The DVD version I have of 'The Farmer's Wife' is part of five disc 'The Hitchcock Collection', that range from this 1928 silent onward.
It is also the poorest DVD of the bunch, both in terms of technical quality - and I'm talking mostly of the poor transfer than the actual film-making and the story itself. The transfer quality is noticeably soft but flicker and blemishes are well controlled but the sound, unusually for a significant 'silent' is also disappointing, the classical music accompaniment still being in mono, whereas most have been re-recorded in modern stereo by now. I cannot say what standard other releases etc are.
These aspects mean that the story never really comes alive and create a barrier to full enjoyment of the film. With very few written notice boards telling us what's happening it's mostly guesswork and we just end up watching lots of people moving about quickly.
I do enjoy a good Silent film but the genre can get tedious when they're not top-notch - and this very early Hitchcock just isn't. As for the direction, it's proficient but simply workmanlike and does all it should for this type of period comedy drama, so anyone looking for clever camera-work, or even a hint at copying what the leading German directors of the time were doing, will be disappointed.
I'm also very aware that I'm only watching it because it is a Hitchcock and because I'm reviewing it, which isn't necessarily a good thing...
It is also the poorest DVD of the bunch, both in terms of technical quality - and I'm talking mostly of the poor transfer than the actual film-making and the story itself. The transfer quality is noticeably soft but flicker and blemishes are well controlled but the sound, unusually for a significant 'silent' is also disappointing, the classical music accompaniment still being in mono, whereas most have been re-recorded in modern stereo by now. I cannot say what standard other releases etc are.
These aspects mean that the story never really comes alive and create a barrier to full enjoyment of the film. With very few written notice boards telling us what's happening it's mostly guesswork and we just end up watching lots of people moving about quickly.
I do enjoy a good Silent film but the genre can get tedious when they're not top-notch - and this very early Hitchcock just isn't. As for the direction, it's proficient but simply workmanlike and does all it should for this type of period comedy drama, so anyone looking for clever camera-work, or even a hint at copying what the leading German directors of the time were doing, will be disappointed.
I'm also very aware that I'm only watching it because it is a Hitchcock and because I'm reviewing it, which isn't necessarily a good thing...