ANCHOR BAY
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MOVIE INFO
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Director:
Woody Allen
Cast:
Woody Allen, Janet Margolin, Marcel Hillaire, Jacquelyn Hyde, Lonny Chapman, Jackson Beck
Screenplay:
Woody Allen, Mickey Rose
Tagline:
He robbed 16 banks. He got caught 16 times. His record is perfect.
MPAA:
Rated R.
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DVD DETAILS
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Presentation:
Widescreen 1.66/16x9
Audio:
English Digital Mono
Subtitles:
None
Runtime: 85 min.
Price: $24.98
Release Date: 6/15/1999
Bonus:
• None
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EQUIPMENT
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Sony 36" WEGA KV-36FS12 Monitor; Sony DA333ES Processor/Receiver; Panasonic CV-50 DVD Player using component outputs; Michael Green Revolution Cinema 6i Speakers (all five); Sony SA-WM40 Subwoofer.
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RELATED REVIEWS
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Take the Money and Run (1969)
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Reviewed by Colin Jacobson
MGM's recent boxed set of Woody Allen films nicely summed up most of his
early directorial work, as it encompassed films released from 1971 to 1980.
However, the package didn't completely cover his "formative" years as a few
of the pictures he directed weren't offered. Allen's first film at the
helm, 1966's What's Up, Tiger Lily? is nowhere to be found on DVD,
but his second, 1969's Take the Money and Run is out from Anchor Bay.
Since I'd seen so much of his other material, I decided to complete my run
and check out this oldie as well.
Take the Money and Run fits in very neatly with Allen's other work of
the era. For those accustomed to his later, more introspective films such
as 1977's Annie Hall or 1979's Manhattan, prepare yourself for a mild shock. TTMAR, as with
other early-Seventies pieces such as 1971's Bananas and 1973's Sleeper, goes for much more of a slapstick vibe and offers quite
broad humor.
As with those movies, I thought TTMAR was a very hit or miss affair.
The film presents a faux documentary about Virgil Starkwell (Allen), a
not-too-competent crook. It uses interviews and other techniques to tell
the tale of his life of crime. Of course, it doesn't stick purely to the
documentary format, since many scenes shows actions that couldn't have been
recorded on film, but it uses the style to its comedic advantage.
Because of the format, TTMAR doesn't have a real plot, but none of
his other films of the era did either. At the time, Allen's pictures were
essentially cobbled-together sketches; a vaguely unifying thread attached
them but no true storyline existed. Nonetheless, TTMAR holds
together reasonably well and provides an intermittently entertaining
experience.
When Allen strikes his target, the results could be quite amusing; the
extended discussion of his handwriting on a stick-up note provides some
surreal entertainment, and plenty of other minor bits work nicely as well.
The worst part about Allen's "sketch" comedies is that they can become
tedious quickly. The lack of a storyline can make the movies progress at a
slow pace, or at least one that feels that way; without a coherent idea of
where the film is going, the tale can seem tedious.
TTMAR suffers slightly from Allen's choice of leading lady. As
Virgil's wife Louise, Janet Margolin looks lovely but provides little comic
spark. She seems drab and lifeless in the role and does nothing with it.
Since the film contains no major roles other than Virgil and Louise, this
creates a small void at the top.
Nonetheless, I think Take the Money and Run works better than some of
his other films of the era. I definitely prefer it to Sleeper and
1972's Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex,
and it's a little better than Bananas, but I don't think it compares
to more intelligent material like Annie Hall or 1975's Love and Death. TTMAR isn't a great piece of work, but it's a
generally fun comedy that largely achieves its goals.
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The DVD Grades: Picture C+ / Audio C / Bonus F
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Take the Money and Run appears in both its original theatrical aspect
ratio of approximately 1.66:1 and in a fullscreen edition on this
double-sided, single-layered DVD; the letterboxed image has been enhanced
for 16X9 televisions. Only the widescreen side was rated for this review.
Overall, the DVD offers a flawed but fairly satisfactory picture.
Sharpness provides the image's high points, as it always appears nicely
crisp and well-defined with virtually no examples of softness. Moiré
effects and jagged edges caused no problems. Print defects generally seemed
minor but could be more serious at times. Some light grain appears
throughout the film, and periodic speckles and scratches were discerned.
More significant are the tears and hairs; these occur only a few times but
they're quite nasty when they happen.
Colors are somewhat muted but they largely look accurate and solid, without
and real concerns; no signs of bleeding or noise appear, and I found the
hues to seem pleasing. Black levels are fairly deep and dark, and shadow
detail was appropriately heavy without seeming excessively thick. For a
more than 30-year-old movie, the DVD presents a decent image but it's no
better than that.
The same can be said for the monaural soundtrack of TTMAR. Dialogue
fares somewhat poorly, as much of the speech appears edgy and tinny.
However, it always seems easily intelligible, so although it wasn't very
natural, it worked effectively. Effects vary but usually are thin and flat
with slight distortion at times. Music also seemed excessively bright but
it was decently well-reproduced and smooth, and it also featured a little
bit of adequate bass. The soundtrack certainly is nothing special, but it's
usually acceptable for a film of this scope and vintage.
Less satisfying are the DVD's supplements. There's absolutely nothing here.
Go to the "Main Menu" and you'll find two choices: "Play Movie" and "Chapter
Selections". Geez, at least the MGM DVDs included trailers, but this one's
as basic as it gets.
Despite that weakness, Take the Money and Run is a mildly satisfying
production. The film offers a moderately entertaining look at early Woody
Allen; it's not a great piece of work but it can be somewhat amusing. The
DVD provides fairly average picture and sound with absolutely no extras.
The disc may be worthwhile for Allen fans.
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Viewer Film Ratings: 4.7142 Stars | Number of Votes: 14 |
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