Product Details

• Actors: Rudolph Valentino; Vilma Banky; Louise Dresser
• Directors: Clarence Brown
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Studio: Reel Enterprises
• DVD Release Date: April 5, 2007
• Run Time: 70 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000P2A5IK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,697 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Movie - Poor transfer, July 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eagle (DVD)

This is not a review of the movie - other than to say it has been one of my favorite silents for over 20 years. This DVD, by Image from the Killiam Collection, seems to be from a somewhat deteriorated positive print of the movie accompanied by a rather mundane organ music tract. Image themselves, released a Laserdisc copy from the Rohauer Collection with full orchestra music in 1989 that was far superior. Hopefully they will be able to re-master that on for release on DVD in the future.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could We Have The Old Version, Please?, December 25, 2002

By 

Sandy McLendon (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eagle (DVD)

If you don't have a copy of Valentino's most engaging silent, "The Eagle", in your collection, you should certainly have this, but you should know that it is far - very far - from the best version that has been available. This edition is sourced from the Killiam Collection, and is evidently from a 16mm reduction print that saw long use and little care. Contrast and detail are poor, to say the least. There is a sad, tired musical accompaniment that is best turned off, frankly.

What's awful about all this is that this same company, Image Entertainment, once offered a far superior version. Its 1989 laserdisc edition was based on a clean 35mm print from the Rohauer Collection that had excellent contrast and detail. The score was a magnificently well-suited one by Carl Davis; it went so well with the film that once you've had a viewing with Davis's compositions, seeing "The Eagle" with any other score is unthinkable.

"The Eagle" is indispensable to a collection of silents, but this edition is not a patch on what Image itself has offered in the past. It is to be hoped that the company can clear whatever obstacles are keeping it from offering a DVD release of what was one of the best silent-film offerings on laserdisc.

Two stars out of five- I'm docking two for the ghastly print, two for the wretched score that takes the place of Davis's work, and adding one back to be charitable, because this movie is one of Valentino's best, and you should have it, even in a version as shabby as this.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "The Eagle" on DVD -- wonderful film but poor print, July 13, 2002

By 

Ravyn (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eagle (DVD)

"The Eagle" is probably silent screen star Rudolph Valentino's best film. A delightful romantic swashbuckler set in the 18th century Russia (although costume-wise it looks 19th and early 20th century), it is full of action, romance, and also plenty of humor. Valentino is a lieutenant in the czarina's army who becomes a sort of Russian Zorro in order to avenge his father's murder by a neighboring landowner who had stolen his land. His plans for revenge go awry when he falls in love with the charming and lovely daughter of his enemy played by Vilma Banky, who would be reteamed with Valentino in his final film, "The Son of the Sheik." "The Eagle" was directed by Clarence Brown who went on to direct Greta Garbo, and made a number of classic sound films including "National Velvet."

"The Eagle" as a film deserves 5 stars but I can only give this new DVD print 3 stars. Unfortunately, the poor picture quality of this DVD is from the Killiam Collection and is released by Image Entertainment. It has an organ score which I found to be so-so.

...The only real plus here with this DVD is there are chapter titles so you can jump to your favorite scenes. There are no other extras here.