This reviewer was excited at the prospect of “THE RED TENT” finally becoming available on dvd from PARAMOUNT.  Peter Finch and Sean Connery star in this Italian/Russian production about an Italian explorer and his tragic attempt to cross over the North Pole in a dirigible in 1928.  The narrative device involving a jury made up of the ghosts of the explorer’s crew is hard to swallow. Still, there are some sweeping, epic-like moments throughout the film and even with many flaws, it’s worth viewing.

Unfortunately, for reasons unexplained, PARAMOUNT elected not to offer the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio! Instead, we’re given a 1.85:1 ratio, which is absolutely cropping out a great deal of information in every scene! It’s mind boggling that a studio so dedicated in the past to preserving the correct ratio for films, has failed to do so here!

PARAMOUNT has provided a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.  While there are some surround moments, most of the mix is delegated towards the front stage. A 2.0 mix is also included, offering more rear effects.