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The Movie:
Generally regarded as a failure during a limited theatrical release with a small three million gross, "Princess Caraboo" brings together a really wonderful cast for a really unfunny, uninteresting screenplay. Phoebe Cates stars as a young woman who comes out of nowhere, thought to have washed up in a storm. A wealthy couple (Jim Broadbent, Wendy Hughes) takes her in, while the rest of the locals, including a newspaper reporter(Stephen Rea), try to figure out if she's real or if she's a big fake.
The only problem is that we really aren't given a reason to care. Whenever the princess speaks, she talks in a toungue that is thought to be some sort of foreign language, and she is instantly thought to be of high society from some other country. The film's comedy is awkward; bits obviously meant for comedy come across as flat and uninspired.
The film simply seems to be a chance to let a large, well-regarded cast do their own thing in the middle of several impressive and costly looking sets. They all seem to be doing their own thing - Jim Broadbent does a fine job, as does John Lithgow. Kevin Kline, who is usually one of my favorite actors, tends to go over-the-top in the role. And, as Princess Caraboo, Cates looks good but hardly does much else. Beautifully filmed by cinematographer Freddy Francis on some marvelous locations, the film is beautiful, but in my opinion, it remains rather dull.
The DVD
VIDEO: From a studio who has made its reputation on providing strong image quality for films both large and small (and both excellent and crappy), it comes as a dissapointment that Tristar has provided only a full-frame version of "Princess Caraboo", and a not particularly well-defined one, at that. Sharpness is not particularly good, as images seem soft and occasionally murky during some of the low-light scenes.
A thin layer of grain appears in more than a few scenes, and not a few scenes go by without a few other problems appearing, such as edge enhancement, slight traces of pixelation as well as print flaws such as some slight marks and scratches.
Colors seemed fine - some of the outdoor scenes provided lovely colors, which looked respectably rendered on this transfer. Overall though, although I didn't like this movie, I still found it dissapointing that an anamorphic widescreen edition was not included.
SOUND: "Princess Caraboo" is presented in Dolby 2.0, and although a lack of much activity is a given, the sound quality is less than expected. The musical score seems rather thin and weak sounding, even though it attempts to be bright and bold in tone. Dialogue sounds fair, but not smooth and clear.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus with film-themed images.
EXTRAS:: Talent files & trailers for "Princess Caraboo", "Sense and Sensibility", "Fly Away Home" and "Running Free".
Final Thoughts: Although I personally don't care much for "Princess Caraboo", there are a great deal of people who seem to enjoy this film - it's unfortunate that Tristar has done a less-than-impressive job in bringing it to DVD.
Film Grade
The Film * 1/2
DVD Grades
Video 70/C- = (280/400 possible points)
Audio: 79/C+ = (316/400 possible points)
Extras: 71/C- = (213/300 possible points)
Menus: 70/C- = (140/200 possible points)
Value: 79/C+ = (237/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1186/1600
DVD GRADE:C/74%
FILM GRADE: * 1/2
DVD GRADE: C
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