Garv’s Pick of the Week: The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (Warner Archive)
For the release week of March 29th:
Garv’s Pick of the Week: The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: This is the type of release that makes Blu-ray truly special. There were only two narrative feature films made in the three-camera Cinerama process, this film and the previous How the West Was Won (1962). Neither are great films, but they are BIG films. Up until now, home video has been unable to capture the magic and bigness of these titles, but this is a miracle release for Brothers Grimm. Much needed restoration was performed on 6K scans of the original deteriorating negatives, the “join lines” between the three camera negatives have been virtually eliminated, and most importantly, the film is presented both in standard letterbox and curved Smilebox. I personally prefer the Smilebox version on the second disc, as it replicates the original curved screen Cinerama presentation. Take a look at the video above to see what I mean.
Additional Titles of Interest —
The Last Waltz [4K UHD / Criterion]: This 1978 concert film is, perhaps, only second to Stop Making Sense (1984) as best in the genre. Criterion is releasing it in both the Blu-ray and 4K UHD formats this week.
Ordinary People [Blu-ray / Paramount Presents]: Robert Redford’s 1980 family drama is powerful but not a lot of fun. Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton star.
A Star Is Born [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: Here’s the original 1937 version of the off-remade story about a Hollywood couple, one on the way up and one on the way down. Of course, there was a pretty similar film that preceded it, What Price Hollywood? (1932).
Shakedown [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Here’s a lesser-known 1950 noir with a great cast, including Howard Duff, Brian Donlevy, and Lawrence Tierney.
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