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.