Peter Pan (1924) - Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Herbert Brenon
USA 1924

Ingeniously capturing the mysteries and wonder of childhood, J.M. Barrie’s timeless play became one of the most popular films of the 1920s. Betty Bronson stars as Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, who charms Wendy (Mary Brian) and her brothers (Philippe De Lacy, Jack Murphy) to fly with him to Never Never land. On this island of dreams and magic, they rescue the Lost Boys from Captain Hook (Ernest Torrence) and his band of pirates, encountering along the way the delightful fairy Tinker Bell (Virginia Browne Faire), a man-eating crocodile, and a band of natives (led by Anna May Wong).

***

When Paramount bought the rights to the delightful James M. Barrie story, every actress in Hollywood wanted the role of Peter Pan, made famous on the stage by Maude Adams. Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, and even Gloria Swanson thought they were perfect for the role, but Barrie's own choice was Betty Bronson, a virtual unknown. The story is familiar to nearly everyone. When Mr. and Mrs. Darling (Cyril Chadwick and Esther Ralston) go to a party, they leave their children -- Wendy (Mary Brian), Michael (Philippe de Lacey), and John (Jack Murphy) -- in the care of their dog, Nana. But Peter (Bronson) shows up with the fairy, Tinker Bell (Virginia Brown Faire), and they take the children to Never Never Land. They have a series of adventures with the Lost Boys and defeat Captain Hook (Ernest Torrence) and his band of pirates. Finally, the children return home to Mrs. Darling, who is overjoyed to have them back. She adopts the Lost Boys and offers to take Peter in too, but he refuses to grow up and flies away after promising to visit Wendy every year. An interesting side note -- although she had no involvement in casting Brian as Wendy, Ralston had discovered her a couple of years earlier while judging a beauty contest.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: December 29th 1924

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:41:14.151
Video	1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,072,487,757 bytes Feature: 19,463,151,168 bytes Video Bitrate: 22.29 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English intertitles
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,072,487,757 bytes Feature: 19,463,151,168 bytes Video Bitrate: 22.29 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Commentary by film historian Kat Ellinger, • Essay by film historian, Frederick C. Szebin, • Audio interviews with actress Esther Ralston (1:14, 31:00) Blu-ray Release Date: July 9th, 2019 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 8

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (July 2019): Kino have transferred the wonderful 1924 film adaptation of Peter Pan to Blu-ray. Firstly, it's an amazingly inventive film and the 1080P image quality is strong considering the age of the film. It is from a "New 2K restoration from 35mm film elements". There are predictable scratches and only one instance of more significant damage (see last capture.) There are a very few tinted scenes and the sepia suits the presentation. Contrast has the usual flickers but is acceptable. The image looked very pleasing on my system.

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a linear PCM 2.0 channel mono track (16-bit) which represents the orchestral score by Philip C. Carli. It is clear and supportive. Kino include the English intertitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

Extras include a commentary by film historian Kat Ellinger who really hones in on the life of J.M. Barrie and provides interesting details, also mentioning Anna May Wong as Tiger Lily and other information about the production, casting, the Pre-Code era etc.. She's always great and it's worth the indulgence. There are also two audio interviews with actress Esther Ralston (who played Mrs. Darling), one only just over a minute and the other about 1/2 hour. The package contains a 16-page liner notes booklet with photos and an essay, Peter Pan Escapes Neverland, by film historian, Frederick C. Szebin.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Silent Era version of Peter Pan. It's faithful to the play, inventive and very engaging - I couldn't stop watching! It's such a marvelous time for cinephiles to be able to see a film like this, approaching it's 100th birthday, on the impressive representation of Blu-ray. Kat's commentaries are always informative and this gets a high recommendation for everyone, but a must-own for Silent Era fans. You will love it.