Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Peter Pan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson August 2, 2019

It's hard to believe that it's been ninety-five years since the legend of Peter Pan first hit the silver screen but that's how it all began with a lavish production released by Paramount towards the end of the silent era. Scottish playwright and novelist Sir James Barrie's play Peter Pan premiered on stage in 1904 and enjoyed successful runs and rivals up till 1913. Several Hollywood studios vied for the rights as did most prominent actresses for the coveted title role, including Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, and Gloria Swanson. (Peter was portrayed by Maude Adams on stage.) Paramount eventually secured the rights but the final decision on casting the most pivotal part was granted to Barrie. He chose 17-year-old Betty Bronson after seeing her in a screen test. (She had only one credited role in a film before 1924.) There was publicity surrounding Peter Pan the year before it premiered and it more than lived up to expectations, becoming the most beloved children's film to date.

Director Herbert Brenon and screenwriter Willis Goldbeck acknowledge their movie's stage roots in the long opening sequence, which is set in the Darling children's bedroom. George Ali plays the family dog Nana, whose also the family nursemaid. He's an oversized sheepdog who can perform human tasks with his large paws and quick instincts. Two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe uses the bedroom interior as a master shot and it's very much like a stage with a proscenium arch. Nana takes up so much space that I first thought the bedroom was part of a dollhouse! Indeed when little Tinker Bell (Virginia Brown Faire) flies through the open window, her firefly-like specter and fairy dust are given better coverage in this small enclave than on a more spacious set. Brenon is setting up a contrast because Peter Pan (Betty Bronson) will take the Darling's eldest child Wendy (Mary Brian) and her brothers, John (Jack Murphy) and Michael (Philippe De Lacy), to a horizon of unlimited spaces in Never Never Land.

Now we can fly!

There the Darlings meet other kids similar in age who Peter has made part of his troupe along with a group of Indians. The kids dress up in animal costumes and play games but all is not safe. From the high seas, Captain James Hook (Ernest Torrence), his confidante Smee (Edward Kipling), and a rag-tag of pirates are out to get Peter and his friends. Hook particularly wants to extract revenge on Peter for causing him to lose his right arm. Hook attempts to poison Peter's medicine but it's imbibed by Tinker Bell instead. Can Peter summon the magic antidote to cure his little friend?

Like The Thief of Bagdad, another fantasy adventure also released in 1924 that delivers an exhilarating magic carpet ride, Peter Pan is a spirited film that celebrates youth and a wish to never grow up. Bronson is a revelation as Pan and her petite figure makes her glide through the air with aplomb. Mary Brian is sweet as Wendy and would rather have a boyfriend in Never Never Land than serve as Peter and the kids' mother. With his long, curly black hair and uncongenial disposition, Ernest Torrence finds all the right notes as Cpt. Hook. This was the first time I saw Peter Pan (1924) and would rank it artistically on par with Disney's much-beloved 1953 animated version.

Peter Pan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Peter Pan makes its global premiere on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Studio Classics on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-24. Once thought lost, Peter Pan's reels were discovered by curator James Card at the George Eastman Museum film archive in the 1950s. In 2000, Kino Video released this silent classic from a restored negative and 35mm archival elements. The transfer was produced by David Pierce, formerly of Sunrise Entertainment. That transfer was slightly windowboxed and revealed rounded corners on all four sides of the picture. Presumably, this new 2K restoration utilizes the same print but it is not a DVD to BD upconvert. Thankfully, the rounded frame corners are no longer present. Contrast looks marvelous with well-defined shades and hues. Like the DVD, this HD presentation has been color-tinted and toned in sepia and light blue (see Screenshot #s 11-13 for examples of latter). For a film of this age, there are inevitably light scratches and very thin tramlines throughout. I spotted brown dye seep into the frame during two shots. Luckily, there are very few large damage marks. My video score is 4.25. The feature displays an average video bitrate of 22297 kbps.

Compulsory English intertitles and cards are present throughout. The 105-minute silent movie comes with eight chapter markers, one less than the DVD.

Peter Pan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kino supplies an LPCM 2.0 music-only audio track (1536 kbps, 16-bit). The score was written and performed in 1999 by Philip C. Carli. I've heard Carli's scores for other silent films of this period, including Dreyer's first masterpiece, Leaves from Satan's Book (1919-21). But unlike Leaves, which Carli composed solo on piano, the score for Peter Pan is written for an orchestra of around thirteen musicians. Performed by the Flower City Society Orchestra, Carli's piano playing is joined by two violins, a violincello, contrabass, flute, clarinet, two flutes, two cornets, trombone, and percussion. The score does a very effective job of supporting and enhancing the onscreen action.

Peter Pan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kino has added a brand-new commentary track and ported over the interviews and essay from the SD edition. Missing here is the "Photo Gallery of Production Stills and Promotional Material" that Kino produced for its DVD nineteen years ago.

• NEW Commentary by Film Historian Kat Ellinger - according to the BFI, Ellinger is an author, freelance writer, and film critic who presently serves as the editor-in-chief for Diabolique Magazine. The Brit is an expert on the life and career of Sir James Barrie. She discusses the autobiographical elements of Barrie that are incorporated in the narrative and character sketches of Peter Pan. In English, not subtitled.

• "Esther Ralston Remembers Meeting Mary Brian" Audio Interview (1:14) - Ralston played Mrs. Darling (the matriarch in film) and she tells the story about how she first met Mary Brian (Wendy). In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Interview with Actress Esther Ralston (31:00) - in this half-hour interview, Ralston reminisces with many stories and anecdotes about fellow stars, directors, and producers she collaborated with. She has a rather stunning one on Louis B. Mayer that she shares. In English, not subtitled.

• Essay by Film Historian, Frederick C. Szebin - on the old DVD, the Szebin essay, "Peter Pan Escapes Cinematic Neverland," was reprinted from the October 1995 issue of American Cinematographer but was set in such a small typeface size that it was difficult to read on smaller TVs. Fortunately, Kino has reproduced it all in a 15-page booklet that is accompanied by some stills.

Peter Pan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Peter Pan (1924) is arguably the finest cinematic adaptation of Sir James Barrie's eponymous play and it's been brought to full glory on this very fine Blu-ray released by Kino Studio Classics. As you can see from these screen captures, the transfer consistently looks relatively clean and crisp. I very much enjoyed hearing Philip Carli's orchestral score and listening to Kat Ellinger's feature-length commentary. The photo gallery from the first DVD is absent and that would have made this close to a definitive package. Still, a VERY WARM RECOMMENDATION and A MUST for lovers of silent cinema.