Our Town (Full Screen)

I resent even having to put one star, as a rating, but Amazon will not allow anything less. Here we have one of the important plays of the last century, a quintessentially American work, translated onto film, photographed and designed by the masters of cinematography and...and...Well, hold onto your Edollars, it's going to be a bumpy night. Without a doubt - and I speak as one who has purchased, and viewed, over 160 DVDs from Amazon - this is the worst DVD transfer I've seen so far. The picture disintegrates almost immediately. The audio is near unintelligible from the opening credits onward. Aaron Copland must be spinning is his grave trying to discern what the hell happened to his almost unrecognizable, beautiful score. Most lamentably, one can barely make out half the dialogue for the wholly distracting background din. PLEASE, steer clear - nay, protest, return, or refuse - any release that has FOCUSFILM ENTERTAINMENT's imprint on it. And complain to Amazon. To state - as FOCUSFILM does, on the reverse of OUR TOWN's jacket - that this is "Digitally Remastered From Original Negative Elements" is an outright fabrication. I have seen finer prints screened on morning television in Schenectedy. An unsettling first alarm is the pitiful art work on the cover [as well as no interior brochure]. A young man and woman, who bear no resemblance to either William Holden or Martha Scott, set against a sunset which looks to be straight out of HIGH NOON, instead of New Hamphire 1900! Why couldn't FOCUSFILM ENTERTAINMENT [or another DVD offender MADACY ENTERTAINMENT] be honest in their abject greed, and state, "We don't care about the consumer. Just buy this famous film and give us money! " Beware, be vigilant and be vociferous...

Our Town is a play that brings a simple message in a very compelling way; one of my favorite stories of all time. I can say that the people behind this motion picture version trivialized the ending of the story, and took back some of what the story gives. But that's Hollywood. Despite the ending, this still manages to be a wonderful sensitive rendition of Our Town. Technically, the print is poor quality, but the depth of the story made me forget about the print quality while I was watching it.

... for not having checked these reviews before I bought the DVD. The technical quality - especially the sound - is just absolutely horrible. What a disappointment. I was unable to sit through the full 90 minutes. The worst DVD I have ever come across. Stay away from it!