Review of Marilyn Monroe: The Diamond Collection

Introduction

`m not a big fan of Marilyn Monroe, so thankfully my portion of the 10 disc Diamond Collection was only one disc "The River of No Return", from 1954.

The movie stars Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum and tells the story of a farmer (Mitchum), released from prison who meets up with his young son and a saloon singer (Monroe).

Video

The video is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and considering the 48 year vintage of the movie, is not too shabby. For the most part, the image is stable and colourful, with a little grain and the very occasional speck of dirt. Some static long shots are however not so impressive, with limited contrast and a washed out grainy look.

The unspoiled scenery is well filmed and interiors look authentic but there is some very obvious rear projection over matte paintings.

Audio

The soundtrack comes in Dolby Digital 3.1, utilising the front centre channel, front stereo pair and subwoofer, with nothing from the rear.

The sound is quite crisp, with the dialogue and sound effects clear, and the music and songs well presented. The use of all three front channels gives the soundtrack more life than the usual mono only reproduction offered on old films.

Features

The extras consist of the original trailer and a very short restoration comparison showing the vast improvement made in the print used for the movie - the originals look very washed out and grainy with a lot of dirt on the print; however the new image is crisper and has plenty of contrast.

The extras are easily accessible from the static menu.

Conclusion

The movie was exactly as I expected - not very exciting, with the spectacular scenery let down by a very dull plot and characteristically wooden acting from Mitchum. Munroe was better, but her talents were wasted on a mediocre plot.

The video and sound are respectably good given the age of the movie, but the extras on this disc are very short and a little disappointing.

Overall, this hasn`t made me want to rush out and buy the boxset, but fans of Monroe or this movie won`t be disappointed by the efforts made with the presentation.