Product: Young & Innocent [VHS] (1938)
Rating: 4.0
A good evening's entertainment
Once one gets past the hokey over-acting in the opening moments, the viewer is in store for an entertaining cat-and-mouse thriller featuring one of the earliest uses of Hitchcock's favorite "wrong man being chased by the authorities" plotline. Highlights include an amazing mine cave-in scene and an extended crane shot in a crowded ballroom, as the camera slowly moves in closer and closer to the real killer, finally settling in on just his nervous, rapidly blinking eyes. The second feature on the Laserlight DVD, "The Cheney Vase", isn't much to write home about. It's an early, undistinguished episode from the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV show. It was clearly made from a kinescope of dubious quality, and the story about a priceless vase just isn't very interesting. However, the nice print of the main feature; the bonus trailer from "Strangers on a Train" (also a good print); and the low price make this Laserlight DVD worth picking up. I have to agree with Dr. Struhl's review, though: the Tony Curtis introductions included in these Laserlight editions are tolerable at best, but ultimately don't bring anything of value to the table.