My set arrived Tuesday and I've had time to watch four of the movies so far. Picture quality and digital compression is uniformly excellent, up to the high Fox standards on their other classics (like the Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto box sets). Sound quality on what I've watched is very good, with the exception of a few passages in
They Had to See Paris, which likely had problems with its 1929 Movietone track.
As far as reviewing content goes...
Lazybones (1925) is a film I'd often heard about but never seen. It greatly surpassed my expectations in the depth of its bittersweet story and emotional connection to its characters. Buck Jones is fine in the title role, Madge Bellamy is as cute as ever, Jane Novak is quite good, and ZaSu Pitts gets one of her rare chances to shine in a very dramatic role. While it's a bit slow starting and sometimes treads a fine line between sentiment and sentimentality, this may be an ideal film to introduce silents to people who've never seen a silent drama. The music score is not period, but is very appropriate to the mood and flavor of the story at least 95% of the time.
They Had to See Paris (1929) is a moderately entertaining Will Rogers vehicle about a nouveau riche Oklahoma family, its predictability made up for by occasional pre-code touches and the gorgeous Marguerite Churchill. Fifi D'Orsay is also fun in an over-the-top sort of way. I had seen this before on the AMC festival (back when they actually showed American movie classics), but had almost completely forgotten everything about it except its early talkie style and Will Rogers' typical wit.
After Tomorrow (1932) is a talky soap opera that often feels like the stage play it is, but it is so expertly directed that it's easy to become immersed in the troubled lives of its troubled characters. The camerawork focuses attention on the performances and details of the characters' emotions, rather than merely recording the dialogue. Charles Farrell isn't bad, and Marian Nixon is fine, but William Collier Sr. steals the show. Bob Lipton's imDb review pretty much tells it like it is, but doesn't mention the film's surprisingly casual precode use of (mild) profanity and frank discussions of sex.
Young America (1932) is another example of Borzage's brilliant ability to create intense emotional connections between characters and the audience. This story of juvenile delinquents has a far different feel from films like
Mayor of Hell, concentrating more on probing the personalities of its characters than building to a spectacular violent climax (which it also has). Ralph Bellamy is fine but a bit mannered as a sympathetic judge. The young Spencer Tracy demonstrates what made him a star with his growth from callous villain to an understanding and admirable father figure, aided by a steadfast Doris Kenyon as his wife. Tom Conlon and Raymond Borzage are excellent child actors, beautifully handled on screen. Even Beryl Mercer turns in a strong performance.
I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of this superb box set, which belongs in every library and classic film buff's collection.
--Christopher Jacobs
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs
Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:58 pm
So have they restored the 
It's disappointing if this looks exactly like the Region 2 DVD release. That had a few looped changes in the audio too. I hope this has been fixed. Personally, I love the Erno-Rapee-Lew Pollack Movie-tone score. And they play allot more than just 
