Marlene Dietrich: The Glamour Collection [2 Discs]

"Up until 2006, it seemed like Universal was ignoring its 1930s library (apart from the horror movies), and especially the pre-1948 Paramount Pictures titles that it owns. That all changed with Marlene Dietrich: The Glamour Collection and similar two-platter/four-sided collections devoted to Mae West and Carole Lombard. This volume is the jewel of the bunch, featuring three titles directed by Josef von Sternberg -- Morocco, Blonde Venus, and The Devil Is a Woman -- that would have been worthwhile by themselves at this price level. The fact that they're paired up with Ren? Clair's delightful The Flame of New Orleans is an added layer of icing on the cake, and one can forgive the presence of the one weak link in the combo, the rather silly 1947-vintage romantic thriller Golden Earrings, directed by Mitchell Leisen. The transfers are as good as anything ever seen on home video in any format on these movies, with images on the von Sternberg works that look like silver sprayed on black, and the sound has also been worked on so that it's sharp and clear, and presented at a decent volume as well. The chaptering for all five movies is generous and there are trailers included as a bonus on those for which they're available."