7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Libby, a poor street urchin is taken under the wing of busker Charles Staggers. He works her into his act, catching the eye of Harley, the composer who makes her a star.
Starring: Vivien Leigh, Charles Laughton, Rex Harrison, Larry Adler, Tyrone GuthrieDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM Mono
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Note: This film is currently available only in The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection.
Vivien Leigh will never escape the looming Technicolor shadow of her portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. For many,
both those who have read Margaret Mitchell’s source novel and those who haven’t, Leigh simply is and will
always be Scarlett. That kind of association with one iconic role can be as much of an obstacle as it is a boon to an
actor’s career, but the fact is of course Leigh essayed many memorable parts over the course of several decades. Even
diehard Gone With the Wind fans are aware of Leigh’s stunning turn as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire
, which might almost be thought of as Scarlett O’Hara: The Next Generation. Other, more devoted, fans of
the actress can point to any number of other notable performances, including everything from Caesar and
Cleopatra and Ship of Fools. But rather remarkably for an actress who is so lionized and so well
remembered today (even if it is largely for one legendary role), Leigh actually only made a relatively paltry 19 films over
the course of her career. Part of this was due to Leigh’s love of the theater (real fans will know she brought
home a perhaps undeserved Tony for her brief run in the musical Tovarich!), but part of it was due to her
emotional problems, which became more and more debilitating from the late forties onward (and which according to
some accounts led to her early departure from Tovarich!). Leigh’s pre-Gone With the Wind British work
seems to have most seriously fallen by the wayside in the actress’ oeuvre, and several of those films have in fact
fallen into the public domain, with a resultant release of various pretty shoddy looking home video versions through the
years. Now Cohen Film Collection (working in tandem with the British Film Institute at least some of the time) is
releasing four early Leigh ventures that may help to reclaim this underappreciated era in the actress’ burgeoning career.
St. Martin's Lane is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. This is one of the more inconsistent transfers in this set, one which appears to have been sourced either from intrinsically problematic elements or perhaps even from more than one source with varying degrees of quality. A lot of this transfer looks really rather good, with deep, convincing contrast and a nicely stable and clear image. Other parts are quite noticeably softer and grainier looking with more problematic contrast (the scene in the abandoned mansion with Liberty dancing is a great example). These more problematic elements come and go throughout the presentation and at times the transition can be somewhat jarring. The good news is that the nice looking sections are much more numerous and offer good depth and a generally pleasing grain structure. I'd probably bump this up to a 3.75 if I could to indicate that a lot of this transfer looks very good.
Unfortunately, St. Martin's Lane uncompressed LPCM Mono track is probably the most problematic of the four in this set, not due to any outright damage (for there really is none), but due to a curiously muffled ambience which severely restricts virtually all ranges of the soundtrack. This is especially sad news in that there is so much music running through the film. This muffling is so pronounced at times that it's actually a bit difficult to make out what's being said. If one were to come into this film "cold", without experiencing the much brighter and clearer tracks on the other films, one might think this was at least "okay" sounding, if not stellar, but when it's compared to the other three in this set (despite some occasional damage in those three), the difference is quite striking.
There are no actual supplements tied to St. Martin's Lane. This film is on the second disc of this two disc set, and the disc itself has a supplement which is detailed in The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection Blu-ray review.
St. Martin's Lane probably should have been an out and out musical, as the Sherman Brothers no doubt realized decades later (even if they couldn't quite get their version completely off the ground). The film has a strange structure where it initially seems like Charlie and Liberty are going to be the focus, which then shifts to Liberty and Harley. And the film tries a bit too hard to tug at the heartstrings, which will probably drive modern day cynics a little batty. But Laughton is superb in a rather unusual role, and Leigh and Harrison—despite playing characters who aren't completely likable—do quite well in their roles as well.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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1924
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Paramount Presents #30
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35th Anniversary Edition
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Collector's Edition
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The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection
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Warner Archive Collection
1968
30th Anniversary Edition
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Includes "Him", "Her", and "Them" Cuts
2014