Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ Mamba – in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Mamba, a two-color Technicolor production produced in 1929 is an odd bird for a number of reasons.

1. It was thought to be lost (with the exception of some reels) for decades;

2. It was produced by the low-budget Tiffany banner;

3. It features studio actors, Jean Hershel and Eleanor Boardman;

4. Sound on disc;

5. Survives due to the aid of an Australian collector

Publicized as the first all-talking feature Technicolor drama, it paid off on Tiffany's investment - and then disappeared.

Several reels survived in the Colonies, along with a set of discs, but a restoration was not possible until the Australian print was accessed - opening a window into the early talkie / color era.

It's an interesting film, with long tracking shots and other technical niceties, but the film shows its age, and is probably of interest today for it's technical roots.

And how nice that Kino, once again, is releasing a Blu-ray that has minimal chance of paying for itself. For those with an interest in the era, your purchase supports further film preservation.

At the time of production, about 20 films used the color process, and half of those were sequences only, so yes, this is a rarity.

Image – 3.75

Audio – 4

Pass / Fail – Pass

Works up-rezzed to 4k - Yes

Recommended (for fans of early Technicolor)

RAH

 

[mark brown]

Sounds great Mr. Harris!

 

[Capt D McMars]

I love this era, and thanks for pointing out that Kino is not just about the money, but about the working in coordination with other organizations, for the preservation of rare and historical films as well as todays films. Pointing out that yes, you can help support these guys by using the power of your credit cards!! Good on ya, and Good on Kino!!

 

[sbjork]

Mamba, a two-color Technicolor production produced in 1929 is an odd bird for a number of reasons.

1. It was thought to be lost (with the exception of some reels) for decades;

2. It was produced by the low-budget Tiffany banner;

3. It features studio actors, Jean Hershel and Eleanor Boardman;

4. Sound on disc;

5. Survives due to the aid of an Australian collector

Publicized as the first all-talking feature Technicolor drama, it paid off on Tiffany's investment - and then disappeared.

Several reels survived in the Colonies, along with a set of discs, but a restoration was not possible until the Australian print was accessed - opening a window into the early talkie / color era.

It's an interesting film, with long tracking shots and other technical niceties, but the film shows its age, and is probably of interest today for it's technical roots.

And how nice that Kino, once again, is releasing a Blu-ray that has minimal chance of paying for itself. For those with an interest in the era, your purchase supports further film preservation.

At the time of production, about 20 films used the color process, and half of those were sequences only, so yes, this is a rarity.

Image – 3.75

Audio – 4

Pass / Fail – Pass

Works up-rezzed to 4k - Yes

Recommended (for fans of early Technicolor)

RAH

I watched it over the weekend, and I couldn't agree more about picking it up to support this kind of film preservation. Whatever faults that Mamba may have, it's still considered the oldest all-talking, full-color film, and worth buying for the historical value alone. It's an extraordinary rarity, with an extraordinarily limited potential audience, and yes, there's little chance of Kino making enough from it to pay for the costs of releasing it. So full props to them for doing so anyway, and please support them for doing so!