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The Movie:
The last of the "Rat Pack" screen vehicles, "Robin and the Seven Hoods" is a rather interesting and occasionally entertaining entry into the gangster genre. Sort of an adaptation of the "Robin Hood" tale, Frank Sinatra stars as 30's Chicago gangster Robbo, who finds himself fighting for territory with local rival Guy (Peter Falk). When Robbo gets a hold of a chunk of cash he doesn't want around, he has it given to charity. Thus begins a idea to take from the rich and give to the poor.
A fair deal of the film is lightly entertaining. The performances across the board are excellent, with Sinatra and Falk getting fine support from Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin and Barbara Rush, among others. The only strange aspect of the film is that there are a few musical numbers scattered throughout the film; they don't fit very well in the story and seem as if they could have been partially edited out to improve the occasionally slow pace of the 123 minute picture.
Still, "Robin and the Seven Hoods" does contain its share of fun moments, entertaining dialogue and sharp performances.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Robin and the 7 Hoods" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen by Warner Brothers. The widescreen cinematography is courtesy of William Daniels, who also served as the cinematographer on the Rat Pack's "Ocean's Eleven" a few years earlier. The picture is in suprisingly good shape and even more consistently good-looking than the four-years-older "Eleven". Sharpness and detail are quite good, as the picture looks consistently well-defined and crisp, with no softness.
The only considerable problem with the picture quality is edge enhancement, as it's visible on occasion. Print flaws are minor and suprisingly small, considering the film's age. Some hints of grain are visible, but the specks that I noticed were few and far between. No pixelation or other problems were noticed. Colors were suprisingly lively for a picture that's nearly 40 years of age, appearing vibrant and vivid, with no smearing or other problems. This is a perfectly pleasing transfer for a film that's fairly old at this point.
SOUND: "Robin" is presented with a mono soundtrack and, as with "Ocean's 11", the sound quality is perfectly fine, considering the age of the picture. The score remains clear, if a bit thin, and dialogue sounds clear and easily understood.
MENUS: Basic main and sub-menus with little animation or other "touches".
EXTRAS: Frank Sinatra, Jr. provides a running audio commentary for the film, offering more detail about this production than he did in the track for "Ocean's 11". Cast and crew bios, the original "making of" and the theatrical trailer round out the supplemental section.
Final Thoughts: "Robin and the Seven Hoods" is a moderately entertaining picture - it's main flaw is that, at 123 minutes, it takes longer than it needs to to tell this story. Warner Brothers offers a fine DVD for the film; audio/video quality is quite good, while the supplements are slight, but enjoyable. Recommended for fans.
Film Grade
The Film ** 1/2
DVD Grades
Video 89/B+ = (356/400 possible points)
Audio: 80/B- = (320/400 possible points)
Extras: 79/C+ = (237/300 possible points)
Menus: 70/C = (140/200 possible points)
Value: 82/B = (246/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1299/1600
DVD GRADE:B/81%
FILM GRADE: ** 1/2
DVD GRADE: B
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