WARNER'S LEGENDS COLLECTION: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, YANKEE DOODLE DANDYand THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE

Three newly released Warner Bros. classics grandly recapture the studio’s golden age of filmmaking as well as film going.

These stylishly packed two-disc sets feature The Adventures of Robin Hood, Yankee Doodle Dandyand The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

All three are filled with enough extras and options to satisfy even the most finicky of film buffs.

For example, on each set you can watch the movie individually or as part of a package entitled “Warner’s Night at the Movies,” in which you get an introduction by film historian Leonard Maltin, a coming attraction, a newsreel and a cartoon before the main feature.

So, let’s look at each offering individually:

The Adventures of Robin Hood.The Technicolor transfer of this 1938 swashbuckling classic is breathtaking. It looks as if the first print of the film was struck 24 hours ago.

The bonus material is as good as the film, including two superb documentaries: “Welcome to Sherwood: The Story of the Adventures of Robin Hood,” which details the history and making of the film; and “Glorious Technicolor,” a documentary looking at the history and evolution of this most vivid of color filmmaking processes.

Other features include an Errol Flynn trailer gallery; a music-only audio track, highlighting the legendary score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold; a look at Robin Hood through the ages; behind-the-scenes home movies; a 1938 radio show narrated by the film’s co-star, Basil Rathbone, which also features Korngold conducting the film’s score; and two cartoons, “Rabbit Hood” with Bugs Bunny (as well as a cameo appearance by Flynn), and “Robin Hood Daffy.”

One of the most interesting features for buffs is the commentary track by film historian Rudy Behlmer, author of Inside Warner Bros., who had access to the studio’s archives.

Yankee Doodle Dandy.James Cagney won an Academy Award for his portrayal of George M. Cohan in this rousing patriotic biography.

Beside another insightful commentary by Behlmer, the extras include a documentary on the making of the film, “Let Freedom Sing: The Story of Yankee Doodle Dandy,” a Turner Classic Movies look at the life of the film’s star entitled, “James Cagney: Top of the World,” narrated by Michael J. Fox; a Cagney trailer gallery; two cartoons, “Yankee Doodle Bugs” and “Yankee Doodle Daffy”; “You, John Jones,” a wartime propaganda short starring Cagney; outtake and rehearsal recordings; and a 1942 radio dramatization of the film.

The transfer of the film itself is pristine and the sound quality is first-rate.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.The role of Fred C. Dobbs was considered one of Humphrey Bogart’s best. The black-and-white transfer of this classic about gold and the manner in which it corrupts men's souls is nothing short of superb.

Among the bonus offerings is a Bogart trailer gallery; a documentary, “Discovering Treasure: The Story of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” which gives a history and evolution of the making of the film; a documentary on the life and career of the film’s director, John Huston; another classic Bugs Bunny cartoon, “8 Ball Bugs,” featuring a cameo by Bogart; a 1949 radio dramatization of the film; as well as an insightful commentary track by Eric Lax, who has written biographies about Bogart as well as Woody Allen.

The films can be purchased separately or as a set. If you choose the latter, you receive a bonus disc, “Here's Looking at You, Warner Bros.,” a very informative history of the studio and a look at some of the great movies and stars associated with that film factory.

Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courierin Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on movies.
Bloom's reviews also appear on the Web at the Rottentomatoes Web site, www.rottentomatoes.com and at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom