This years Disney Treasures are another wonderful exploration of the richness of Disney's catalog titles and "Dr. Syn" has been one of of the most requested titles. Hosted by Leonard Maltin, the original "Dr. Syn" shows were produced for the Disney television program "The Wonderful World Of Color", which aired on NBC as a showcase for the new color television broadcasts featured on the network on Sunday nights.
A British production, "Dr. Syn" boasts a very impressive cast with Patrick McGoohan (Secret Agent, The Prisoner) in the lead role as Dr. Syn. MacGoohan is brilliant in his duel role, as a mild mannered vicor and the harsh throated Scarecrow, who will put the scare into younger members of the audience. Based on stories by British author Russell Thorndike, Dr. Syn was a clergyman by day and the powerful leader of a gang of smugglers by night, known only as "The Scarecrow", who wore a canvas mask to hide his identitiy to even his own men. A modern day Robin Hood, The Scarecrow gave away all his smuggling profits to the poor in his parish and is widely regarded as a great hero who battled the high taxation of King George The Third. Helping him was his assistant (George Cole) and a young squire (Sean Sculy), who was also in Disney's "Prince and The Pauper". Disney carefully incorporated Scully into a major role to totally involve young people in the storyline. Michael Hordern, a veteran of many British dramas, is also cast as his father.
The story on disc one is the three part episodes originally presented on "Disney's Wonderful World Of Color", complete with introductions from Walt Disney himself. One of the bonus features includes the original widescreen intros, as Walt filmed them. He was always ahead of the curve. The quality of the production, like most British Disney films, is top notch, in the tradition of "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped" and "Mary Poppins".
Disney has painstakingly restored the picture which looks fantastic in its original Technicolor. The images are sharp, dirt free and colors have been lushly restored for a rich visual experience. Many of the "night scenes" were actually filmed in the day and filters were applied to create the illusion of darkness.
Sound is equally impressive, with a new 5.1 sound mix and also a restored mono soundtrack. The mono soundtrack is the default. A bit of harshness can be heard due to limitations of the recording technologies of the time (1964). The original theme song is distincly Disney, sung by The Wellingtons, will stick with youlong after the show is over.
The two disc set includes the original three part presentation on disc one and the edited feature film on side two, which was released a couple years later in England. In comparing the two features, the editing does take out some of the remarkable detail of the three part television show, but flows well and is highly enjoyable as a film due to careful editing by the Disney team.
Extras include intros by Maltin on both discs, extended interviews with Disney historians and cast members (including MacGoohan), and a full length documentary on Disney's history of British productions in England after World War II. Extended footage of Disney on the set of this and other productions is a great extra.
This year's Disney tin boxed "Treasure" of Dr. Syn is indeed just that. Beautifully restored in picture and sound, this is a must have two disc set for Disney fans. Rich production values, an outstanding cast, and riveting story make this a wonderful set to own.
