The Count of Monte Cristo and The Ghost Goes West

Released a few weeks ago under the radar by some company named **FireCake Entertainment**, The Robert Donat Collection features three Donat films on one disc.

The Titles are:

The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) - NEW TO DVD
The Ghost Goes West (1935) - NEW TO DVD
The 39 Steps (1935) - Previously released by Criterion

We're just getting around to posting it to the site because we wanted to take a look at it first to make sure the prints are decent and that it is indeed a Region 1 pressed DVD and not a DVD-R. Well the prints aren't anything special and certainly haven't been restored, but are about what one can expect from public domain prints. The best of the three is The Ghost Goes West and all three have a "ghosting" effect which isn't too bothersome. And if you're like most classic film buffs, having films on DVD in any shape is usually better than not having them at all. It is an NTSC Region 0 pressed DVD which means it will play in any DVD player.

I must say however, when I played it in my region free player, the image tended to skip a few frames every 15 to 20 seconds, but when I put it in a region 1 player it played fine. The bonus features listed are 2 PDF books (The Count of Monte Cristo & The 39 Steps), 3 MP3 radio plays and a Robert Donat Bio. However, the only thing I could find on either side of the DVD was the pitiful bio.

Overall, certainly a must-see for Robert Donat and/or Jean Parker fans, fans of mid-30's cinema and completionists. More details below.



The Ghost Goes West (1935, 85 min)
When an American family purchase an old Scottish castle from its struggling owner they get more than they bargained for when, shipping it stone-by-stone to Florida, they discover an unexpected resident... An eighteenth century ghost intent on avenging a family insult from a rival clan in Rene Clair's charming whimsical comedy.

The 39 Steps (1935, 86 min)
Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) meets a mysterious woman who confesses herself as a British spy escaping foreign agents. When she turns up dead at his apartment, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and the most wanted man in the country. On the run, he must not only prove his innocence but break the spy ring in a race against time in Alfred Hitchcock's fast paced romantic thriller.

The Count of Monte Cristo (1934, 113 min)
Restored to it's original length, for the first time on DVD, comes the legendary 1934 version of Alexandre Dumas' immortal novel... Snatched from his betrothed, convicted without trial and condemned to a living death... the soul of the simple sea captain died. In its place emerged a flaming figure of vengeance... The Count of Monte Cristo!

BONUS FEATURE:
  • Brief Robert Donat Bio

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