Errol Flynn DVDs

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Errol Flynn DVDs

Post by Guest » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:53 am

Hiya

I have just returned from Germany where I bought the three Korngold movies from the recently released Errol Flynn series, which is not yet released in Britain. I have not yet had time to watch every frame of the thing but I have a good sense already about them. Although I bought the German version the main film shown is the original english version, with the german and spanish versions as an option.
The english versions look and sound excellent and seem to these eyes to be in a largely uncut form, certainly after the video and TV versions where Korngolds music is cut to shreds in the battle sequences. The battle scene music in the Sea Hawk, for example, sounds virtually uncut. More expert observers may notice some less good in these versions, but to me they are the best quality versions I have ever seen, especially of the Sea Hawk, which always seemed in a very poor condition in places.
The german language versions I have not watched right through and have only looked at certain scenes in Captain Blood and the Sea Hawk. So far (I may just have been lucky) the Sea Hawk seems to use only Korngold music although in a badly reduced way, especially when characters speak. Captain Blood seems to have a mixture of Korngold music and loads of completely seperate source music. This is only through watching a few scenes, so goodness knows how much non Korngold music is in it (it is quite disturbing to hear the love theme and the island fencing scene with such awful music. I dread to even think of looking at the battle scene at the end). The spanish version I have not attempted yet to try to watch. At least the badly corrupted versions of the Korngold scores in these foreign language versions can be compared with the excellent originals, as they are both there.
I better go and try to watch some of them all the way through now.

Peter
hal
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Post by hal » Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:04 am

I enjoyed the set. Unfortunately in the case of ELIZABETH AND ESSEX the technicolor strips don't line up precisely in a few scenes, and the picture is muddy in those relatively few moments.

Otherwise enjoyed the set. I have to admit I only watched the Korngold-scored movies...
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