.
Miriam Hopkins is just fine as Becky, and the film itself is fun, bright, sarcastic, and entertaining. Recommended to fans of this, the first three-strip Technicolor feature, since it represents the next stage in evolution on the way to the restoration we're wishing for.
No special features, no menu items to speak of, just this acceptable print, and a reasonable price.
NOTE: This review applies to the SYNERGY ENTERTAINMENT edition of this DVD, not the ALPHA edition: Amazon sometimes lumps similar reviews in confusing ways (see above, for my review of the Alpha DVD). The Synergy DVD release is much improved, but still not restored. Regards. R. Gorey

Becky Sharp was the first three-strip Technicolor feature - state of the art in 1935. In the original it was exquisite and original Technicolor dye transfer prints will be pristine in colour quality whether scratched and worn from use or not.

The DVD I received is clearly a transfer from video - and an extremely poor video at that. The sound is poor and the image quite appalling - to the point where we gave up after about 5 minutes viewing.

The way that colour elements break down and separate is nothing to do with the DVD, the age of the film, or the Technicolor release print process - the colour layers cannot separate - it is however a classic indication of poor quality video as an intermediate in the transfer process.

This DVD is an insult to any purist interested in seeing a milestone in movie production.

I SAW THE ORIGINAL RESTORATION OF THIS FILM AT THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES IN BEVERLY HILLS BACK IN THE 1980'S WHEN IT WAS RESTORED TO ITS' ORIGINAL GLORY BY BOB GITT OF UCLA.

IN FACT THIS WAS THE KICK-OFF FILM FOR FILM PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION BY THE FILM DEPT. AT UCLA, HEADED BY MR. GITT. THE STAFF AT UCLA DID A MAGNIFICENT JOB IN THE RESTORATION OF BECKY SHARP FROM WHAT THEY ORIGINALLY HAD TO WORK WITH. IN FACT, ONLY CINE-COLOR PRINTS WERE THOUGHT TO EXIST, BUT THEN AN ORIGINAL TECHNICOLOR PRINT WAS FOUND SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE. ALL THE ORIGINAL TECHNICOLOR FILM WAS AVAILABLE, EXCEPT A FEW MINUTES AT THE MOVIES END, WHERE THE EXISTING CINE-COLOR FILM WAS USED IN THE RESTORATION.

THE EVENING OF THE PRESENTATION KICK-OFF AT THE ACADEMY'S SAMUEL GOLDWYN THEATRE IN BEVERLY HILLS, THE AUDITORIUM WAS FILLED TO CAPACITY, AND THE PRINT, EVEN ALONG WITH COMPARISON VIEWS OF BEFORE AND AFTER WERE SHOWN. ALSO, ORIGINAL SCREEN TESTS, INCLUDING MIRIAM HOPKINS AND EVEN MRS. LESLIE CARTER WERE SHOWN IN TECHNICOLOR. MRS. CARTER DID NOT GET THE PART IN THE FILM, AND THE ROLE SHE TRIED OUT FOR EVENTUALLY WENT TO THE GREAT ALISON SKIPWORTH.

A GREAT DEAL OF ADDITIONAL FILM FOOTAGE RELATING TO THIS FILM WAS SHOWN THAT EVENING, AND COMPARISONS SHOWING HOW MUCH WORK WENT INTO THE RESTORATION OF THIS FILM, FRAME BY FRAME, AND BEFORE AND AFTER SEGMENTS OF THE CINE-COLOR PRINTS AND THE TECHNICOLOR FILM. IT WAS FASCINATING TO SEE ALL THE WORK THAT UCLA DID IN THE RESTORATION OF THIS FILM! UCLA PRODUCED A NEW PRINT, WITH PERFECT CLARITY, RICH COLOR, AND VERY CLEAR SOUND, WHICH IS TOTALLY MISSING FROM THE AVAILABLE PRINTS ON THE MARKET TODAY.

SO MUCH COMMENTARY COULD BE ADDED TO THIS FILM, EVEN ALONG WITH THE ORIGINAL SCREEN TESTS, AND OTHER FOOTAGE THAT IS AVAILABLE. NONE OF THIS EXISTS IN WHAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.

A SHAME WHAT IS ON THIS DVD BY SYNERGY, AND AN EVEN WORSE EFFORT PUT OUT EARLIER BY ALPHA. THIS IS BETTER THAN THE ALPHA ONE, BUT NOT MUCH! AFTER ALL THE RESTORATION WORK DONE ON THIS HISTORICAL FILM, BEING THE FIRST THREE-STRIP TECHNICOLOR FILM EVER FILMED USING THE NEW THREE-STRIP TECHNICOLOR PROCESS UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE NOTED NATALIE KALMUS.

THE FILM AT THE UCLA ARCHIVES IN LOS ANGELES IS AVAILABLE IN PERFECT COLOR AND TRANSFER ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL TECHNICOLOR ORIGINAL, WITH A GREAT DEAL OF ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE RELATING TO THE MAKING OF THE FILM. WHEN AND IF THIS WILL EVER COME OUT I DO NOT KNOW, BUT I DO KNOW A PERFECT PRINT RESTORATION AND ACCOMPANYING FOOTAGE IS AT UCLA.

DO NOT BOTHER WITH THIS DVD BY SYNERGY OR THE ONE BY ALPHA, AS THE QUALITY OF PRINT AND SOUND IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE! AFTER HAVING BEEN AT THE SAMUEL GOLDWYN THEATER AND HAVING SEEN WHAT A BEAUTY THIS FILM RESTORATION HAS BEEN, IT IS VERY SAD SEEING SUCH AN INFERIOR TRANSFER, AND WITH NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY, OR ANY EXTRAS AT ALL. OF THE TWO AVAILABLE, THE SYNERGY ONE IS SLIGHTLY BETTER, ESPECIALLY THE SOUND, AND THE COLOR, BUT ONLY MINIMALLY IMPROVED.

BECKY SHARP IS A VERY HISTORICAL FILM AND WELL DONE BY NOTED DIRECTOR ROUBEN MAMOULIAN AND STARRED MIRIAM HOPKINS, WHO WAS NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR HER EFFORTS THAT YEAR OF 1935.

MIRIAM HOPKINS INDEED GIVES A STELLAR PERFORMANCE AS THE LEADING CHARACTER OF WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY'S NOVEL BECKY SHARP. CEDRIC HARDWICKE, FRANCIS DEE, ALISON SKIPWORTH, AND NIGEL BRUCE COMPLETE THE CAST THAT BRINGS OUT THE CHARACTER OF THACKERAY'S ORIGINAL NOVEL OF VANITY FAIR. I THINK THIS WAS ALSO FILMED IN THE 1920'S AND WAS A SILENT FILM. VANITY FAIR WAS RECENTLY AGAIN FILMED, AND AGAIN TITLED THE ACTUAL NAME OF THE NOVEL, VANITY FAIR AS WAS THE CASE WITH THE SILENT VERSION.

FOR INTERESTS SAKE, THE PURCHASE PRICE IS NOT BAD FOR THIS ONE BY SYNERGY, AND IT WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO WHAT THE FILM WAS LIKE. EVEN THE OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE IN THE RESTORED VERSION AT UCLA WAS IN A RICH BLUE, AND IN BOTH THE SYNERGY AND ALPHA RELEASES, IT IS A MUTED GRAY.

THE STAFF AT UCLA UNDER THE DIRECTION OF BOB GITT, COMPLETELY RESTORED THIS FILM FRAME BY FRAME TO ITS' ORIGINAL GLORY. I JUST HOPE UCLA WILL UNDERTAKE TO SEE THAT THIS FILM IS GIVEN THE APPROPRIATE TRANSFER SHOWING THE BEAUTY, AND HOPEFULLY SOME TYPE OF COMMENTARY, OF THIS VERY HISTORICAL PHOTOPLAY IN THE ANNALS OF FILM HISTORY.

This film is shown from time to time on TCM. They show a pristine UCLA Film Archives restored film.Worth taping or DVDing if you have a recorder.The Alpha video copy is ,well,viewable.

In this screen translation of the classic comedy of manners VANITY FAIR, Miriam Hopkins portrays William Makepeace Thackeray's heroine, a spunky, quick-witted mercenary who climbs the ladder of social success not giving a damn about whom her hoopskirts are knocking out of the way. Rouben Mamoulian may very well have directed the film's supporting cast, but it is clear that Hopkins directed herself, just as she usually did. With her crinkly blonde hair, her mischievous blue eyes, her nervous gestures and mannerisms, Miriam Hopkins was a vividly neurotic star; she almost always seemed to be racing - breathless and flustered - right on the edge of collapse. Her BECKY SHARP is especially extravagant. Sharp is more deliberate and calculating - and much stronger - than other Hopkins characters. As Becky, the perpetually scheming tart whose chief concern is her own precious skin, Hopkins unleashes such intensity and passion that you just might find yourself becoming frightened of her. She goes over the top, discovers higher peaks waiting, and shoots over them, too. It's extremely unlikely that a movie queen has ever gone this far before. Yes BECKY SHARP was the first Hollywood feature to be photographed in full Technicolor and yes the process certainly is nice, but it is Hopkins's performance that mesmerizes.

Becky Sharp (Miriam Hopkins) is a vicious social climber with little regard for other people's feelings. She began as a poor girl, but lied about her mother's background to afford herself a spot on a prestigious finishing school. Her orphaned status leaves her at the bottom of the heap there, but she makes connections that bring her into society. Amelia Sedley (Frances Dee) takes pity on Becky and introduces her to her elite friends, but Becky stabs her benevolent friend in the back by stealing her husband's affections. She doesn't stop there; she uses men for their money on countless occasions and uses her skills to weasel her way out of every bad situation. Her deception is masterful.

The cast is the main reason to see this film. The story is slow moving and sometimes difficult to pay attention to, despite the short length of the film. Hopkins is beautiful and adept at playing her ruthless part, and fans will find a way to love her in spite of the character's malice. Cedric Hardwicke, Billie Burke, and Alison Skipworth also star.

This movie is notable as being the first feature filmed in three strip Technicolor. Unfortunately, the color is not seen at its full potential with this public domain release. Apparantly, UCLA is restoring the movie and adding some extra footage, but this print has not yet been released.

generally regarded as a curiosity for being the first feature-length technicolor movie, this seriously abridged adaptation of thackerays "vanity fair" is actually a decent take on hollywoods translations in the 1930s of 19th century english novels. director rouben mamoulian tries not to pull his punches, tho of course, he has to. the glorious (and sadly forgotten) miriam hopokins has a grand old time in the title role, well supported by a coterie of period english character actors who will be familiar to fans of period movies. i have taken off one * because the sound quality is abysmal, and the film merits a restored version.

This is a film that is taken from the play "Becky Sharp" by Langdon Mitchell, which is loosely adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray's novel, "Vanity Fair". The film is only eighty-four minutes long but manages to hit many of the main events in Thackeray's novel, albeit, at break neck speed. More importantly, the main character stays somewhat true to Thackeray's concept of her, unlike Mira Nair's "Vanity Fair", which basically eviscerates the life out of Becky Sharp, the literary character that everyone loves to hate.

In this brief film, the viewer sees a grasping, amoral, resourceful schemer who is not above trying on her best friend's husband for size and cheating on her own, as well, if expediency calls for it. We first see Becky leaving Miss Pinkerton's School for Young Ladies, where as an orphan she had labored, getting an education, as well as everyone's hand-me-downs. Tired of being looked upon as being less than all the others, Becky is not loathe to leave the school, especially as the wealthy Amelia Sedley has invited her to stay with her until she can find a position. So, after an insouciant departure from the school, Becky is unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.

When Amelia finds herself the object of affection of two childhood friends and gentleman soldiers, William Dobbin and George Osborne, she becomes engaged to George. Becky, having been unsuccessful in luring Amelia's hapless brother, Joseph, into marriage, leaves the Sedley household. She secures a post as governess in the household of Sir Pitt Crawley. There she meets Rawdon Crawley, Sir Pitt Crawley's second oldest son, and the man with whom she falls in love. He assists her in getting a post as a companion to his wealthy elderly aunt, and off she goes. She later marries Rawdon, who is a gentleman soldier and a gambler. They, along with the now married Amelia and George Osborne, find themselves in Belgium, where the Battle of Waterloo is fought. It is there that Becky carries on a flirtation with George. It is there that she also meets the Marquis de Steyne.

After Waterloo, Becky and Rawdon find themselves back in England, as Rawdon survived Waterloo. George Osborne, however, did not. Together, Rawdon and Becky live far above their means. Her desire to rise in society takes some doing, and the Marquis de Steyne acts as her mentor. When Rawdon's gambling debts demand satisfaction, she turns to the Marquis as a last resort, having no other recourse. In return for the money that would ensure the salvaging of her husband's honor, she decides to give the Marquis that for which he has so patiently waited. Unfortunately, the best-laid plans often go awry, and Rawdon and Becky come to an unhappy parting of the ways. Becky's glittering social career comes crashing down upon her.

Becky, now down and out, finds herself on the skids, no longer the glittering society hostess. She tries singing in a music hall. After all, didn't the Marquis find her singing charming? Unfortunately, the paying customers of the music hall have higher standards, when it comes to their entertainment, and Becky bombs. With Becky on the verge of being taking to jail for non-payment of rent for her garret room, Amelia, hearing of her old friend's plight, comes swooping down like a guardian angel, together with her brother, Joseph, and her devoted friend and admirer, William Dobbin. She offers Becky an opportunity to come and live with her, which Becky gladly accepts. Then William objects, given what he knows of Becky, and basically gives Amelia an ultimatum in which she is to choose Becky or him. Amelia, true and loyal friend that she is, chooses Becky. In a redemptive moment, Becky tells Amelia, who has cherished George's memory and failed to see the love that William has for her, the truth about George, opening Amelia's eyes. She sends Amelia after William, while she ponders her future. Then, once again her eyes rest upon Joseph Sedley. So it begins, and so it ends.

Miriam Hopkins gives a somewhat histrionic, over the top performance as Becky, but somehow it works. Frances Dee is excellent in the role of Amelia. Nigel Bruce practically steals the show with his portrayal of the bumbling Joseph Sedley. Sir Cerdric Hardwicke, however, gives him a run for his money as the elegant and faintly sinister Marquis de Steyne. Alan Mowbray is very good in the role of Rawdon. G. P. Huntley satisfies the requirements of the reduced George Osborne role, while Colin Tapley turns in a strong performance as the stalwart William Dobbin. Billy Burke has a very small role as Lady Bareacres. If you blink, you will miss her.

Unfortunately, with this film one gets what one paid for. This bargain basement priced film provides the viewer with a grainy print with an occasional audio or visual blip. This lack of attention to production values was extremely shortsighted of the studio charged with the release of this film, especially in light of the buzz generated by Mira Nair's release of "Vanity Fair". While the studio timed the release of this film just right, they missed the boat by deciding to be penny wise but pound foolish. I myself bought this film after having seen "Vanity Fair" and left wanting more. With the purchase of this film, I ended up getting less. The film itself rates about four stars, as I enjoyed it overall, being a vintage film junkie. It rates a scant two stars, however, for its grainy, audio blighted print. This works out to the overall three star rating that I gave it.