Universal just sent me most of their genre-related September titles, including the new 2-disc FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA 75th Anniversary DVDs.
I have to say that these are worth the cash if you're a big-time Universal monsters fan, though I have my reservations about the transfers. Both have been newly remastered, and "Dracula" reinstates some audio that was missing from the last release, but while they're both noticeably sharper, whatever noise reduction Universal might have employed on previous releases is seemingly gone. The result is a much dirtier looking picture that almost seems like it has a "fine filter" over it or something -- there's more noise in the picture at any given moment.
It's not the compression (both discs have high bit rates), and I'm not a technophile, so all I can tell you is, judging from my eyes, the "Legacy Collection" discs seem cleaner by comparison. The new DVDs also seem overly sharp.
That said, there are new commentaries, new 40-minute documentaries on each DVD, so for Universal addicts they're still highly recommended.
New Universal FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA DVDs
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AndyDursin
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Carlson2005
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AndyDursin
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From my review to be posted next week 
Both DVDs feature fresh supplemental material: new commentary tracks on each disc, including Sir Christopher Frayling on “Frankenstein” and writer Steve Haberman on “Dracula” (Haberman wrote the awful Mel Brooks spoof “Dracula: Dead and Loving It”). Both offer fresh insights into the two respective films, while the older historian commentary talks (from David J. Skal on “Dracula” and Rudy Behlmer on “Frankenstein”) have been reprised, along with Skal’s fine documentaries from the previous DVD editions of both pictures.
There are new, approximately 40-minute documentaries on each DVD -- “Lugosi: The Dark Prince” and “Karloff: The Gentle Monster” -- which give the viewer a broadly painted, entertaining overview of each actor’s career, with an obvious accent on their Universal work. Interviews with critics and filmmakers (from Joe Dante to Hammer’s Jimmy Sangster) compliment these most welcome new inclusions, while new pop-up trivia tracks offer the viewer more information about the lasting impact of both 1931 releases.
Kevin Bronlow’s fine 1998 TCM documentary, “Universal Horror,” also makes it DVD debut in each package. This examination of the beginnings of Universal’s monster franchises is narrated by Kenneth Branagh and offers ample vintage footage, interviews and an entertaining look into the genre’s origins.
It should be noted as well that both “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” have been newly remastered for these DVD editions. Unfortunately, whether you find the improvements to be legitimate enhancements or not may depend on personal preference. There’s no question that both movies (“Dracula” in particular) appear much sharper than their previous DVD editions -- but some of the clarity seems to have come at the expense of the overall image. By comparison, the older “Legacy” editions of both movies seem less sharp but a little cleaner overall -- perhaps because of noise reduction techniques that weren’t employed here. The result is a somewhat “dirtier” looking picture that almost seems like it has a sort of filter over it -- but there may be fans who will appreciate the enhanced detail at the same time there’s more noise in the image (“Dracula” also has the added benefit of restoring some audio that was accidentally left off the “Legacy Collection” release).
All the other major supplements from the prior DVDs (from Philip Glass’ Kronos Quartet “Dracula” score to the short “Boo!”) have also been reprieved, making both discs strongly recommended for Universal Monster fans -- even if you already own the older “Legacy” releases, and may find these newer transfers to be inferior to the studio’s previous efforts.
Both DVDs feature fresh supplemental material: new commentary tracks on each disc, including Sir Christopher Frayling on “Frankenstein” and writer Steve Haberman on “Dracula” (Haberman wrote the awful Mel Brooks spoof “Dracula: Dead and Loving It”). Both offer fresh insights into the two respective films, while the older historian commentary talks (from David J. Skal on “Dracula” and Rudy Behlmer on “Frankenstein”) have been reprised, along with Skal’s fine documentaries from the previous DVD editions of both pictures.
There are new, approximately 40-minute documentaries on each DVD -- “Lugosi: The Dark Prince” and “Karloff: The Gentle Monster” -- which give the viewer a broadly painted, entertaining overview of each actor’s career, with an obvious accent on their Universal work. Interviews with critics and filmmakers (from Joe Dante to Hammer’s Jimmy Sangster) compliment these most welcome new inclusions, while new pop-up trivia tracks offer the viewer more information about the lasting impact of both 1931 releases.
Kevin Bronlow’s fine 1998 TCM documentary, “Universal Horror,” also makes it DVD debut in each package. This examination of the beginnings of Universal’s monster franchises is narrated by Kenneth Branagh and offers ample vintage footage, interviews and an entertaining look into the genre’s origins.
It should be noted as well that both “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” have been newly remastered for these DVD editions. Unfortunately, whether you find the improvements to be legitimate enhancements or not may depend on personal preference. There’s no question that both movies (“Dracula” in particular) appear much sharper than their previous DVD editions -- but some of the clarity seems to have come at the expense of the overall image. By comparison, the older “Legacy” editions of both movies seem less sharp but a little cleaner overall -- perhaps because of noise reduction techniques that weren’t employed here. The result is a somewhat “dirtier” looking picture that almost seems like it has a sort of filter over it -- but there may be fans who will appreciate the enhanced detail at the same time there’s more noise in the image (“Dracula” also has the added benefit of restoring some audio that was accidentally left off the “Legacy Collection” release).
All the other major supplements from the prior DVDs (from Philip Glass’ Kronos Quartet “Dracula” score to the short “Boo!”) have also been reprieved, making both discs strongly recommended for Universal Monster fans -- even if you already own the older “Legacy” releases, and may find these newer transfers to be inferior to the studio’s previous efforts.
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Carlson2005
Thanks. Since Universal Horror is only available on the complete Universal horror boxed set over here, it might be worth picking up Frankenstein for that alone if I can find it at a good price, although it is one of Brownlow's weaker docs - what's with theinterviews with James Karen and Nina Foch (who just talks about how much she hates horror films) or all the screentime given over to RKO's King Kong? Still, it does at least have the colour Frankenstein makeup footage.
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AndyDursin
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UNIVERSAL HORROR has never showed up here ever, so that makes it a nice inclusion, though I agree, it's good but not "Great".Carlson2005 wrote:Thanks. Since Universal Horror is only available on the complete Universal horror boxed set over here, it might be worth picking up Frankenstein for that alone if I can find it at a good price, although it is one of Brownlow's weaker docs - what's with theinterviews with James Karen and Nina Foch (who just talks about how much she hates horror films) or all the screentime given over to RKO's King Kong? Still, it does at least have the colour Frankenstein makeup footage.
Price is a bit much though ($20), so I'd probably wait till it falls.