Product: Three Stooges (UK PAL Region 0)
Rating: 1.0
Reissue of a disappointing DVD set
A 3-disc reissue of 2002's 75th Anniversary 2-disc edition from Madacy and C3 Entertainment. My earlier review of that collection follows, with these additional notes/warnings to this updated edtion...- Disc 1 is unchanged, with the Stooges' 4 public domain Columbia shorts transferred from mediocre 16mm, Screen Gems, dupe prints.- Disc 2 contains the same material as the earlier edition.- Disc 3 is a new addition, featuring 1970's TV pilot KOOK'S TOUR. Previously licensed to Anchor Bay Entertainment, rights owner C3 Entertainment has transferred home video distribution rights of this film to Madacy... the Super8mm source material is unfortunately/inherently bad for both, but this Madacy version is further degraded with digital pixelation problems.- All bonus features on Disc 3 DUPLICATE the content of Disc 2!On the plus side, this new version comes in a tin case with a sound-chip mechanism containing a grand total of 4 Stooge sound-bytes, from the 4 public domain Columbia shorts on Disc 1. Uh, yeah.Review of the earlier edition, from 2003..."With the title 'Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Collectors Edition,' and a very nice packaging presentation, you may have expectations of a wide selection of the comedy team's best work, or even some rarities. But...It's a collection of public domain material, much available since the dawn of home video on many tape and disc offerings from numerous distributors. You'll find the four pd Columbia shorts, DISORDER IN THE COURT (1936), SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS (1947), BRIDELESS GROOM (1947) and MALICE IN THE PALACE (1949), plus a handful of NEW 3 STOOGES (1965) cartoons. Original material is limited to a 10 minute video of hellos & introductions from Stooge family members taped at a 1998 convention in CA, plus some brief hosting segments by a Curly-impersonator. Visual quality of the shorts and cartoons is lacking, dark and non-contrasty, sourced from 16mm and vhs dupes. The cartoons are 'split up,' i.e., the live-action segments are under one menu, & the animated segments under a separate menu; the return to each menu contains annoying freeze frames that cut off approx. the last second of film, rather than seamless segues. From the perspective of a low price, maybe you'll feel you got what you paid for. But if you're looking for a collection worthy of the label '75th Anniversary,' you will be very disappointed. Definitely not recommended!"