Street Scene (1931) VCI Entertainment Blu-ray Review

King Wallis Vidor was an American film director that had a pretty amazing career bring some great film to the cinema. He was nominated for several Academy Awards. Some of his best films were, The Crowd, Hallelujah, The Champ, The Citadel, Northwest Passage, Comrade X, Duel in the Sun and War and Peace.

In 1931 he directed Sylvia Sidney and William Collier Jr. in the film based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play Street Scene. This pre-code classic had been stuck in public domain purgatory for years until VCI Entertainment rescued it and restored it, making it available on Blu-ray!

Synopsis: Brownstone neighbors gather on a sweltering summer evening to swap the latest gossip about the philandering Mrs. Maurrant (Estelle Taylor) and her alcoholic husband (David Landau). The Maurrants' daughter, Rose (Sylvia Sidney), who longs to escape her seedy existence, must deal with her parents' sins when her father learns of his wife's infidelity.

King Vidor masterfully adapts the Pulitzer winning stage play to the silver screen. The cramped feeling of the apartment building is claustrophobic. And the sweltering heat of the Lower East Side tenement comes through the screen. The cast is amazing but Sylvia Sidney really shines here.

Street Scene is making its Blu-Ray debut thanks to VCI Entertainment and MVD Visual. But this isn't just any Blu-ray, this features a brand new 4K restoration. The nitrate materials were photochemically restored by the Library of Congress from their Mary Pickford Collection. Than VCI took the restored product and did additional restoration work. 

The restored film has been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p the film is presented in 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The audio is a LPCM 2.0 lossless mono audio track. There is also English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Seeing this new restoration transferred to Blu-ray is amazing. The restoration results in a remarkable looking film. When you see this restoration in comparison to what you will find online, this restoration is gorgeous, better than any copy you will find anywhere. But a remarkable looking transfer is not all that is included here. Take a look at the bonus features.

* Audio Commentary by Film Historian Mick LaSalle   
* Photo Gallery
* Trailers: Rain, Tonight or Never, and Stella Maris. 
* Booklet
* Bonus DVD with the restored feature film

Pre-Code films are simply amazing, and Street Scene is simply amazing! From the acting, the cinematography, the dialogue, the story, the direction it is a remarkable piece of cinema. VCI and MVD's Blu-ray/DVD release really does this film justice. 

If you love the films of King Vidor or Pre-Code dramas you are going to love Street Scene. And if you want to see it the best quality you need to have this Blu-ray. Head over to Amazon or MVD Shop and order your copy today!


Out of 4 Film Reels (4 being the best) the Blu-ray of Street Scene receives......

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