Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume 7

All four are fantastic. My favorite is “Skyscraper Souls”. Both the sets and the characters are incredibly fascinating. No blood, no F-words etc — yet nobody in our day, the 21st century, would dare to make a movie like this. It may be the most intensely cynical movie I’ve seen. The audience is shamelessly manipulated to root for one of the worst (non-violent) rats ever portrayed. When the credits roll at the end I sat wondering “what the heck just happened?” **Trigger warning: if you consider yourself woke, it may be best to skip this one.I expected “Hatchet Man” to be embarrassing like Charlie Chan flics. Not so - very little stereotyping and I was advised (by someone who knows) the depiction of San Francisco’s China was no more or less accurate than a Hollywood depiction of LA or Manhattan from that era. Although it is unlikely I would like to see the film remade with all Asian actors. There fascinating themes and parallels that suggest the Western and Samurai genres - except the one it makes me think of came a decade or so after this movie was made. Keep in mind that Robinson and Loretta Young were top stars and the director was the legendary William “Wild Bill” Wellman.

These pre-code movies are always fascinating to me and very enjoyable. They tell good stories and move fast. In addition, they show the big cars we drove, the clothes, hairstyles, and the music we danced to; in some scenes, the appliances we used and prices we paid for items. I love the late 1920s an early 1930s because my parents were young and in love then. They told me so much about the beautiful music they sang and danced to in that era. I have many movies on dvds from that period and never tire of most of them. The very young Loretta Young, who stars in two of these films, remind me so much of the way my mother looked when I was growing up. Others have remarked how much her old photos resemble Loretta Young in the early 1930s. Of course, there was only one year's difference in their ages. Naturally I want to see as many of her films from the pre-code era I can and I do own many of them. My favorite in this series #7 is Employee's Entrance. The Hatchet Man is interesting in story but also to see the main characters made up to look Asian. If you like EARLY jazz, there's a wonderful segment with orchestra playing "It's Love" with Loretta and her lover dancing. She calls it "keen." Sounds similar to great Isham Jones Orchestra's recording of "It's Love" from 1931. Ex-Lady with a very young, blonde and pretty Bette Davis. Equally fascinating to me is seeing these actresses long dead now when they were young, vibrant and beautiful. That's when women really knew how to style hair and dress, in my opinion. Skyscraper Souls is my least favorite, but still watchable. Wish they would continue making these pre-code films available from other studios -- Paramount, Universal. Tommy

I originally rented the VHS of Employees Entrance from my local library. I was fascinated at Warren William's Mr. Anderson, the only honest character in the movie. I know, I know a real scoundrel! But he had vision and put the Privileged company heads in their place and made sure the company was successful on an employee level. As for the Forbidden Hollywood moniker, I had first heard about this collection on Laser Disc Database. I got the laserdisc and it was fair to VHS quality but had other movies I never heard of; Three On A Match, Blessed Event, Ladies They Talk About and got totally hook. Thanks to Warner, and other Studios, I have a chance to see classics that may have fallen through the cracks.This collection - Any review you have read is true. The picture and grain are fantastic so you know you're watching a movie shot on film. Too often a restoration removes any evidence of age and the image seems slick and flat but, not here. This has a feeling of being in a theatre and getting the movie experience we may have lost.Price and packaging. A little high but, then again, Warner's is catering to a niche audience so the cost is in line with limited sales. This is in a standard Amaray style but has the discs on folding hub rather than on the case itself.As to the DVD-R status. These are definitely pressed, not burned. They don't have the purple hue and have the bar code in the inner hub. I've included a picture with my disc of another Warner release "The Boy Friend". The difference is plain to see. Maybe these type of movies are gaining momentum and will have a much wider audience going forward.In conclusion I high recommend this and the other sets for fans and those who want to see a slice of movie history we may have forgotten.

got exactly what I wanted! great service!

As for volume 8 this one also delivers with great stars and good stories. It's a shame to single one or two out, but having seen "Employees Entrance" you realise how bold the cinema was in the early 1930's. These films were all made before the enforcement of the Production Code in 1934 and you can see why "Ex-Lady" was actually used as one of the examples of indecency by the Hayes committee. They might seem tame by todays standards but that does not make any the less enjoyable. Don't miss out.

Great