Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 4.0
It'll do for now!
This review is for the newer DVD edition: The Original Unedited 1977 Animated Classic. And, for all practical purposes, this is true! It is the original, unedited edition! This is unfortunate, however. There have been complaints with the previous DVD release about sound issues: Added effects, choppy diolgue. . .The only issue in this newer edition is that, in a very few cases, the sound skips ahead a second or so, and we miss the tail end of a sentence. Since I've watched this movie on VHS numerous times, I barely noticed. But for others, it might be a mild annoyance. The only real issue that I had was with the picture quality of the movie. This is a new DVD release, and with the impending glut of royalties due to Peter Jackson and Co. with the live-action Hobbit, I would think it would make sense to put a little effort into restoring the film quality of this classic movie. The movie is so dark at some points, it is worse than my old, scratchy VHS version! I will be one of the first to admit that I love the look of an old VHS movie, but when it's hard to make out what you know should be a clear picture, it can get frustrating! It really is disappointing, considering the fine quality of the Rankin-Bass production of The Return Of The King, which seemed to enjoy a flawless translation from VHS to DVD. So unfortunately, because of the poor picture quality, I can't give it more than four stars, even though this is certainly the most influential movie I have ever seen. I can only hope that with the success of Peter Jackson's' bloated trilogy, we will enjoy a digitally remastered release, so that we can see and hear this animated classic in all the glory it was meant to be viewed in. Still. Until a better version comes out, by all means, buy this movie, and experience The Hobbit in a faithful, exuberant rendition that pays fine homage to the original book.