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The Ealing Classics collection represents a strange
mix of movies. There is a light-hearted war time drama with
a tragic ending, a Dickensian classic, a gripping collection
of short horror stories and a thrilling true life adventure.
Not
only do the movies vary in their themes, but the quality of
their reproduction also changes drastically. From the crisp
print that is Went The Day Well? to the truly criminal
botch job that is Dead of Night. But more of that later...
Went
The Day Well? Is set in sleepy little Bromley End during
World War II. The residents believe that they are safe from
the events of the war, and welcome the lorry loads of Royal
Engineers rolling onto their quiet green acres. Little do
they suspect that they are really disguised German parachutists
installing radar apparatus to disrupt England's entire network.
Nor did they suspect their community leader was a traitor...
This
is a light-hearted movie that looks at what would happen if
enemy troops infiltrated a quite village in the middle of
nowhere. Wartime propaganda this certainly is (released in
1942) as ordinary woman and men take up arms against Hitler's
elite and... win - obviously. There are some depressing scenes
with "our boys" been gunned down in cold blood,
but it is a well played out movie... now where's my Vera Lynn
album? It also stars a young Thora Hird and Patricia Hayes.
The quality of the print is amazing, as is the (mono) soundtrack.
Dead
of Night consists of five separate ghost stories which
are woven into the framework of a country house party tale.
The stories range from a chilling tale of a man who sees the
reflection of another room in his mirror, to the light-hearted
story of two golfing pals who both fall in love with the same
woman...
This
is a fantastically creepy movie that is let down by one thing
- a bloody awful film to DVD transfer. There are scratches
on the film, terrible sound the brightness levels vary from
reel to reel - there is one reel that is so bleached that
most of the finer detail of the picture has been erased. This
is a terrible shame, especially as this movie was released
three years after Went The Day Well? - which receives
a stunning transfer.
Nicholas
Nickleby is Ealing's take on the Charles Dicken's classic
tale of one mans struggle to protect his family from a scheming
uncle and a cruel Victorian world...
This
is critically acclaimed masterpiece overflowing with grotesque
characters and filled with the authentic and robust Dickens
spirit. The quality of this disc is not too bad, but it's
not as good as it should be.
Scott
Of The Antarctic stars Sir John Mills as Captain Scott
in a thrilling account of the dangerous 1912 expedition to
conquer the South Pole...
Visually
stunning and incredibly moving, this movie is a classic that
really should be in everyone's collection.
With
no extras, and questionable quality film reproductions, this
is a collection that could have been so much more. Sadly,
as it stands, you are probably better off hunting around for
video copies.
Darren
Rea
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