- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,422
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Gary Cooper, one of the most natural actors to ever hit the silver sheet, and one of my personal favorites, had a wonderful career that should have been far longer.
He first appeared in 1923-26, doing extra work, all uncredited. The Winning of Barbara Worth gave him a credit in 1926, but he returned to the mass of uncredited players until 1927, in It.
If he was discovered, it probably would have been in Wings (1927) for Paramount, and he stayed with that studio - his first was as an uncredited Seaman in Old Ironsides (1926).
Between It and Unconquered (1947), he spent most of his time at Paramount, while also doing some work for Goldwyn and Warner.
But it's his Paramount work that Kino has been bringing to the fore - almost fifty productions.
Now and Forever (1934) fits between Design for Living and Lives of a Bengal Lancer in the studio's line-up, and it's yet another example of his early to mid-'30s work which enables us to see his persona take shape.
Many of the Paramount films are problematic in terms of quality - they're all from dupes of one sort or another - and his is one of the bad ones. I was actually wondering if it might have been 16mm sourced, but I'm presuming that it's just a poor 35 dupe.
Resolution is far less than one might imagine. Grain shows its generations, along with a compressed gray scale, and obvious wear. The track is okay.
Beyond the estimable Mr. Cooper, we have Carole Lombard and kid named Shirley Temple.
Image – 3
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from first DVD – Possibly
Works up-rezzed to 4k - Not great
And yet...
Recommended
RAH
He first appeared in 1923-26, doing extra work, all uncredited. The Winning of Barbara Worth gave him a credit in 1926, but he returned to the mass of uncredited players until 1927, in It.
If he was discovered, it probably would have been in Wings (1927) for Paramount, and he stayed with that studio - his first was as an uncredited Seaman in Old Ironsides (1926).
Between It and Unconquered (1947), he spent most of his time at Paramount, while also doing some work for Goldwyn and Warner.
But it's his Paramount work that Kino has been bringing to the fore - almost fifty productions.
Now and Forever (1934) fits between Design for Living and Lives of a Bengal Lancer in the studio's line-up, and it's yet another example of his early to mid-'30s work which enables us to see his persona take shape.
Many of the Paramount films are problematic in terms of quality - they're all from dupes of one sort or another - and his is one of the bad ones. I was actually wondering if it might have been 16mm sourced, but I'm presuming that it's just a poor 35 dupe.
Resolution is far less than one might imagine. Grain shows its generations, along with a compressed gray scale, and obvious wear. The track is okay.
Beyond the estimable Mr. Cooper, we have Carole Lombard and kid named Shirley Temple.
Image – 3
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from first DVD – Possibly
Works up-rezzed to 4k - Not great
And yet...
Recommended
RAH
