Blu-ray Review The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

No question about it: the four Marx Brothers were the most unique screen comedy team in history: a straight man, an insult comic, an ethnic comedian, and a pantomime artist, all of whom interacted with one another in twos or threes or fours in wacky, ever zanier ways.



The Cocoanuts (1929)



Released: 03 Aug 1929
Rated: PASSED
Runtime: 96 min




Director: Robert Florey, Joseph Santley
Genre: Comedy, Musical



Cast: The Marx Brothers, Zeppo Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx
Writer(s): George S. Kaufman (book), Morrie Ryskind (adapted by)



Plot: During the Florida land boom, the Marx brothers run a hotel, auction off some land, thwart a jewel robbery, and generally act like themselves.



IMDB rating: 7.2
MetaScore: N/A





Disc Information...

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[Suzanne.S]

Great review, Matt! I am so looking forward to revisiting all of these films. The Cocoanuts in particular has me excited as it was the first Marx Bros. movie I ever saw. I was 11 and it made a great impression on me. I've been a fan ever since.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

It was number one on my Christmas gift list so thanks to my Brother I will be watching it when I have it. Still the kings of comedy along with W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy, and Buster Keaton.

 

[Mike Frezon]

It seems like I pre-ordered this years ago!

I was most anxious about the audio of these films. It sounds like these films are going to be revelations to those of us who have only heard them with those historically bad sound tracks.

Thanks, Matt, for putting us at ease that this release is going to be something different than what we've seen (or heard) in the past!

 

[TonyD]

Me too. when it was $44.

 

[PMBen]

All the films in 1.33:1 OAR?????

WTF??????????

 

[TravisR]

All the films in 1.33:1 OAR?????

WTF??????????

That's the correct aspect ratio for movies from that period.

 

[TJPC]

I know we all have to start our learning somewhere, but first day with the HDTV or what!

You can always stretch them if you don't mind Margaret Dumont looking like Sophie Tucker!

 

[Rodney]

All the films in 1.33:1 OAR?????
WTF??????????

Don't worry, these films were protected for 4.3 viewing by the filmmakers during production.

 

[PMBen]

As far as I know, Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers (and according to IMDB Monkey Business too) had an original OAR of 1.20:1. In the old video transfers, only the credits were not cropped.

It was announced somewhere that the new BRs would respect the aspect ratio of the movies.

If it really is 1,33 on the BRs, that bothers me because I can't see the point of an expensive restoration if the films are going to be shown cropped for no reason whatsoever (it's going to be pillarboxed anyway, so why 1,33 instead of 1,20?).

Check out Criterion's Lubitsch Box Set, where films from the same years and produced by the same studio are shown without mutilation.

 

[PMF]

Are studios distributing BD's of the classic films still messing around with the Aspect Ratio? To what end?
Meanwhile, having read Mr. Hough's review, my biggest surprise was that "The Cocoanuts" had any chance of looking better, at all.
Surprise #2: If this restoration for "The Cocoanuts" could occur, then one would had believed that "Duck Soup" would had been the crown-of-the-jewel within this new collection.
I wonder if Matt - or anyone else out there - could offer further background information on the problems faced for each of these 5 restorations.
Thanks.
P.S. It's still a "no-brainer" purchase for me, as I'm still amazed that Paramount was able to salvage any of these crucial gems for a BD age.
Thanks, Paramount

 

[Matt Hough]

I did not measure the aspect ratios of the films but was using liner note information and my own eye estimations. If I have time today (something new to review just arrived a half hour ago), I'll go back and look at the first two again in respect to the aspect ratios.

I do remember in the commentary for The Cocoanuts, the speaker mentioned that Paramount experimented with both sound on disc and sound on film with the early talkie movies they did. If they had a full frame 1.33:1 master for the movie from the sound-on-disc release, maybe that was what was used for the transfer.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Are studios distributing BD's of the classic films still messing around with the Aspect Ratio? To what end?
Meanwhile, having read Mr. Hough's review, my biggest surprise was that "The Cocoanuts" had any chance of looking better, at all.
Surprise #2: If this restoration for "The Cocoanuts" could occur, then one would had believed that "Duck Soup" would had been the crown-of-the-jewel within this new collection.
I wonder if Matt - or anyone else out there - could offer further background information on the problems faced for each of these 5 restorations.
Thanks.
P.S. It's still a "no-brainer" purchase for me, as I'm still amazed that Paramount was able to salvage any of these crucial gems for a BD age.
Thanks, Paramount

Universal.

 

[RichMurphy]

It's still a "no-brainer" purchase for me, as I'm still amazed that Paramount was able to salvage any of these crucial gems for a BD age.
Thanks, Paramount

Yes, thanks, Paramount, for selling the rights to these films to Universal ages ago. If Paramount still owned them, we would never have this release.

 

[PMF]

Universal.

Ooooopps.
After 43 years of watching The Brothers Marx, I still have that Paramount logo tattooed in my brain.
But your right, and thanks for the reminder.

 

[PMF]

Yes, thanks, Paramount, for selling the rights to these films to Universal ages ago. If Paramount still owned them, we would never have this release.

Ya gotta love it !!!

 

[David Norman]

$50 at Amazon -- was $43 in August
$41 at BN or $40 at Bullmoose as a Preorder

I'll likely order this for $32 at BN in their price holds once it goes live on 10/18 or save it for less than $25 in December.

 

[PMF]

Savings are important, but even at full price who can deny that this 5 film package isn't already a steal; especially when factoring in the restoration aspects.

 

[BarryR]

I'm always fascinated with COCOANUTS as a charming 1929 time capsule. That it'll now look that much more vivid will be really welcomed.

 

[Lord Dalek]

1.19 is barely different from 1.33:1. I wouldn't sweat it.