March of the Wooden Soldiers -

 

 

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March of the Wooden Soldiers has always been a holiday favorite of mine and thus I was saddened when the local NY stations stopped featuring the film on Thanksgiving. Interested in obtaining the best available version of the film, I first purchased the recommended Goodtimes and Passport reissues of the film. A few days later I came upon the most recently released Legend edition. On Sunday I compared the three DVDs.

No question, while I at one time might have agreed with earlier reviews claiming the Passport B&W version as the most accurate representation of the film, and the Goodtimes version as the best of the color incarnations, they both have now been blown out of the water with this latest Legend package. First, the Legend package includes both restored B&W and colorized versions of the film. In both cases the transfers are crisper, brighter, present higher detail resolution and are cleaner overall. In B&W the detail of Barnaby's coat, Stannie's legging patches and all graphics have been enhanced. The compromise might be the bit of edginess that goes along with such detail enhancement but overall its a small price to pay. As for the colorization, the detail resolution will have you marveling at a nuance in new color detail not even remotely evident in the Goodtimes edition. Second, well a better deal is just a better deal!

In short, Legend lives up to its name here. Anyone interested in slightly used Goodtimes and Passport DVDs? Please?

I read the all the glowing reviews of this DVD recently and thought for the modest price this might be something worth trying.Who knows,I thought,maybe someone has got it right finally.Well dear readers they have NOT got it right.It is not as bad as it might be but the over-glowing hype and deception of the previous reviews leads me to think that 1)they are not as informed as they should be about the product they are reviewing and 2)one or more might be getting paid by the company who produced this DVD.
Whatever the case is,here is the TRUTH about this release.
The prints used in this DVD is the COLOURIZED /91 Goldwyn print that we all remember.It says so,clearly at the end of the B&W version!! "Genius",the outfit who brings us this "marvel" in restoration has just remastered that colourized Goldwyn print and simply turned "off" the colours for its' B&W offering here!! The colourized version in turn has again been remastered and the washed out look that was extant on the original version print has just been cleaned up.The colours look clearer...that's all.It is still colourized and LOOKS it.
As far as completeness goes it isn't technically complete nor in its' original form.The original film opened with the music and a motion picture producers production code logo at the beginning.This is NOT here.Instead we are seeing the DVD companies' logo instead.On both versions.
There is a now famous frame jump in the sequence in the cave where the Boys and Bopeep and Tom-Tom are hiding from the Bogeymen.When the bogeymen pass the frame jumps quickly to them leaving their hiding spot.It is extant in BOTH versions so you know it's the exact same print they are using.At the end of the B&W version they at least leave in the Goldwyn credits but because this company did their own little "bit" in fiddling with the colour they left them out in the colourized version,making it seem like it's a new print.
What the company DID do is 1).Restore the original "Babes in Toyland" logo at the beginning.I hadn't seen this for years and it is a welcome sight.
and 2) Did some minor clean up on the Goldwyn print so in B&W it does look alot crisper.
But that's it folks,that's all.Nothing really new and improved here.You really do get what you pay for and at this price(and what they were including with it)the old alarm bells were going off big time in my head.But as I said I was at least willing to try,considering the glowing reviews I had read.
There are alot of little extras that come with this DVD.An animated Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer story(cheap),some vintage TV commercials and newsreel shorts(interesting),a not bad print of "Tree in the Test Tube"(their /43 colour war short),and some more slight tidbits.
Just to recap.
The prints on this DVD are the original Goldwyn colourized prints...just prettied up some.The colourized version has been worked on and isn't as bad as its' parent print(remember that awful washed out colour?) but it is still NOTHING to write home about.Someone will have to do ALOT better than this to convince me about the colourization process.Until then leave these movies as they were meant to be seen...please! The B&W version here is the colour version,with the colour off!!
Remember what a "restored,original version" is.It should start with the company credits in the pre-movie stage,not superimposed over or replacing the original opening credits of the movie itself.The movie should run in toto.After the end credits are finished(with NO superimposed or replaced company credits) THEN but only then should any thing else be seen.The movie itself from start to finish is on its' own...period.But that's not how this and so many other cheap companies such as this one present their product.
Also the jacket on this DVD like so many,many other jackets use those neat sounding words like "remastered","high definition","original","rare",etc,etc.It's becoming a favourite trick of alot of these cheap outfits who will try anything short of outright lying to get your hard earned money.Don't be fooled and read between the lines.And while I rarely comment on previous reviews,I'd just like to say shame on them for also being a part of this deception,willingly or otherwise.
This company "Genius", should try and get some.Couldn't hurt.
The Boys and we deserve alot better than this.

It is sad that Laurel and Hardy fans in North America have been given the short end of the stick for so many years.The rights to all of their shorts(both silent and sound)and their movies(specifically the Hal Roach catalogue)have changed hands more times than I would care to count.It is a sorry legacy of greed,neglect and indifference.Well,I'm happy to report that we finally have something good to celebrate for a change!
MGM studios has taken the proverbial bull by the horns and have elected to release their own print of "Babes in Toyland".Yes you heard me,NOT "March of the Wooden Soldiers"(the slip case cover title) but "Babes in Toyland".This release has the original opening and closing titles;and it is marvellous to look at.
It is a beautiful print and the best looking release of the movie I have seen.There have been alot of pretenders to the throne over the last while,some pretty pathetic ones at that,but finally we get to see the film as close to its' original release state as we can get.The original was 90 minutes long and while seen only occasionally in the early TV years it was eventually pared down to the length we have here,about 78 minutes.And that is the version we have had unfortunately for decades.
MGM caught me totally off guard with this one,but I won't complain in the least because I'm just so happy to finally see it out there.I AM worried a little though that by putting "March of the Wooden Soldiers" on the cover that many fans may give it a pass by thinking it is just another version among many of that film.
It begs the question though,how many more Laurel and Hardy features do MGM hold?They were the distributor for Hal Roach and if they have this movie in their archives it makes some sense that they would possibly have the original full length version and many others,if not all their movies AND shorts.Unfortunately,not holding the rights to their films,there is little MGM can do but sit tight.
Whatever the answers,we must thank MGM studios for taking the initiative and releasing this charming film,for all the Laurel and Hardy fans here in North America and in the best condition I've seen.Let us give MGM the "Laurels" they deserve and our "Hardy" endorsement by buying the most definitive version to date
of the Laurel and Hardy classic "Babes in Toyland".

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1.0 out of 5 stars march of the wooden soldiers
very disappointed that it was not indicated to be in black and white! years ago I had a copy and it was in color for petes sake so whats up with black and white all these years... Read more

Published 16 months ago by birdlover

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of bang(and a surprise!) for your movie dollar.
This holiday three DVD collection released by MGM gives us alot in a small package for a reasonable price.
First off the mark is Frank Capra's "Pocketful of Miracles" ***. Read more

Published on Jan 23 2008 by Robert Badgley

5.0 out of 5 stars "March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934) ... Laurel & Hardy ... Legend Films (2006)"
Legend Films presents "MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS" (Released 14 December 1934) (77 mins) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- now in COLOR and Glorious Black and... Read more

Published on Sep 8 2007 by J. Lovins

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great holiday movie
Some like it colored and some don't. Ether way this based on a 1903 Victor Herbert operetta, film released in 1934 as "Babes in Toyland," and is still fun to watch. Read more

Published on May 26 2007 by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars RESTORED TO ABSOLUTE PERFECTION
Without a doubt Legend Films/Genius Entertainment has given us the best DVD version of "March of The Wooden Soldiers" I've ever seen. Read more

Published on Dec 22 2006 by The Critic

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