Mae West: Glamour Collection

I purchased this set last week without having read any reviews previously. I only knew that I was a fan of Mae West and that I wanted a nice collection of her films. However, before I even put in the first DVD I sporadically decided to read some of the reviews for this set on Amazon just for kicks. One reviewer here claims that the sound is horrible, that the picture is garbage, and that Warner Bros. is putting out "trash" sets. Well first of all, this is not a Warner Home Video release. This set is from Universal Studios despite the fact every film contained within originated from Paramount Studios... I digress. Expecting the worst, I popped in the first disc. The movie begins. The sound is clear. The picture is clear. It doesn't shake and there seems to be very little grain on the image aside from the usual specs that grace older films. Personally, I find a bit of grain/debris to be somewhat charming and enjoy products looking "of their time" so to speak. Why, even mono sound is very clear. After viewing all 5 films, the only one with any real noticeable grain or scratches was "Going To Town" but even then not to a distracting level. However I do have one complaint. The films are divided up rather strangely over the two disc. The division is as follows:
Disc one Side A : Night After Night & I'm No Angel
Side B: Going To Town
Disc two: Side A: Go West Young Man & My Little Chick-a-dee
Side B: Nothing
I haven no idea why side B is completely empty when two films are crammed onto Side A. The only extras are trailers for three of the films and the menu designs are identical for each film. Sadly, it seems to be a trend for most catalog classic releases to be treated as such. The Greta Garbo DVDs released earlier last year had picture quality that was not only about the same, it was worse in some places. Those were apparently "digitally restored" (I'm talking about her talkies, not the silents which had more scratches on them than a cat post) and cost about $20 A PIECE.

As for the films themselves, they are screen gems indeed. Mae West exhibits both a strong and amusing presence on film. She was an actress who was ahead of, as well as one of the most controversial, of her time. Each film shows off her perfectly timed comic abilities as well as her vocal talents which aren't too shabby either. After comparing the quality and price of these DVDs to previous releases of older films that belong in this genre, I've decided that this is really an excellent deal. So please, don't pay attention to angry reviewers who are bitter about lack of extras, this set is certainly worth it!

At last - 12 years after Universal released the entire Mae West collection on VHS to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth, they are finally putting out a boxed set of some of her classic films. I am particularly delighted that this set includes the often overlooked gem, Goin' To Town, one of Miss West's funniest comedies.

But I am of mixed emotions concerning this release, since it only includes five of Mae West's classics. I've waited a long time for these to be released on DVD, and what does Universal do? They put out only five of the ten films they have the rights to. Two of the films in this collection were already released on DVD - I'm No Angel was released several years ago, and My Little Chickadee was released last year as part of the W. C. Fields collection. So only three of the five films are new to DVD.

Worse, the set does not include She Done Him Wrong, Mae West's personal favorite among all her films, which was based on her stage hit, Diamond Lil. The inclusion of Go West Young Man (considered by many fans to be her weakest effort) is puzzling over She Done Him Wrong, but I suppose that just makes it more likely that they will do the right thing and release the rest shortly.

The box set released in the UK three months ago contains a whole different set of six films - including Klondike Annie (one of her few dramas, and one of her best films) and the seldom seen The Heat's On, a silly musical done at Columbia studios in 1943, which was the great lady's last screen appearance until Myra Breckinridge, 27 years later.

Universal saw fit to release virtually all of the Abbott and Costello films in its vaults before it got to Mae West, Carole Lombard and Marlene Dietrich (the release of The Glamour Collection: Marlene Dietrich and The Glamour Collection: Carole Lombard were both announced concurrently with the Mae West set). So hop to it, Universal! Fans of all three of these ladies are anxiously awaiting more.

First.....it is NEVER a good idea to review ANY DVD title before it's released, as so many seem to have done for these latest Mae West titles. Unfortunately, they will have to eat most of their words, now that it has been released.

I am a HUGE Mae West devotee, with one of the biggest Mae West collections in the world (even have her tattooed on my arm!). That's why I was highly suspicious when five of her films were going to be released on DVD for such a small price. Why so cheap? And why re-release I'm No Angel and My Little Chickadee that are already out on DVD? And why not release one of her most loved films, 'She Done Him Wrong'?

Well, my fellow MW fans...what you might suspect, is true. These are NOT remastered by any stretch of the imagination, and are no clearer than the VHS versions. As well, they are on TWO DVD's and only a strange plastic divider separates them. You will always be worried you will accidentally scratch them. Only a few titles have the original trailers included, and the quality of them is GHASTLY. REALLY bad. There are also no extras. Wouldn't you have died for a glimpse at a few rare deleted scenes!? Or maybe some great newsreel footage?

What is good about this "boxed" set? Not much, other than it is Mae West, an American institution, who always delivers the goods. Also...it's nice to have these titles "preserved" on DVD, even if the quiality is far from remastered. It is clear that Universal wanted to make a quick buck and slapped together a semi-fancy outer package, housing less than high quality DVD's inside. Let's hope they get serious next time and release ALL of Mae West's Paramount titles, digitally remastered in a gorgeous boxed set. Mae West deserves that, and we as consumers (and fans) do too.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 36 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars