Under the Red Robe

Great movie, terrible DVD
Do not buy this DVD, video quality and sound make it almost unwatchable. Having said that, the story is a hidden gem. Witty dialogue, superb acting by Conradt Veidt and Annabella. I will try to see if the other version by Reel screen videos is any better,

Fine Film, So-So DVD
I've purchased two DVD editions of "Under the Red Robe" from Amazon: This Alpha Video version, and the Synergy Entertainment one. Both leave something to be desired.

The film transfer on the two DVDs is equally dark, and far softer than even a 1937 film should be. The soundtrack for both is scratchy and noisy, making the dialogue often difficult, though not impossible, to hear.

Oddly, the Alpha Video version replaces the soundtrack for the opening titles with a rather cheesy score. The proper soundtrack commences after the titles. The Synergy Archive Series edition has the full soundtrack, but their DVD lacks any chapter indexes, or even a menu!

I actually got better video quality, and no-worse audio, by purchasing a $5 used 1987 VHS copy by United American Video Corp (through Amazon) and transferring it to DVD.

All that said, this is a wonderful film and is well-worth viewing, even with only these unfortunate choices to choose among...

Under the Red Robe (Reel Classic Films)
I am actually loath to give This DVD even ONE STAR but one is compelled to do so. This arrived on Saturday 14 November so my sister and I thought we were in for a treat over the weekend to view a film we had not seen for many years and we both are Conrad Veidt Fans. What we saw was a travesty, the orignal film was in Full frame but this had been adjusted to widescreen so the actors were looking somewhat squat; added to which the sound was appalling - there was so much background noise you could barely hear the dialogue. After 45 minutes of this torture we turned it off. This is one destined for the garbage can. I also noted the plastic case was flimsy and cracked so it didn't close properly. All in all a pretty poor affair and this Company ought to be taken to task for foisting such rubbish on unsuspecting customers. Over the past five years my sister and I have purchased a few hundred DVDs from Amazon UK and US and have had no complaints and have been very impressed with the...

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