NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST On Blu-ray From Film Masters

 

The main feature of Film Masters' recent Blu-ray double-bill consisting of two Roger Corman-produced late 50s monster movies is NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST (1959). 

An astronaut named John Corcoran (Michael Emmet) has been launched into space, but he crashes upon his return to Earth. He lands near a tracking station, and its crew goes out to the crash site, finding the astronaut apparently dead. Bringing his body back to the station, it turns out that Corcoran is very much alive, and he has a connection with an alien being that somehow attached itself to his ship. The being has injected Corcoran's body with a number of embryos, and it wants its race to unite with mankind. The tracking station crew are not very excited about this plan, while Corcoran tries to convince them to understand the creature and avoid harming it. 

I thought NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST wasn't as entertaining as ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES. The latter's swamp setting, cracker characters, and Yvette Vickers makes it memorable, while NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST is a mediocre rehash of other movies such as THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT and the original THE THING. Much of NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST takes place in the nondescript interiors of the tracking station, and the alien suit (also used in TEENAGE CAVEMAN) doesn't impress upon close scrutiny. The suit's appearances should have been kept to fleeting glances, but it gets plenty of close-ups under daylight conditions. The suit's bulky and cumbersome nature also detracts from the scenes where the alien is trying to communicate with the human cast. It's obvious that Roger Corman and his brother Gene as producers didn't want the suit damaged, as during the confrontation scenes the actors appear to do everything they can to avoid hurting it. 

That being said, Martin Varno's script for BLOOD BEAST does offer up some thoughtful concepts, but the finished film doesn't have the budget or the running time to properly explore them. Varno hints that the alien might be more sympathetic than one thinks, and Michael Emmet's reaction to being brought back from the dead to serve as an incubator is certainly unusual. Emmet doesn't portray the post-crash Corcoran as a madman under the influence--instead the man is low-key and articulate while attempting to give the alien's side of the situation. The rest of the roles in the story are very bland--the two female leads don't get to do much other than stand around and scream a lot. Director Bernard Kowalski does provide a lot of interesting shot compositions to give NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST some visual vitality. 

Film Masters states that the print used for this release of NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST comes from a newly restored 4K scan, and it is a very clear and sharp presentation. The movie is available on this disc in two formats: 1.85:1 and 1.37:1. 

The extras include an 8mm version of the film. It's silent, but the sound of a clicking projector has been added to it. (I understand why this was done but I thought the effect was annoying.) The MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 episode featuring NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST is here, along with a reconstructed trailer, a restoration comparison, and a image gallery for both BLOOD BEAST and THE GIANT LEECHES. 

Tom Weaver once again provides the audio commentary here. He starts out by telling the story of the launch of Sputnik by the Soviets in the late 1950s, and how that event affected the low-budget horror/sci-fi movie genre. Weaver points out the movie's many similarities to THE THING, and he goes into detail about the film's screenwriter, Martin Varno, and Varno's issues with the Corman brothers over pay and billing. Varno's involvement with the film are also the basis of an article by Weaver which appears in the booklet accompanying this release. 

As I stated in my blog post on ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, Film Masters has done a great job in taking public domain cult material and giving such movies brand name home video releases. NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST has its faults, but, as with any product associated with Roger Corman, it has enough unique elements to make it stand out. 

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES On Blu-ray From Film Masters

 

Film Masters continues its releases of lower-budget Roger Corman productions with a double feature consisting of NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST and ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES. Today I'll be focusing on the latter. 

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, produced by Roger and Gene Corman, and directed by Bernard Kowalski, holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of bad movie fans. What makes it stand out is its slimy, seamy, sweaty atmosphere. The story is set in a remote Florida swamp, and while the title creatures won't impress many, the peckerwood passions on display put it above the typical cheap monster flick. The victims of the giant leeches are a collection of poor rural folk who one might find in a Tennessee Williams tale. Chief among them is Yvette Vickers as Liz, the young white trash tease who happens to be married to the slovenly local storekeeper (Bruno Ve Sota). Ken Clark (who in the 1960s would go to Italy and work with Mario Bava) plays the stalwart game warden who is ill at ease in dealing with not only the monsters, but the local rednecks as well. 

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES didn't have much of a budget (the swamp scenes were filmed in a Pasadena arboretum, and the costumes for the leeches appear to have been made out of rain slickers) but director Kowalski and screenwriter Leo Gordon get much more out of the setup than one would expect. The sequences set in an underwater grotto, where the leeches store their victims to keep feeding on them, are quite disturbing. The characters might be lower-class caricatures, but they're still more memorable than the nondescript folks one finds in the dozens of quickly made Fifties horror/sci-fi features. Yvette Vickers became a genre legend mainly due to her role here, and while she certainly is sexy in a trashy way, she also makes Liz more than just a one-dimensional skank. 

This release by Film Masters gives each of the films its own disc, and it is Region Free. ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and while the packaging says that LEECHES comes from a new HD print, the visual quality looks dark and murky at times. It still is better than the tons of public domain versions of the film that have circulated through the years. 

The extras on the GIANT LEECHES disc include a program on Bernard Kowalski, presented by C. Courtney Joyner, which focuses on the director's television work. There's also a new commentary from Tom Weaver (with a little help from his friends). If you listened to Weaver's talks, you know what you are in for. As expected, he has plenty of sarcastic comments on the movie's plot, but he also offers up a lot of inside info on the making of the film and the people involved in it. Weaver also discusses his friendship with Yvette Vickers and the tragic conclusion of her life, along with giving a mini-tribute to the late Roger Corman. There's also a re-created trailer for the film, a slideshow featuring Yvette Vickers, and the MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 episode that focused on GIANT LEECHES (I might as well point out that I am not a MYST3K fan). 

A 22-page booklet is included in this release, and Tom Weaver has an article about GIANT LEECHES in it, where he makes some cogent insights on how the film is looked upon by monster fans today. 

Film Masters has been doing an exemplary job lately of rescuing low-budget genre outings from public domain purgatory and giving them impressive presentations with worthy extras. ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES is not a great film but any stretch, but it has had a longer shelf life than most of the "important" mainstream big-budget movies made during the same period. I'm looking forward to what Film Masters has planned for the future. 

EL VAMPIRO: Two Bloodsucking Tales From Mexico On Blu-ray From Indicator

 

Last year Indicator released a four-film Blu-ray set entitled MEXICO MACABRE. The set contained a quartet of some of the best classic horror films made in Mexico during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was an impressive release, filled with extras, and each of the four features looked magnificent. For whatever reason, I never got around to writing a blog post on it. 

Indicator has followed up that set with two more Mexican monster classics, both featuring "El Vampiro", aka Count Lavud, played by the Spanish actor German Robles. The 1957 EL VAMPIRO (THE VAMPIRE) and its 1958 direct sequel, EL ATAUD DEL VAMPIRO (THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN) both get a deluxe treatment here, with each film remastered and plenty of extras included. 

THE VAMPIRE takes place in the Mexican countryside, where a young woman named Marta (Ariadna Welter) goes to visit her aunts at a lonely large hacienda. Accompanied by a Dr. Enrique (Abel Salazar), Marta finds out that her Aunt Eloisa (Carmen Montejo) has fallen under the spell of the mysterious Count Lavud (German Robles), a Hungarian who has plans to bring the entire household under his undead thrall. 

THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN takes place in an urban setting, but it opens with the remains of Count Lavud being taken from his resting place to the hospital that Dr. Enrique works at. A colleague of Enrique intends to experiment with the remnants of Lavud, but, as one would expect, the vampire is resurrected, and once again Marta's life is in peril. 

THE VAMPIRE was actually made before HORROR OF DRACULA. It has atmospheric black & white photography by Rosalio Solano, and excellent art direction by Gunther Gerszo. THE VAMPIRE, like most of the Mexican horror films made during this period, was heavily influenced by the classic Universal monster movies. But the Mexican horrors had a number of quirky plot elements that made them notable and interesting. 

THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN isn't as effective as THE VAMPIRE, but it still has plenty of memorable moments. Victor Herrera is responsible for the shadowy cinematography here, with Gunther Gerszo returning on the art direction. Both the THE VAMPIRE and THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN were directed by Fernando Mendez, written by Ramon Obon, and produced by Abel Salazar. What helps both features is that they are played mostly straight--there are some light comedic moments from Abel Salazar in each, but they don't overwhelm the overall tone. Ariadna Welter makes a fine south-of-the-border scream queen, and Carmen Montejo nearly steals THE VAMPIRE as the treacherous Aunt. The vampire myth works quite well in the Mexican countryside. 

The real standout for each film is German Robles as El Vampiro. The actor wasn't even 30 years old when he started work on THE VAMPIRE, but he's outstanding as the coolly aristocratic Count Lavud. One thing a performer needs when playing a vampire is a major screen presence, and Robles had that in each of these films. He was able to understand that playing a vampire requires doing a lot by not doing much at all. Robles was also one of the first screen vampires to actually show fangs. As many of the extras in this set detail, a third El Vampiro story was in the works but Robles decided not to play the character again. The actor didn't want to be typecast, but ironically Count Lavud was by far the role he became remembered for. 

Both THE VAMPIRE and THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN get their own disc in this set, and both films look fantastic. Each film has the original Spanish soundtrack, with newly translated English subtitles, and an English dialogue track. Both features also come with their original Mexican trailers and an image gallery. THE VAMPIRE is presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, while THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN has a ratio of 1.75:1. This is a Region-Free set. 

THE VAMPIRE has a 22-minute program featuring two of Abel Salazar's daughters, who discuss life with their father and his legacy in the Mexican film industry. There's also a half-hour program on the acting career of Carmen Montejo. A 2007 audio commentary by German Robles is also included, in which the actor talks about the challenges of playing a vampire, his acceptance of being known as El Vampiro, and how much he enjoys watching the film again. 

THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN has short programs on screenwriter Ramon Obon and artist and production designer Gunther Gerszo, and a discussion of how German Robles affected the representation of vampires in Mexican horror cinema. There are also images from a French photonovel of the movie. All the programs on the two discs present plenty of detail and insight into the making of the films and the main talent involved in them. 

The set also comes with an 80-page booklet, heavily illustrated, that has essays on various aspects of the features and vintage interviews with Carmen Montejo and Ariadna Welter. 

The Classic Mexican horror films from the 1950s and 60s have a reputation for being cheap and cheesy, due to their mediocre showings on late-night American television. If one is able to view them uncut, with impressive transfers, and with the original Spanish voice tracks, one realizes how well crafted these films are, and how unusual and notable their storylines can be. Indicator's EL VAMPIRO and MEXICO MACABRE box sets will be a revelation to horror film fans who have not delved into Mexican Gothic territory. 

SUPERMAN RETURNS

 

So why in the heck would I write a post on a comic book movie from over 15 years ago? The impetus for this entry was another of my discount purchases from Edward R. Hamilton. 

Last month I got a three-disc set of Superman movies for about $7. The main reason I bought it was to have the first two Superman films on Blu-ray. I had no interest in SUPERMAN RETURNS--I had seen it only once, when it was theatrically released in 2006, and I hadn't watched it since. I didn't think it was terrible, but it didn't make a huge impression on me, and I never felt any reason to see it again. 

I figured, though, that since I have this set, I might as well view SUPERMAN RETURNS and see how it holds up in 2024, after literally dozens and dozens of superhero movies have been churned out. Would I feel different about it, seeing it again so many years later? 

My opinions on it have not changed. A lot of money and effort was put into SUPERMAN RETURNS, but it never rises above an okay level. 

Back in 2006 a lot of hype was behind SUPERMAN RETURNS. It was the first Superman theatrical film since the disastrous SUPERMAN IV back in the 1980s. It also was directed by Bryan Singer, who at the time was known for his successful helming of the first two X-MEN movies. It was felt that Singer could do for DC what he had done for Marvel--blazing a new trail of comic book adaptations that were loyal to the original issues and characters while still being entertaining to a mainstream audience. 

One also has to factor in the critical and box office success of BATMAN BEGINS, which had come out the year before. It appeared that with SUPERMAN RETURNS, an entire new era of movies based on DC Comics could be possible, one in which the legendary heroes of the company could interact with each other. (No one used the term "multiverse" back in those days.) 

SUPERMAN RETURNS made a lot of money during its initial release, but the reaction among the fans and the critics was somewhat tepid. It didn't rate a sequel, or any sort of follow-up, and it is almost forgotten among the plethora of comic book productions that have been made in the 21st Century. (Some of the reasons for that I'll get into later.) 

The plot of the movie begins with Superman (Brandon Routh) returning to Earth after five years of being away. The Man of Steel had left after learning that scientists had found remains of his home planet of Krypton. After coming home to his mother in Kansas, Superman assumes his Clark Kent persona, and goes back to work as a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He discovers that Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has moved on from her Superman obsession, and she now has a child, and she's living with another man. Meanwhile Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has wormed his way out of prison and, armed with a fortune he scammed from an elderly woman, is plotting to get his revenge using the very crystals that power Superman's Fortress of Solitude. 

My main issue with SUPERMAN RETURNS is the idea that the title character would leave Earth for five years. (Have you ever noticed how many superhero movies have a plot where the main character avoids being a hero??) Because he has been gone for so long, Superman has a lot of catching up to do, which prevents the story from gaining any momentum. It takes a long time for Superman to actually act like Superman in this story, and when he does, it doesn't engage the audience as it should. (One big reason for that is the 2006 CGI, which has not aged very well. I'll even say the FX in the first two Superman films are way more effective than what was done in SUPERMAN RETURNS.) The movie is two and a half hours long, and it seems even longer. 

The plot (based on Bryan Singer's original story) carries on from the first two Superman films, but it is set in a more "realistic" world. Because of this there's an uncertain tone. A lot of moments (and dialogue) remind the viewer of the Christopher Reeve era, but the film overall lacks the snap and the energy of Richard Donner's work. I believe that if Bryan Singer had wanted to make a more grounded Superman film, he should have gone all the way, and avoided any references to the earlier movies about the character. (SUPERMAN RETURNS got some attention for using Marlon Brando's image and voice, but these scenes just remind you how much better SUPERMAN-THE MOVIE was.) 

Brandon Routh got some flack for his Superman, but I felt he did a good job, considering he had to live up to Christopher Reeve's portrayal. At times, Routh acts eerily like Reeve--he has the speech pattern and body language down--but he isn't as strong of a screen personality as Reeve was. Throughout the story Roush seems detached from what is going on around him--I think that wasn't as much on the actor as it was on Bryan Singer, who was trying to focus on the "lonely alien" aspect of the Superman character. The result is that the Superman shown here is unsure of himself, not the type of thing an audience wants to see. 

Much of SUPERMAN RETURNS focuses on the relationship between the Man of Steel and Lois Lane. Unfortunately Brandon Roush and Kate Bosworth have very little chemistry. Bosworth also comes off as too refined to be the feisty, tough-girl Lois one comes to expect. The movie carries over the running gag of Lois not knowing how to spell certain words, but while that trait was perfect for Margot Kidder, it doesn't work for Bosworth--she seems like the type of person that would lecture someone about their spelling. 

A big deal was made at the time about Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Spacey underplays the character, while at the same time it appears he's trying to channel aspects of Gene Hackman's portrayal. Spacey is at his best when he's showing his rage at Superman, but this Luthor doesn't seem to be a major threat. Spacey's Luthor is saddled with a female accomplice (Parkey Posey) who is essentially a retread of the character that Valerie Perrine played in the early Superman films, which begs the question--if Luthor is such a diabolical criminal genius, why does he surround himself with so many idiots??

If you're going to talk about SUPERMAN RETURNS, you have to mention the plot element involving Superman's son. The fact that Lois' little boy was a product of the Man of Steel wasn't a surprise to me when I first saw the movie--it's pretty obvious. It's also something the plot didn't need, as it makes both Superman and Lois look weak (why didn't he know about this, and why didn't she tell him??). I've never understood why so many big-time franchises go down the "Main hero has an annoying offspring that he doesn't know about" route (Kirk's son, Indiana Jones' son....even James Bond wound up having a kid). If the SUPERMAN RETURNS storyline had carried on, the kid would have had to be dealt with one way or another, and it wouldn't have been to the benefit of the series. 

There were plans for a sequel to SUPERMAN RETURNS, but for one reason for another they never panned out. The idea of Bryan Singer leading a DC Comics movie renaissance didn't pan out either. Warners would reboot Superman again with Henry Cavill a few years later, and that take on the character has plenty of issues as well. (It appears that Superman has fared much better on TV than in the movies.) 

Another reason SUPERMAN RETURNS hasn't had much of a lasting legacy is due to the personal issues of Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey, which I'm not going to get into. But even taking that element away, SUPERMAN RETURNS has an underwhelming feel to it. It just doesn't capture the majesty and the power of the Man of Steel. In fairness I have to say that description could also be used for all the other Superman movies, with the exception of the first one directed by Richard Donner. 

COME LIVE WITH ME

 

COME LIVE WITH ME (1941) is one of the few James Stewart films I had never seen. It's a (very) light romantic comedy, an MGM production that was helmed by Clarence Brown, one of the studio's top directors. 

Stewart plays Bill Smith, an unsuccessful writer struggling to make ends meet in New York City. Bill encounters a gorgeous Austrian refugee who goes by the name of Johnny Jones (Hedy Lamarr). Johnny is in danger of being deported, so she makes a deal with Bill--if he marries her, she will pay his living expenses. Bill accepts her offer, and starts to write a fictional version of the agreement. He also starts to fall for his wife-in-name-only--but she is the mistress of Barton Kendrick (Ian Hunter) a major publisher who happens to be a married man. In one of those incredible old movie coincidences, Bill takes his manuscript to Kendrick, whose wife loves the story. Bill gets a big advance, so he hopes now he can impress Johnny into taking him seriously. But after reading the manuscript Kendrick realizes who the story is actually based on, and he decides to win Johnny once and for all. Meanwhile Bill maneuvers Johnny into going with him to his childhood home in the country, hoping to charm her his own way. 

COME LIVE WITH ME is a decent enough film, but it's very predictable. (Whenever you see a couple engaging in a "marriage of convenience" during a movie or a TV show, you know they're going to wind up falling for each other.) James Stewart's personality makes the story work, but it's more amusing than genuinely funny. 

The exotic Hedy Lamarr would seem a mismatch with Jimmy Stewart, but she's much more down to earth here than she would be throughout most of her acting career, and she and Stewart have a nice rapport. Despite being a refugee from the Nazis in Europe, she still looks glamorous, and the tragic circumstances concerning her situation are barely touched upon (her father was killed due to his beliefs, and if she has to go back to Europe she will more than likely be harmed as well). 

The climatic sequence in which Bill takes Johnny to the country to show her what the "regular life" is like is the most predictable sequence of all--of course Johnny is going to love the rustic setting, and of course she's going to adore Bill's feisty grandmother. It's movie magic, after all, and MGM was one of the best factories putting out that magic and making audiences buy into it. Besides, there's no way Jimmy Stewart is going to lose the leading lady to a middle-aged character actor like Ian Hunter. 

COME LIVE WITH ME is okay enough entertainment for about 90 minutes, especially if you're not asking for a lot, but if it didn't have James Stewart and Hedy Lamarr, there would be almost nothing to it. After starring in such films as MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, James Stewart deserved a lot better than COME LIVE WITH ME--but I'm sure he wasn't complaining about acting alongside Hedy Lamarr. 

I VAMPIRI On Blu-ray From Radiance

 

2024 has become a big year for Italian Gothic Horror on home video, and now what is considered the very first modern sound Italian Gothic gets a major release from Radiance Films. I VAMPIRI (1957) was co-directed by Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava, two of the most important names in the genre of Euro Gothic. 

It's ironic that I VAMPIRI is considered the first major Italian Gothic, when one realizes that its story was set in Paris, in contemporary times. A number of young Parisian women have been found murdered and drained of blood. Newspaper reporter Pierre Lantin (Dario Michaelis) is determined to track down the killer, while fending off the advances of a beautiful young aristocrat named Giselle (Gianna Maria Canale). Pierre's instincts about the woman are more correct than he knows--Giselle is actually her elderly aunt, the Countess du Grand, and a brilliant scientist has been using the blood of the murdered girls to reinvigorate the aged lady and make her appear decades younger. The problem is, the process hasn't been perfected. 

I VAMPIRI isn't a traditional vampire tale--it's more like a cross between the Bela Lugosi potboiler THE CORPSE VANISHES and Hammer's COUNTESS DRACULA. The story also reminded me of many of the Krimi thrillers coming out of West Germany in the 1960s. The majority of the film was directed by Riccardo Freda, but he left after a couple weeks, and Mario Bava (who was cinematographer on the film) finished up the shooting. Freda might have shot more footage but Bava's imaginative touch resonates all throughout. Bava makes full use of the Cinemascope frame, and his atmospheric black & white photography, along with Beni Montresor's striking production design, is the real highlight of I VAMPIRI. The Countess du Grand's castle, with its baroque halls, crypts, and secret passages, is far more interesting than any character in the movie. 

Gianna Maria Canale (who was married to Riccardo Freda during production) does have the right haughty glamour for the role of the vain Countess/Giselle, but there's the feeling that more could have been made out of the character. (The plot point of Giselle actually being the aged Countess is given away rather early in the running time.) Obviously the various complications inherent in the making of the film prevented the story from being fleshed out--the extras on this disc detail how Freda's script concepts where different than how the movie wound up. Dario Michaelis is a somewhat bland and pushy hero, and Wandisa Guida as the damsel in distress doesn't get enough screen time to make a connection with the viewer. Euro Cult legend Paul Muller gets a prime role as one of the Countess' underlings. 

Radiance presents three different versions of I VAMPIRI on this region-free Blu-ray. There's the original uncut Italian version, taken from a 2K restoration, with an Italian audio track and available English subtitles. The visual aspect of this print is simply spectacular. There is a SD presentation of the American cut of the film, titled THE DEVIL'S COMMANDMENT. This is a much shorter version even though it has added inserts and a different opening sequence. These additions are rather crude, and they certainly don't help the story. (One of the actors used in these scenes is none other than Grandpa Munster himself, Al Lewis.) What really hurts the American version is the English voice track, which is filled with lame dialogue and off-putting line readings. The British version of I VAMPIRI is also included--this is titled LUST OF THE VAMPIRE. It's the shortest version of all, and it also looks the worst. This too is also saddled with the mediocre English voice track. All three versions are in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. 

Among the extras is a 20 page illustrated booklet with a main article by Roberto Curti. He discusses how most postwar Italians would have had no experience with the now accepted Gothic definition of the vampire as a supernatural creature, and he goes into the making of the film, and how it shaped Mario Bava's future. Three short programs are on this disc, one with Fabio Melelli that has some very rare TV footage of Mario Bava himself showing an example of his special effects work. There's also a short interview with Bava's son Lamberto, and a talk by Leon Hunt, discussing the film's place in genre history. All three programs give one more insight into the movie, Bava, and Riccardo Freda. 

This disc also has a new audio commentary by Bava expert Tim Lucas. He points out that I VAMPIRI was made before THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and he delves into which scenes may have been specifically directed by Mario Bava. It's an informative and interesting talk. 

Finally, there's a very rough-looking trailer for the American version of the film, and the disc sleeve artwork is reversible. 

I VAMPIRI is a film that has long deserved a major home video release, especially for English-speaking audiences. I had not actually seen this movie before, and while I wouldn't rate it as one of the best Italian Gothics, it's certainly among the most important, and it has plenty of atmospheric and intriguing moments. Once again Mario Bava used his cinematic genius to take a very rushed, low-budget production and make it something much more than what it should have been. This Radiance Blu-ray is one of the best home video releases of 2024. 

ALGOL

 

ALGOL is a 1920 silent German film with plenty of expressionist & science fiction/fantasy elements, staring Emil Jannings. 

The film's prologue establishes that Algol is the name of a distant star, and then details the life of miner Robert Herne (Emil Jannings) who toils away in an unnamed country. An impish, strange fellow who calls himself Algol (John Gottowt) arrives at the mining community, posing as a replacement worker. Algol presents Herne with a bizarre contraption, and tells the miner he has one year to use the device to gain power and riches. A year later, Herne has used the secrets of the device to build what he calls a bio-factory that can offer clean and effective power to countries all over the world. The catch is Herne sells this power, and he receives money and influence in return. Herne soon has the world in his pocket, but the situation breaks up his family and causes some to rebel against him. 

ALGOL is a weird film, even by 1920s German Expressionist standards. The story has a lot of ambiguity to it--is Algol an alien, or is he some demonic figure? (One scene seems to suggest that Algol was somehow trapped in the mine that Herne is working in.) It's never explained why Algol offers Herne such power, or what exactly this power is. (In the second half of the film, Algol shows up at random intervals to affect events, in a negative way.) If Algol is doing this to sow discord all over the Earth, there doesn't seem to be any particular reason why he should. 

The movie's message is very skewed as well. It appears the film is saying that "absolute power corrupts absolutely", but while Herne does become more and more important, he certainly doesn't act like a vicious tyrant. (Emil Jannings is quite subtle as Herne--at least, he's subtle compared to most of his performances.) Herne does become wealthy and influential due to his bio-factory, but he is also providing clean efficient energy to the world, and making the ordinary person's life better. (The story takes pains to show how depressing the miners' lives are, but when Herne's bio-factory makes coal obsolete, the workers complain that they're going to lose their jobs.) At the end, an elderly Herne is being pressured by his playboy son to share the secret of his power, and he destroys the machine instead. The movie then abruptly ends, without detailing the result of how the world would be affected by Herne's decision. 

What makes ALGOL notable is some of the production design and shot compositions follow the mode of THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (artist Walter Reimann worked on both pictures). The CALIGARI-like visuals are not used throughout the film, however.....the mining community is portrayed in a realistic manner. The result is that the movie is mixed up visually as it is script-wise. 

Some have suggested that ALGOL was an influence on Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS. There are some similarities between the two. When he becomes rich and powerful Robert Herne has a lot in common with Joh Fredersen--Herne's spacious office even resembles the one Fredersen has. There's also a scene where the young heiress who inherits the mine goes down into it to see what the workers' lives are really like--a scene very much like the one in METROPOLIS where Fredersen's son goes down among the machines to learn more about the lower classes. There's also the ongoing tension between labor and the upper class that both movies share. One can easily assume that Fritz Lang, and/or his wife/scenarist Thea von Harbou viewed ALGOL. There's also a heavy FAUST element to ALGOL--Herne basically sells his soul to an alien machine and gains riches and power, but causes trouble for those around him. (Ironically Emil Jannings would play the tempter in F.W. Murnau's adaptation of FAUST.) 

The director of ALGOL was one Hans Werckmeister, who doesn't get a lot of mention in the books on German Expressionist cinema. ALGOL was meant to be an important epic--one can tell that a lot of money was spent on it--but Werckmeister was no Fritz Lang. The movie has a sluggish pace, and is heavy going at times. One expects the major set-pieces one would see in a Lang film, but they never happen, and the ending is very disappointing from a dramatic standpoint. 

ALGOL can be viewed on YouTube in various versions. I expect that one day Kino Lorber or a similar company will release it on Blu-ray. It has a lot of elements that will attract the attention of silent film buffs, but I wouldn't rate it among the best titles of the German Expressionist period. 

THE WALKING DEAD On Blu-ray From Warner Archive

 

The Warner Archive continues its series of great Blu-ray releases of 1930s horror films with THE WALKING DEAD, a 1936 production starring Boris Karloff and directed by Michael Curtiz. 

This THE WALKING DEAD has nothing to do with that TV show. It's a unique tale from Warner Bros., part gangster melodrama, part back-from-the-dead Karloff vehicle that is surprisingly moving and poignant. Boris plays John Elman, a poor sap who is framed by racketeers for the murder of a crusading judge. Elman is resurrected by pioneering scientist Edmund Gwenn, and the reborn victim goes on to confront the mobsters who set him up. But Karloff isn't an undead fiend thirsting for revenge--he's a tragic instrument of divine retribution. 

John Elman is one of Karloff's best performances. In very little time Boris shows how downtrodden and put-upon Elman is, making him the perfect patsy for the schemes of the big-city crooks. In his return-from-the-dead state, Elman's makeup, and Karloff's acting, is subtle but effective, with Boris using nothing more than his body language and a penetrating gaze to scare his tormentors into finishing themselves off. 

THE WALKING DEAD wasn't supposed to have been an A list picture--it only runs 66 minutes--but director Michael Curtiz and cinematographer Hal Mohr treated it like a major production, bringing style and atmosphere to nearly every shot. Karloff is backed by a number of fine character actors, such as Gwenn, Barton MacLane, Henry O'Neill, and Marguerite Churchill (DRACULA'S DAUGHTER) as a nurse sympathetic to Elman. Ricardo Cortez is the true villain of the piece, a shyster lawyer who is the ultimate smoothie. THE WALKING DEAD shows how effective a major Hollywood studio could be during the Golden Age of American movies. 

The Warner Archive showcases THE WALKING DEAD with a razor-sharp print that looks fantastic. They also provide some worthy extras, including a documentary on Michael Curtiz that runs about 40 minutes. It provides the basics on the life of this consummate filmmaker, although it must be said that Curtiz deserves a much longer and much more comprehensive onscreen biography. For some reason this documentary does not have any captions to tell who the people interviewed for it are, but film geeks will easily know such faces as Steven Spielberg and Ben Burtt. 

Greg Mank's excellent audio commentary from the original DVD release of THE WALKING DEAD is carried over here. Greg's talk focuses on Karloff's time at Warners, the development of the script, and the spiritual aspects of the story. A brand new commentary from Michael Curtiz biographer Alan K. Rode is also on the disc, and it's a good one, as he discusses Curtiz's life and career, and the Warner Bros. hierarchy. An original theatrical trailer and a couple of 1930s cartoons are also included. 

Nearly all the 1930s horror films made by Warners and MGM have been given Blu-ray upgrades from the Warner Archive. THE WALKING DEAD is the latest in the line of those fine releases, and hopefully this new Blu-ray will bring some attention to one of Boris Karloff's standout performances.