Image Entertainment presents
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 2 (2000)

"My last name is Lee. Bruce Lee. I was born in San Francisco in 1940. I am twenty-four right now."
- Bruce Lee (in personality test)

Review By: Jesse Shanks   
Published: August 29, 2002

Stars: Robert Culp, Rock Hudson, Tuesday Weld, May Britt, Suzy Parker, Inger Stevens, Walter Matthau, Bruce Lee, James Coburn, Rita Moreno, Martin Landau, Judy Garland, Linda Darnell, Joan Collins, Rita Hayworth, Fabian, Elliot Gould, Barbara Streisand
Other Stars: Patty Duke, Linda Harrison, Angela Cartwright, Christine Carere, Donna Michelle, Tommy Ewell, Sheree North, Bradford Dillman, Leslie Nielsen, Dick Kaiser, Peggy Murray, JoAnn Worley, Ron Rifkin
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 01h:30m:45s
Release Date: April 02, 2002
UPC: 014381096927
Genre: documentary

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B+	B	B	B	C

DVD Review

Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 2 collects more archival footage of screen tests and publicity materials of various well-known actors and actresses, as well as some lesser known figures. Featured are Rock Hudson, Linda Harrison, Tuesday Weld, Angela Cartwright, Christine Carere, May Britt, Donna Michelle, Suzy Parker, Inger Stevens, Tommy Ewell, Walter Matthau, Sheree North, Bradford Dillman, Bruce Lee, Leslie Nielsen, James Coburn, Dick Kaiser, Rita Moreno, Martin Landau, Judy Garland, Linda Darnell, Joan Collins, Rita Hayworth, Fabian, Elliot Gould, Barbara Streisand, Peggy Murray, Jo Ann Worley, Ron Rifkin, Joyce Ames, Trisha Noble, Sandy Duncan, Marianne McAndrew, James Dybas, Hampton Fancher, and Danny Lockin.

As with the first disc, Take 1, this is the kind of disc that might be more popular with school drama departments, libraries or hardcore film fans. The excellent thing about this disc for its target audience is the way it is presented. Rather than creating a cheesy documentary and tiny clips from the material, the sequences are presented with concise, narrated introductions and then the archive material is presented in full. Instead of too much ponderous and useless narration, annoying commentary and only snippets of actual film, we have huge amounts of actual film. Viva DVD!

As might be expected with such a mixed bag of content, there are varying levels of interest. This second disc contains many more lesser-known figures in film history. On this disc, various screen tests from Hello Dolly are featured. Some highlights include a 1949 screen test for Rock Hudson; Swedish beauty May Britt appears in a combination costume/interview test, and a very interesting personality test for Bruce Lee where he demonstrates some Kung fu moves.

The always fascinating Judy Garland is shown in a wardrobe test for Valley of the Dolls, which was one of the last times she appeared before the camera. It is very poignant, especially in that she was eventually removed from the role and replaced by Susan Hayward. Another rare gem is a set of 1959 tests of Rita Hayworth for The Story On Page One that show her testing most charmingly with child actresses.

For those curious about how such behind-the-scenes elements are conducted, this is an excellent disc. Between seeing these stars in such situations there are moments like seeing a figure like Judy Garland in a rarely seen clip.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Despite the wide range of film sources, this documentary is very watchable and delivers a satisfying viewing experience.

Image Transfer Grade: B

 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: As in the video, there is a wide variety of sources involved with many different levels of audio quality. Although the original occasionally sounds tinny or muffled, a good job has been done to make the overall product decently listenable.

Audio Transfer Grade: B

 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 36 cues and remote access
Packaging: Keep Case
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: This is really a disc of extras and it doesn't seem fair to say there are there are none. While some biographical material might be in order, at the right price, this is not a problem.

Extras Grade: C

 

Final Comments

A whole bunch of screen tests by a surprising variety of stars are found on Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 2. Great fun for fans of film and their friends.

 

Back to top

---