Customer Reviews

Scarlet Pimpernel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Realizing that this picture was made just seven years after the first "talkie", this is a masterpiece of filmmaking from Alexander Korda. Superbly acted by Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon (who were said to have romanced during the filming, but nevertheless turned in stunning performances.) If you can suspend your disbelief without a million special effects, you can get into one of the finest of adventures ever on screen. Not maudlin like its successor attempts, it is direct and into action. Camera work includes mounted shots hardly thought of in that day and excellent lighting arcs over day and night seldom seen in today's films. Well worth adding to a collection of adventure films, and with a story even accessible to pre-teen kids, it's a classic made into a classic film. Only a full restoration of the film would top this DVD.

it is a good copy of the movie! There are no extras and no menu to speak of, so, as a DVD, it isn't much but you can move from scene to scene. The transfer quality was good and the sound was good, too. It looks fairly complete and we loved it. If you're a fan of the movie and in particular this version, you won't be disappointed.

If they could get some sort of menu, it would get the 5th star from me. Until then, I say, the price is right, so give it a chance!

It's a great old classic but it's hard to find a reasonably decent print of it. This one is very acceptable.

Yes, this is an old movie, but the quality was much poorer than the video I have of it, and there was no cover picture for the DVD. I was very disappointed and certainly won't order from this source again.

The 1934 offering we bought was released in December, 2008, by Reel Classics. So, we had hopes that defects reported earlier had been cured. Apparently, though, this "restoration" was done for widescreen applications as the video was severely letter-boxed. We don't own a widescreen TV, so maybe it's unfair to evaluate. Nevertheless, we regard video and sound as poor and there were no subtitles, chapters, or special features. The disk would not play on our trusty Philips 711 player so we had to figure running time on our newer Panasonic. It came to a sparse 1 hour, 36 minutes. The whole story would have been unintelligible had we not read the book or seen the 1982 version of the story beforehand. Sadly, we have trouble even giving this DVD a single star.

This is an oldie bur a goodie! I've long had great affection for this most enjoyable classic, especially for the fun Leslie Howard clearly had in playing the title character. What a huge disappointment awaited me when I recently received my copy of this DVD-R from Amazon.
The quality is merely a clone of a cheap VHS transfer I have had for 15 years! The picture quality is all muted greys with no contrast of sharp blacks and whites, the sound is muffled, and even during the titles the inferior print 'jumps'.
By coincidence, my local ABC (Australia) network had a late night showing of a British-sourced copy of the movie the other night. What a difference! Yes, this is an old film, but here we had sharp, good quality visuals with solidly contrasted blacks and whites and clear dialogue and music. Hopefully this version will be available before too long. In the meantime, avoid this DVD-R - it is a travesty!

I wish I had kept my VHS copy. The 2007 DVD is a waste of money. There are several problems with the picture and sound.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) I recently purchased the 'Reel Classic Films' DVD, Red Cover, of the 1934 Leslie Howard version of "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and awaited its arrival in earnest. What I got was a Botch Job Beyond Comprehension. First, the DVD commences playing without a Menu. Second, the Film Frame has been Morphed into Widescreen!!! It was originally made 4:3! Someone decided that it wasn't good enough for Widescreen Monitors in its' Original Form. I'm suprised that they didn't get out their Crayons and try to Colourise as well! Third, the Soundtrack has a repetetive Clicking Sound that occures every Two to Three Minutes which makes it Unberable to Listen to, let alone Watch. As a DVD this disc can only serve as a Coaster. Purchaser Beware!! Avoid the 'Reel Classic Films' DVD of "The Scarlet Pimpernel" or, like me, you shall be left to. "Seek him here. Seek him there," to get the Real Deal Pimpernel.

I love this movie and have it on VHS. Ordered the copy from Reel Classic Films. The quality totally sucks. I don't mean the copying an old film, the images track across the screen in a hesitating manner. I will get a copy from another dealer and never purchase from Reel Classic Films again.

This is a classic movie but the quality of this DVD is so poor it isn't worth watching. I purchased the DVD marketed under the "REEL CLASSIC FILMS" label: Don't waste your money.