Alfred Hitchcock's Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache
by Alfred Hitchcock
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andre Frere, Jean Dattas, John Blythe, Paul Bonifas, Paul ClarusDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Brand: Image Entertainment
Cinematographer: Günther Krampf
Writer: Angus MacPhail
Writer: J.O.C. Orton
Writer: Jules Francois Clermont
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: AC-3, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 57 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-02-25
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Alfred Hitchcock's Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache
Movie Review: Milestone/Image's DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
It's a shame so few movie buffs know about these shorts. They're low-budget affairs and can't compare technically to Hitch's features, but they offer unique rewards for fans of the Master. "Bon Voyage" is especially interesting, with several recognizable Hitchcock touches (like the climax, which anticipates a similar scene in Topaz). Sidenote: The reason that "Bon Voyage" is better than "Aventure Malgache" is probably because it was co-written by Angus MacPhail (of Ealing Studios), who would go on to work with Hitch on The Wrong Man.
The films were restored by the British Film Institute when they were rediscovered in the early 1990s, and the restoration is pretty good considering that they were made cheaply by the British Ministry of Information and shelved for 50 years. "Aventure Malgache" has fared a little better than "Bon Voyage," with less debris and speckling. But neither has any significant damage. In short, the restoration is fine, but it's not going to wow you like the BFI's recent restoration of Michael Powell's "Edge of the World."
The DVD was a very early (1998) release from Milestone/Image. As such, the transfer is OK, but would be better if done today. The image is a little soft and a little dark. Both films appear in the correct aspect ratio, though for some reason "Aventure Malgache" seems to be slightly cropped at the top of the frame. (It's only noticeable on group close-ups.) Considering the obscurity of these films, I doubt anyone will ever release them in better condition, and the flaws aren't significant enough to deter you from buying it. There are no extras whatever (unless you count the liner notes, which do a satisfactory job of contextualizing the films), and the menu is uninspired. But the chaptering is extremely generous.
All in all, this is an expensive disc for what's on offer, so I only recommend it to people who are already fans of Hitchcock. It would've been nice if Milestone had provided more content (this title just begs for a commentary track). But the folks at Milestone and, of course, the BFI are to be praised for getting these rarities into circulation.
Summary of Alfred Hitchcock's Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache
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