Silent Era : Home Video : Hungarian Rhapsody (1928) Review

Silent Era Home Page > Home Video > Hungarian Rhapsody

Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2013 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.

Hungarian Rhapsody
(1928)

This late silent era German romance, produced by UFA and directed by Hanns Schwarz, stars Willy Fritsch, Dita Parlo and Lil Dagover.

2010 Grapevine Video DVD edition

Hungarian Rhapsody (1928), black & white, 70 minutes, not rated,
with Pedigreedy (1927), black & white, 7 minutes, not rated.

Grapevine Video, no catalog number, UPC 8-42614-10410-7.
Full-frame 4:3 NTSC, one single-sided, single-layered DVD-R disc, Region 0, ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 12 chapter stops, standard DVD keepcase, $14.95.
DVD release date: 30 September 2010.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 5 / audio: 5 / additional content: 4 / overall: 5.

This edition has been mastered from a good to sometimes very-good 16mm reduction print of the original 1929 American release version from Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation. The source print is dark overall with plugged-up shadows and heavy middle graytones that makes some picture details hard to discern. The print is also somewhat speckled, jittery, and marked and damaged in a few spots.

The film is accompanied by a compilation of preexisting monaural recordings instead of its original American synchronized music and sound effects soundtrack.

Visually OK at times, at others this edition is a little frustrating. This is the only known home video edition of the film available.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from GRAPEVINE VIDEO.

Other GERMAN FILMS of the silent era available on home video.

Silent Era Home Page > Home Video > Hungarian Rhapsody || Top of Page