Carol Reed's - The Fallen Idol

(aka "The Lost Illusion" )

directed by Carol Reed
United Kingdom 1948

Based loosely on the Graham Greene story, The Basement Room, ”The Fallen Idol” was the first collaboration between director Carol Reed and author Graham Green, one of the most creative collaborations in cinema history, who later would go on to make the two classics ”The Third Man” and ”Our Man in Havana” together. Reed had just made “Odd Man Out”, his first film as director and producer, and noting the kind of creative freedom, which would blossom working with Green.

Told entirely from the perspective of a child, “The Fallen Idol” is part Green thriller part murder mystery, where Phillip in his attempt to help his friend, the butler Baines, who had an affair, comes to implicated him in a murder.

Reed was nominated for a Best Directors Oscar and Greene for Best Screenplay, which both went to Joseph L. Mankiewicz for “A Letter to Three Wives”.

Continuing his coming of age theme from “Odd Man Out”, where Reed suggests, that man only can achieve self-control and maturity thru overcoming life’s challenges, and dealing with motifs their later stories also would touch upon, as believed perception versus actual perception, the voyeur element of spying and most importantly the hypocrisy of our leaders / idols / society, “The Fallen Idol” is, while small and simple, as potent a masterpiece as their later films. One of the great films of British Cinema.

Henrik Sylow

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 30, 1948

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DVD Comparison:

Optimum - Region 2 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	Optimum Region 2 - PAL	Criterion Collection - Spine # 357 Region 1 - NTSC
(click titles for DVDBeaver reviews) Criterion (without the extras) also available in The Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films - a 50-disc celebration of international films collected under the auspices of the groundbreaking theatrical distributor. It contains Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes And Diamonds (1958), L'avventura (1960), Ballad Of A Soldier (1959), Beauty And The Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires On The Plain (1959), Fists In The Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan The Terrible, Part II (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules And Jim (1962), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), Knife In The Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves Of A Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules Of The Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages Of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957), Three Documentaries By Saul J. Turell plus the hardcover, full color 240-page book.
Runtime	1:31:35 (4% PAL speedup)	1:35:39
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.56 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.25 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Optimum
Bitrate: Criterion
Audio	2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono	2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono
Subtitles	No subtitles	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Optimum Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: DVD Release Date: November 7, 2005 Keep Case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • A Sense of Carol Reed, a 2006 documentary featuring interviews with director Carol Reed's friends and collaborators Illustrated Reed filmography • Original press book • Liner notes booklet featuring new essays by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien, author David Lodge, and Reed biographer Nicholas Wapshott DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 14

Comments

The Criterion DVD is pictureboxed (see our description of 'pictureboxing' in our Kind Hearts and Coronets review), so it immediately gives up even more resolution to the PAL DVD (than simply the standard difference). Still though, the Criterion transfer is superior - sharper, brighter and cleaner. There is some minor contrast flickering. I don't see any extravagant differences in the framing. Criterion have worked their own, usual digital restoration magic to create a fabulous presentation.

A Sense of Carol Reed is a 24 minute featurette with many friends and colleagues discussing the great, and often under-recognized, director. I believe this is a new documentary and although just an overview, gives an interesting and entertaining appreciation of Reed's accomplishments. There is also some press material and posters of many of Reed's films. The enclosed 30-page liner notes booklet is beautifully done with photos and essays by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien, author David Lodge, and Reed biographer Nicholas Wapshott.

As one might have anticipated - Criterion have created the definitive digital version of this fine film and a perfect keepsake to add to your DVD library. Recommended!

****

About the Optimum: Almost a DVD2½, as the film only takes up 3.1GB. But for such a small DVD5 film, the image is beautiful.

Blacks are very deep and solid, and shadows stand out beautifully. There are minor artefacts, but almost not visible. The only real issue is the sharpness. Especially in objects away, the sharpness is lacking. Close up, it is good, if not great, but move to a medium shot, and small details are gone. But this is common for older films, so one should not blame Optimum too much for it. For a DVD5, this is an at times beautiful image.

Sound is restored original mono. Completely free of hisses and noise, the talk is however very mono-ish.

- Henrik Sylow

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