Golden oldies available on DVD

Here's a batch of golden oldies that are new to DVD, led by a set of early-'30s pictures made before Hollywood's self-censorship rules went into effect.

"Pre-Code Hollywood Collection" (Universal, 1931-34, six discs, b/w, $49.98)

This set is obviously inspired by Warner's similar "Forbidden Hollywood" DVD volumes, with a lot less bonus material — but you'll get no complaints from this corner since five of the six films here have never been on home video in any format.

All six of these films tackle content that became taboo once the Production Code began censoring movies in mid-1934. True, by today's standards the treatment of adult subject matter here still seems coy and tentative. But there's also a surprising amount of thoughtful, bold — even shocking — content, and many of these movies hold up quite well.

Much has been written about the Production Code but there's nothing like seeing firsthand the films that exemplify this era, especially since so many have been out of circulation and unavailable for decades.

In addition, these movies show how much technical progress was made from 1927 to 1932, as Hollywood frantically adapted to sound. Most movies made through 1930 seem stilted and stagey, due to awkward placement of microphones and nervous performances — but the pictures in this set are fluidly staged, well photographed and boast nicely nuanced performances from such rising stars as Cary Grant, Claudette Colbert, Randolph Scott, Ida Lupino, Fredric March, etc.

"The Cheat" (1931). Tallulah Bankhead (best known for Hitchcock's "Lifeboat") made very few films and this is one of her best, a shocking remake of a Cecil B. DeMille silent. Bankhead is a married member of Manhattan's social set who impulsively loses $10,000 while gambling, which leads to theft and a deal with a wealthy womanizer who literally brands her with a hot iron. She grabs a gun and shoots him, but her loyal husband takes the blame, leading to a sensational trial. The rest of the cast isn't up to Bankhead's subtle, effective performance — but she carries the show. (Note the photo inside the box that shows her being branded on her back; in the movie she's branded on her chest.)

"Merrily We Go to Hell" (1932). Fredric March, who was five years away from playing one of the most famous drunks in cinematic history in "A Star Is Born," gets into character here as an alcoholic newspaperman who becomes a successful playwright. Along the way, heiress Sylvia Sidney forsakes her fortune to marry him but he continues to drink and cheat until she eventually gives him a taste of his own medicine. March and Sydney are great, and look for Cary Grant in a small role as a stage actor.