THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD On Blu-ray From Kino

 

Universal's 1935 feature THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD is based on an unfinished work by Charles Dickens (the author died while in the middle of writing it). It contains a number of elements familiar to classic Universal horror, but it is a mystery melodrama, with a climax whipped up by a number of Hollywood screenwriters (including genre notable John L. Balderston). Kino gives it a much-needed official release on Blu-ray. 

The story, set in 1864 England, concerns John Jasper (Claude Rains), who is the publicly respected choirmaster of his small town. Jasper, however, is an opium addict, and he is obsessed with one of his music students, teenager Rosa Bud (Heather Angel). Rosa has been betrothed to Jasper's nephew Edwin Drood (David Manners) since childhood, but the two, though friendly, don't really love each other. Rosa is more attracted to the rebellious Neville (Douglass Montgomery). After a stormy Christmas Eve, Edwin disappears....and Jasper takes advantage of the bad blood between his nephew and Neville to accuse the latter of being responsible. Neville goes into hiding to investigate, while Jasper's mental state eventually leads to the solution to the mystery of Edwin Drood. 

This film was directed by Stuart Walker, who had already directed a Dickens adaptation for Universal--GREAT EXPECTATIONS in 1934. EDWIN DROOD has plenty of moody mid-Victorian atmosphere, and the cast of eccentric Dickensian characters is ably portrayed by a number of English performers, such as Francis L. Sullivan, Walter Kingsford, E.E. Clive, Forrester Harvey, J.M. Kerrigan, and Zeffie Tillbury as "The Opium Woman". 

Claude Rains gets a great showcase in this tale as the unstable John Jasper. The movie opens with Jasper having an opium-induced nightmare (which is a hint and a half on how the story is going to go). With his darkened hair, pale countenance, and black wardrobe, Rains resembles a vampire, and just with a gesture or a look the actor is able to put over to the audience what schemes Jasper is up to. David Manners and Douglass Montgomery were both the same type of actors--lightweight leading men--but I have to say the duo do some of their best film work here. Heather Angel is a bit too delicate as Rosa Bud--I felt that Valerie Hobson, who plays the role of Neville's sister, would have been a better choice. Hobson doesn't have much to do, but she still shows more spirit and screen presence than Angel does. 

The combination of production design, cinematography (by George Robinson), and a fine ensemble cast makes THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD an excellent, enjoyable film. This title seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle, due to the fact that it is not a all-out horror story, but there's plenty here for fans of Universal's Golden Age to appreciate. 

Kino's Region A Blu-ray of this film looks quite sharp at times. The main extra is a new audio commentary by David Del Valle, who discusses his love for early 1930s Universal thrillers and his admiration for Claude Rains. He also goes into detail about his multiple meetings with David Manners, when the former actor was an elderly man. 

I'm very pleased that Kino has given so many seemingly forgotten Universal releases from the 1930s and 40s a home on Blu-ray. The present-day Universal is still churning out their famous titles over and over again....but there's an entire catalog of lesser-known films the studio has control of that haven't received a proper home video release, and they have charms and revelations of their own. Here's hoping that Kino has more obscure items coming from the Universal canon.