Review of Inn Of The Sixth Happiness / Anastasia

Introduction

The Inn of Sixth Happiness
This 1958 movie stars Ingrid Bergman, Curd Jurgens, Robert Donat, Michael David, Athene Seyler, Ronald Squire and tells the story of an English missionary on China who gets caught up in a Japanese invasion.

Anastasia
This 1956 movie stars Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, Helen Hayes, Akim Tamiroff, Martita Hunt, Felix Aylmer and Sacha Pitoëff and tells the famous story of two Russians who groom a destitute girl to pose as the heir to the Russian throne.

Video

The Inn of Sixth Happiness
The Inn of Sixth Happiness is presented in colour 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and has reasonable picture quality for a 45 year old movie, the colours aren`t too badly washed out and the image is relatively stable. There is not much sign of grain or dirt, which is commendable for such and old film.

Anastasia
Anastasia is presented in colour 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and given the 48 year vintage of the film has a remarkably sharp picture with excellent contrast and strong colours. There is some dirt on the print, but limited grain and the restorers have done an excellent job and should be commended. The film is very well made, and still looks very credible today.

Audio

Both movies are presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, which is effectively a mono track replayed through two channels. As you might expect from movies approaching fifty years old, the soundtrack isn`t going to set the world alight, however, the sound is well reproduced and the dialogue is relatively clear and understandable throughout. Similarly, the soundtrack and effects are replayed competently, and don`t detract from the movies in any way.

Features

The only extra feature on each disc is the trailer, accessible from static and rather unexciting menus.

Conclusion

Both of these movies are fondly regarded as classics, but despite strong casts and excellent filmmaking, were a little too dull to maintain my interest for long.

Both have been restored well and are competently presented in this double-pack, with good video and sound, although the inclusion of just the trailer is disappointing.

In summary, two competent but unexciting movies, well presented and fans of either will not be disappointed.