Customer Reviews

The Stars Look Down (1939)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Printed below the credits on the rear cover of this DVD is "USA 1957" - this for a film made in England in 1939, and a clue that what's contained therein is not Carol Reed's original cut. Most conspicuously, the final scene, a poignant one featuring Nancy Price and Michael Redgrave, is gone, replaced by a shot of storm clouds with some highfalutin narration from Lionel Barrymore. Also, his portentous narration has been tacked onto the montage of miners gathering for a possible strike, all of this totally foreign to Reed's style.

I love this film and was anxious to see it again, but watching this DVD left me feeling disappointed and angry. My hope is that Criterion might release this along with other early Reed in an Eclipse edition.

The actual film is very good, but the transfer on this DVD is rather horrible. The original source appears to have been a somewhat worn 16mm print with scratches and dirt that apparent then was copied onto VHS tape. Was this taped off the air? Visual artifacts are everywhere and there is poor resolution and muffled sound. The actual DVD is a DVD-R and there are no menus or chapter stops of any kind. No copyright notice either, although I do not think this film is in the public domain. The product description is what is printed on the back cover, with the incomplete sentence the same. It simply stops abruptly. Synergy Entertainment seems to be located in someone's bedroom, with this DVD-R produced in small numbers. This is the full 110 minute original release, it has that in its favor as the PAL copy available in the UK is the American cut version.

Hard to find Glad amazon had it. lost some quality but what can you expect it is a very old movie.

Stars Look Down is a very good British picture dealing with the daily trials and tribulations of miners in a "colliery" in Wales. Excellent acting and a very sad story line. Highly recommended!