Review of Garden Of Allah, The

Introduction

A typically over directed, overproduced 1930s melodrama that seems to pull itself above all the kitsch with some marvellous cinematography and a half decent story. Director David O. Selznick on occasions shines and also flickers a little with what is believed to be one of his better films.

Video

this full frame picture is canvass like. Colours are striking and give a real feeling of depth. There is a small amount of barely noticeable macro blocking on large areas of solid colour but the deep blacks and vivid whites hold this old picture higher than some of today`s more recent DVD transfers. This was originally a very early 3-strip Technicolor movie and to find a print that has remained so vivid is quite remarkable.

Audio

This 2.0 mono soundtrack suffers from the usual old school fidelity problems. Sound does distort at times but this is just how it would have sounded back in 1936. Even Lucassound couldn`t make a silk purse from this sows ear of an audio track.

Features

Cast biographies and a stills gallery is all you get.

Conclusion

Quite entertaining on the movie front, but not one for today`s modern DVD viewer. These are mid afternoon movies that will eventually die out as they are replace by reruns of Jurassic Park. It`s a superbly crafted film that offers a glimpse into an era of film making gone by, now immortalised forever, in my collection, on that shiny disc they call DVD.