4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty Box.., September 2, 2005
This review is from: Chaplin: The Legend Lives On (DVD)
I've seen two versions of this set, one has the typical cardboard box, and one comes in a nice metal tin. Mine happens to be the one in the tin which is mainly the reason I got it. For the most part, the transfers of the films are terrible. A lot of the time the pictures get so dark that you can't even tell what's going on. There are 31 shorts in all and I've not watched all of them yet so there may be a few that are of good quality. Over all, the tin looks nice but I wish the films were of better quality.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Save your money, July 30, 2009
I'm a fan of silent films, especially the long German epics. I'm not a big fan of silent comedies, but I do enjoy them occasionally, especially Chaplin. Although I've seen my share of poor quality films, this set is virtually unwatchable. Besides the poor quality of the print, title cards are missing, long scenes are cut out, half the heads are not visible in many scenes and they have the most annoying musical score I've ever heard. I won't waste any more of my time typing or your time reading. Although $18 for 32 shorts may sound like a good deal, it isn't. Take the $18 and put it toward Chaplin's 3 Essanay Vol's or his 90th anniversary Mutual set. You won't believe the difference. After purchasing those sets, I threw this one away. Now I'm just waiting for someone to restore Chaplin's Keystone shorts with Mabel Normand.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Could be better, January 7, 2009
This review is from: Chaplin: The Legend Lives On (DVD)
I bought the tin version of this DVD when it went on sale and, for the price, I suppose I can't complain.
As another reviewer said, the quality isn't great. It gets rather dark at times and sometimes it's difficult to discern what's happening. However, if you've watched quite a few older movies and shorts, it's easy to get used to this. By the third or so short, I'd become accustomed to the quality and was able to enjoy the DVDs.
The music is probably the only part that makes it difficult to watch. At first, it seems like the typical random era-appropriate song thrown ontop of the silent movie for DVD release and, if that were the case, there would be one more star on this review. But the music choice is so poor, you actually have comments from the band leader in the middle of some of the shorts. And not just simple, one-sentence remarks - on occasion, there is dialogue between band members. It seems as though the person in charge had simply taken the original movies and thrown a few silent movie era CDs over them, not taking the time to make sure they fit well with the action on the screen.
But it is still Chaplin and, after one or two shorts, it's easy to ignore the problems and find yourself engrossed in The Tramp's antics. Just make sure you don't pay more than it's worth!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
