Search - W.C. Fields Comedy Collection on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Movie Release: 2004 DVD Release: 11/09/2004 Format: DVD - Black and White Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 5 Number of Discs: 5 Run Time: 6 hrs 13 mins Studio: Universal Studios Members Wishing: 8

Apart from The Criterion Collection's release of The Bank Dick, W. C. Fields' feature films haven't had a very distinguished history on DVD, until this release. Most of his best known movies are here, including the single best movie he ever made, It's A Gift (1934). The full-screen (1.33-to-1) transfers are excellent, far better than the movies looked in any of their laserdisc editions of the 1980's, and the set is worthwhile on that basis alone. The sound is sharp, too, though the volume isn't set quite as high as it might be, but that's fixed easily enough. None of the movies comes with a commentary track, sad to say -- It's A Gift sort of begs for it -- but there is a biographical special, W.C. Fields: Behind The Laughter, from the series Biography, narrated by Peter Graves, which delves deeply into Fields' personal and prefessional life. The documentary is often sad but just as fascinating as it is often -- forgive the expression -- sobering, and well worth seeing and owning. Each disc opens automatically to a simple on-screen menu, which offers chapter access and has the "play" option in the default position. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide