Katharine Hepburn Collection (Morning Glory / Undercurrent / Sylvia Scarlett / Without Love / Dragon Seed / The Corn Is Green) [DVD]

Thank God Warner Bros is on the ball with Katharine Hepburn!She deserves this and so do her fans."Sylvia Scarlett"- panned in 1936 when RKO released it, this gem directed by George Cuckor with Hepburn and Cary Grant about con artists and sexual ambiguity was scandalous at its time, and although the plot is thin in certain parts, as a whole today it's a great movie. Hepburn looks great dressed as "Sylvestor.""Without Love" - one of the lesser known pairings of Hepburn and Tracy, but still a gem about a loveless marriage of convienance. Lucille Ball plays Hepburn's best friend/realtor."Undercurrent" - beautiful cinematography, yet Hepburn never struck me as the "victim." Robert Taylor and Robert Mitchum costar with her in a story about a newly married couple, and Hepburn's worries over her husband's mysterious past and mysterious brother."Morning Glory" - "My name is Eva Lovelace, my stage name, you've probably never heard of me because I'm just starting." - Hepburn won her first Oscar for Best Actress as a stagestruck girl destined to get into the theatre. There's supposedly a cut scene between her and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. where they perform the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, and I wish they would include it on the extra features, but I don't think they will for some reason. Adolphe Menjou co-stars as well."Dragon Seed" - this is probably the only one of the bunch that I wish they'd left out. At the time it was critically acclaimed (it was 1944), yet by today's standards having American actors portraying Chinese peasants is ludicrous. The movie isn't horrible; however, I don't see why they couldn't have actually used Chinese actors, but blame the Studio System of the 1940's and racial intolerance for that. Hepburn however does portray and independent, freedom fighter peasant woman, and that is the only admirable thing I can think about this movie based on Pearl Buck's novel.

As a bonus feature with the Kate Hepburn/Robert Taylor/Bob Mitchum melodrama called UNDERCURRENT (1946), WARNER/MGM offers a Tex Avery cartoon and a most disturbing two-reeler entitled, TRAFFIC WITH THE DEVIL.Imdb synopsis:This "Theater of Life" series short looks at traffic problems in Los Angeles, California, as described and experienced by Sgt. Charles Reineke, a traffic enforcement officer with the Los Angeles Police Department.What the above doesn't point out is that along with various simulated moving violations there's also graphic footage of many accident victims, including children and old people, all bloodied, limp and freshly dead. These victims aren't acting. It's the real thing: close up, frightening, depressing. I've never seen anything quite like it. As a result of the experience, today I've thought long and hard about my own tendency to lead-foot it on the road.On DVD, UNDERCURRENT is available only on this KATHERINE HEPBURN COLLECTION.There are other worthwhile extras on all these discs, but none so dramatic or unforgettable as "Traffic With the Devil." Each film is on it's own DVD, which are stored stagger-fashion on three plastic trays. Video and sound quality on all is top-rate. It's a superior package and I highly recommend it!

A 3 star review seemed 'mean' and I don't want to be, it doesn't do any good and seems to discourage releases of old films with questionable mass appeal. This set is definitely more 3.1 stars than 3.9, and certainly not 4, in my opinion, which I will keep brief.I enjoy having the box set, but I'm a packaging and extras guy, and it's just not there at ALL in this attractive looking but less than generous set, which was overpriced to begin with. There is no booklet, no interesting features of substance (cartoon shorts, gee, thanks) or any added value at all for the ticket price. You get the good performances, good films, though not her best, by a longshot.It's pretty much the movies and nothing else. That's fine, but it's not the way to make a must-have box set. Corners were cut. Yet, there is an attractiveness to the look of the boxed set, but certainly no expense was put into bonus features, finding any archival footage that certainly exists, and there is no information of substance at all about any of the films in the box set.NOT the way to do a box set, in my opinion, but notice that I still gave it 4 stars, to encourage future releases of classic films.

What a pleasure to watch Kate! After buying this collection, I recently spent a day off from work with Katherine Hepburn (one from the 30's- "Slyvia Scarlett," one from the 40's- "Undercurrent" and one from the 50's- "The Rainmaker,"--not in this set.) She was fascinating in each of those decades.Something must be said about "Dragonseed." I loved this film when I saw it as a teenager on TV years ago and have been waiting for it to come available on DVD. Much will be said about non-Chinese actors playing Chinese with the funny-looking make-up, etc. Points well made. But also points to be forgiven. If the viewer can get over these things (with this one and with "The Good Earth") and get into the characters and stories, this is wonderful story-telling and these are worthwhile stories to be told, both as the Pear S. Buck novels and as the MGM films, Caucasian actors notwithstanding.I would collect "The Good Earth," "Dragonseed," and "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness," to get a sense of pre-WW2 China and the Japanese invasion.

I bought this series because I wanted "Without Love" because I couldn't find this movie on its own (well not for under 100.00) and as much as I am a complete Katherine Hepburn fan the other movies are not my cup of tea but I am very happy to now have Without Love in my movie collections as I think it is truly one of the best of Hepburn and Tracy.

Awesome collection of some of Kate's best. Nicely packaged and presented. A must-have for fans of the iconic Hepburn!!!

Arrived on time.Loved the movies.

This was awful...it was advertised as knew and the ends that secure the DAD'S in place we're broken and the thing was actually taped together with old gross mask get tape...really really disappointed. ..considering the high price I paid!