Martin Scorsese Collection (After Hours/Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore/Goodfellas/Mean Streets/Who's That Knocking At My Door?)
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Actor: Martin Scorsese, Robert De NiroBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Unknown; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 556 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-08-17
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 39951
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Martin Scorsese Collection (After Hours/Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore/Goodfellas/Mean Streets/Who's That Knocking At My Door?)
DVD Review: MASTERWORKS of SCORSESE COME TOGETHER ON DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
The greatest living director of our generation, Martin Scorsese, finally gets a much overdue tribute, thanks to Warner Home Video. "The Martin Scorsese Collection" features five outstanding examples of a master director indulging in his craft; Who's That Knocking At My Door (1968), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), After Hours (1985) and Goodfellas (1990). Scorsese, who became a producer, writer, actor and finally director, grew up in New York's Little Italy - the inspiration for his best films. Many of his masterworks have long been available on DVD, including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Waltz, The Last Temptation Of Christ, The Age Of Innocence, Casino and Gangs Of New York.
There is so much to talk about that we might as well get started. "Who's That Knocking At My Door" is the story of J.R. (Harvey Keitel), a young man of no ambition who, quite by accident, finds himself sitting next to `the girl' (Zina Bethune) on the Staten Island ferry. The girl is impressed by J.R's knowledge of classic movies and the pair quickly become lovers in a problematic relationship that is, sadly, doomed nearly from the start. This is the only B&W film in this box set. Contrast levels appear a bit weak with whites slightly on the gray side. Image detail is also unstable, some scenes appearing quite detailed and others just so-so to extremely blurry. These shortcomings appear to be inherent in the original film negative and are not a flaw of DVD mastering. Film grain is present but hey, it's a Scorsese film: he generally likes a gritty image and this film is certainly a fine example of that.
"Mean Streets" is the first teaming of Scorsese and DeNiro on film. Harvey Keitel is Charlie, a thug who collects debts and runs a numbers game. One of his friends, Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) owes money to Michael Longo (Richard Romanus). But Johnny is a loose canon and, as the plot progresses, we learn just how unstable a person he can be. Tensions mount after Charlie becomes enamored with an epileptic, Teresa (Amy Robinson). By no means a watershed production, in hindsight "Mean Streets" heralds the coming of "Goodfellas." This is a very dark film - literally. But Warner's DVD mastering is bang on with colors that are vibrant. Flesh tones are very accurately rendered. Black and contrast levels reveal a significant amount of fine detail. Overall the image is very sharp. There is a slight amount of film grain and some light shimmering present. No edge enhancement though, for an image that is basically smooth.
Next up is Scorsese's first important masterwork, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." Departing from his formulaic atmosphere of dark brooding unscrupulous characters, "Alice..." tells the story of Alice Hyatt (Ellen Burstyn) an abused housewife on the verge of a nervous breakdown when her husband, Donald (Billy Green Bush) is suddenly killed in a truck accident. Determined to exploit the tragedy as her new lease on life, Alice packs up her station wagon with son, Tommy (Alfred Lutter) in tow. Alice's dreams of becoming a singer are short lived but a second chance at romance might be in the stars when Alice lands a job as a waitress at Mel & Ruby's Café where a frequent customer, David (Kris Kristofferson) recognizes Alice's innate value as a soul mate. Burstyn's tour de force performance won her the 1974 Academy Award as Best Actress and the film spawned the long running, highly successful television series, "Alice." Warner's DVD certainly delivers with vibrant colors. Black levels are very deep and whites are always clean. Contrast and fine details are nicely realized with only a hint of film grain. During the opening shots there is some very distracting artifacting going on but this vanishes after the opening credits for a picture that will surely NOT disappoint.
"After Hours" is the out of control spiraling saga of mild mannered Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne), whose chance meeting with the seemingly harmless, Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) leads to an increasingly perilous adventure. Marcy is full of interesting stories and this is precisely why Paul is initially attracted to her. However, Marcy's behavior becomes increasingly unstable and Paul bolts. Feeling like a jerk, which of course he is, Paul decides to return for an apology but discovers Marcy dead in her bedroom. Unfortunately for Paul, he soon finds himself the focus of a troupe of vigilantes who believe he's responsible for a string of burglaries. Eventually, Paul's artist friend offers him a means of escape by turning him into a Paper Mache figure - go figure?!? Although much maligned by critics upon its initial release, "After Hours" has since developed a cult following that has spilled into the mainstream. Critics and poor box office aside, the film is a tour de force of set pieces with an eerie, unsettling quality and some very grim, black humor that is outstanding. Warner's DVD delivers a very nice looking vintage 80s image. Colors are vibrant and flesh tones are accurately rendered. Black levels are deep and white are very clean. Film grain and a hint of dirt are present but do not distract. There are no digital anomalies for a very smooth picture that will not disappoint.
Now, for the icing on the cake; "Goodfellas," #94 on AFI's list of 100 greatest movies of all time and widely regarded as the best mob movie ever made by critics and audiences alike. Written by Nicholas Pileggi and based on his book "Wiseguy", "Goodfellas" charts the meteoric rise and catastrophic crash and burn of tough guy, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta). Hill was a small time thug whose involvement with the mafia paved the way for the most daring narcotics ring ever established in the U.S. Hill's teaming with the very dapper, very savvy, Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and the very foul-mouthed Tommy De Vito (Joe Pesci) is at once fortuitous and frustrating as Hill watches Conway and De Vito rise to great heights within organized crime while he remains the front runner of lowly accord. The trio's mob boss, Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino) befriends Hill but the association is short lived after their latest heist goes horribly awry. Brutally violent and viscerally disarming, the first time viewing experience of "Goodfellas" is very much like riding a psychotic horse through a burning barn - particularly in the latter half when Hill's own drug addiction leads to a manic and paranoid existence. As for the quality of this newly minted DVD, there is a marginal improvement between this disc and the original flipper from Warner. Flesh tones are overall accurate but there continues to be a reddish tint in certain scenes. A murky haze continues to be present during the early scenes. Digital anomalies are completely absent for an overall smooth look that is appealing. Fine details, black levels and contrast levels are bang on. The image quality will surely NOT disappoint.
Apart from the "Goodfellas" disc, all other soundtrack elements have been preserved in mono. There's really nothing to talk about in terms of fidelity for the mono films. They are presented at an adequate listening level and with an absence of hiss or popping that is usually characteristic of films of this vintage. "Who's That Knocking At My Door" is perhaps the weakest audio of the bunch, exhibiting a muffled characteristic. However, considering the shoe string budget for the film this is to be expected. "Goodfellas" is a very finely wrought 5.1 presentation. Dialogue is perhaps a bit more front sounding than one would expect - though no less bold and ironically crystal clear. The effects and music tracks really pack a wallop.
Extras include commentary tracks for all the films. "Goodfellas" has two, plus a host of featurettes and a thorough documentary on the making of the film. For the rest, there are shorts and featurettes that are nice complimentary extras. One would have appreciated a definitive documentary on Scorsese as a film maker but perhaps this was asking too much for a box set that retails well under a hundred dollars. Overall, this is a great edition to any home theater aficionado's library and it comes highly recommended.
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Description of Martin Scorsese Collection (After Hours/Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore/Goodfellas/Mean Streets/Who's That Knocking At My Door?)
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