Eastmancolor prints of the same decade rather than the rich color saturation of Tech­ nicolor. The print shows signs of wear, exhibiting persistent speckling throughout. The soundtrack is acceptable, with little background noise but also little depth. The video is not closed captioned. —Rebecca & Sam Umland


KIMBA THE WHITE LION VOLUME 4: PRETENDER TO THE THRONE


1966, The Right Stuf International #RS7004, HF, $14.95, 96m Is, VHS


Fret not, fair damsel! You are under the protection of dashing fop David Niven in Powell & Pressburger’s THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL!


Blakeney thus becomes en­ snared in a dangerous intrigue involving his wife and Chauvelin, and must escape from France while also preserving the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Jointly produced by Alex­


ander Korda and Samuel Gold- wyn (the latter had Niven under contract at the time), THE ELU­ SIVE PIMPERNEL is a Techni­ color remake of Korda’s earlier B&W THE SCARLET PIMPER­ NEL (1935) that had starred Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon. Shot as a period (costume) drama, it was originally planned as a musical remake of the ear­ lier film, and certain sequences betray signs of the musical num­ bers having been cut (Goldwyn subsequently sued the filmmak­ ers over the final result, but the suit was eventually dropped). The performances are uniformly fine, if at times a bit florid, but such floridity is a characteristic fea­ ture of Powell & Pressberger’s films—witness their subsequent film, THE TALES OF HOFFMAN (1951, reviewed VW 72:23). Yet, for all its sumptuous decor and


polish, and the participation of their frequent collaborators, such as production designer Hein Heckroth, editor Reginald Mills, cinematographer Christopher Challis, and composer Brian Easdale, THE ELUSIVE PIMPER­ NEL is not one of Powell & Pressberger’s stronger films. It may be that the film’s plot was prompted by the lingering out­ rage against the political tyranny and war crimes of World War II: the senseless executions and unscrupulous, selfish manipula­ tions of the populace by a few corrupt leaders suggests this. Perhaps this explains why the film seems somewhat dated. Still, it has its humorous moments as a swashbuckler, with last-minute twists and turns, though it lacks the depth and seriousness of ideas of their best work. Home Vision’s video presen­


tation is also disappointing, due in part to the elements used in the transfer. While the presenta­ tion itself is a bit too dark, the colors are drab and faded, show­ ing at times a slightly reddish or pinkish color characteristic of


KIMBA THE WHITE LION VOLUME 5: TRAPPED!


1966, The Right Stuf International #RS7005, HF, $14.95, 93m 36s, VHS


Well before the end of The


Right Stuf International’s third four-episode volume of Osamu Tezuka’s children’s anime series, the random scrambling of epi­ sode sequence (imposed on the show when it was syndicated to American television) had taken its toll in the form of some sig­ nificant confusion with regards to its characters and storyline. Volumes 4 and 5 help to bring the young jungle king’s saga into perspective with some crucially delayed introductions and the apparent establishment of certain major themes. Volume 4 opens with “Gypsy’s


Purple Potion.” Episode 13 cer­ tainly proves unlucky for Kimba, who has mobilized his subjects in order to create a “Tower of Honor” for his late father (whose pelt is still the cub’s most trea­ sured possession). Kimba’s an­ gry rival Claw now has some new allies: a Laurel & Hardy team of klutzy jackals known as Tom & Tab; and a far more sinister black panther known as Cassius. It is


15

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