Tess Of The Storm Country

Tess Of The Storm Country (1922)
Image Entertainment
Cast: Mary Pickford, Lloyd Hughes, Gloria Holt
Extras: Filmography
Rating:

As part of the Milestone Collection, Image Entertainment is bringing us the 1922 classic silent movie “Tess Of The Storm Country” featuring Mary Pickford. The DVD is taken from some of the best archival material available for the film, and you will indeed be surprised at the overall quality of the presentation here. Although registration problems are evident, causing the image to waver and jump, the picture itself is surprisingly clean with good contrast. However, given the technical limitations of the time, the film oftentimes looks like a lith-film print with stark contrasts that highlight blacks and whites – or their tinted counterparts – without overly natural gradients in between. Some grain is evident in the material, due to the material’s considerable age.

The disc features an orchestral 2-channel Dolby Digital soundtrack that is well composed and recorded. It is clear and clean without noise and nicely embellishes the images on screen.

Given the age and limitations, I am utterly amazed at how well some of these films are holding up today, like this one from 78 years ago – a full human lifetime that is. For every fan of classic cinema, movie history, or just for lovers of silent movies, Mary Pickford’s portrayal of Tess is a must-have.