THE MASK OF FU MANCHU On Blu-ray From Warner Archive

 

The Warner Archive unleashes on Blu-ray one of the wildest, wickedest Pre-Code thrillers--the 1932 MGM production of THE MASK OF FU MANCHU. 

During the heady days of classic Hollywood, MGM was considered the studio of class and distinction, but in the early 1930s they made some of the more outlandish horror films of the era, such as FREAKS, MAD LOVE, and this film. THE MASK OF FU MANCHU is so off-the-wall and crazy it makes the Sax Rohmer novels written about the title character seem tame by comparison. 

One thing about THE MASK OF FU MANCHU: MGM didn't skimp on any of the tawdry details. The sets, the costumes, and the expressive photography are a sight to behold (the production design can best be described as art deco on opium). One can only imagine how fantastic this movie would have looked in color. 

MGM took advantage of Boris Karloff's newfound horror popularity by giving him the title role. The actor himself thought the whole thing to be ridiculous, so he pitched his performance to the material. The result is that Boris is--dare I say it--almost Lugosi-esque here. Karloff really lets it rip, and the movie is all the more enjoyable for that. Boris is matched in his mad ravings by Myrna Loy as his sinfully slinky daughter. The supporting cast includes Lewis Stone as Fu's nemesis, the very stalwart Dennis Nayland Smith, Jean Hersholt, and a hysterical Karen Morley. 

The movie's production history was as outlandish as the picture itself, with multiple directors, script problems, and censorship issues. THE MASK OF FU MANCHU has gone down in history as one of the most politically incorrect movies ever made by a major American studio, due to its East vs. West racial themes, but the film is so absurdly fantastic that there's no point in trying to take it seriously. 

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU was released on DVD in 2006 by Warners as part of a box set devoted to early 1930s horror classics. That version was uncut, but the edited scenes that were restored had a very noticeable difference in picture and sound quality. This new Blu-ray also has the uncut version, and the once-edited scenes have a better quality to them, and their appearance is not as abrupt. Overall, the visual & sound quality is fantastic--this disc really shows off the exotic splendor MGM put in the project. 

On this Blu-ray, before the film starts, a text statement is shown explaining that this movie is a product of its time, and it may be offensive to some, etc. I understand why Warners felt the need to do this, but I'm sure anyone who would be offended by this film would never see it in the first place, and certainly wouldn't buy it on Blu-ray. 

This disc carries over the audio commentary by Greg Mank that was on the earlier DVD of the film. Greg's talk is fun and fast-paced, and despite having only 68 minutes to do so, he provides all the info, context, and background on what is a very unusual and complicated production. There's also a couple of early 30s Merrie Melodies cartoons (considering the bizarre nature of the film, a couple of Looney Tunes would have been more fitting). 

You can't get any more Pre-Code than THE MASK OF FU MANCHU. Boris Karloff gives one of his most lip-smacking portrayals as the fiendish Fu, and Myrna Loy is truly a dragon lady you're going to die for. This movie certainly isn't for the faint of heart. If you're looking for something that promotes peace, international brotherhood, and understanding, this ain't it.....but if you want a wild, wacky, and provocative ride, this Blu-ray of THE MASK OF FU MANCHU is for you. 

LET IT BE

 

The 1970 documentary LET IT BE is now available, in a restored edition, on the Disney+ streaming channel. The film covers the Beatles' attempts to record a brand new album and plan a concert around it in early 1969--but as fans of The Fab Four know all too well, things got complicated, and the group wound up performing the famed mini-show on the top of the Apple office building in London. 

I had never actually seen LET IT BE. Ironically many Beatles fans never have, simply because it has been unavailable in any official format for decades. Because of this all sorts of urban legends have grown up around the project, such as it made the band look bad, it was depressing, and it was nothing more than a road map to the breakup of the group. LET IT BE had such a notorious reputation that a few years ago Peter Jackson was allowed to go through all the footage that director Michael Lindsey-Hogg shot and create a mammoth eight hour mini-series called GET BACK, supposedly to present the Beatles and the original project in a much better light. 

Having now finally seen LET IT BE, I can say that this movie is much better--and much more positive--than I had been led to believe. I don't think this makes the Beatles look bad at all--if anything, Lindsey-Hogg went out of his way to steer clear from any controversies the group was having (and they were having plenty at the time). Lindsey-Hogg actually doesn't use very much of the Twickenham Studios footage (it was this locale that caused most of the problems on the project). 

There's no narration in LET IT BE, nor are there any onscreen titles, or any attempt to give context or info on what is happening. I assume that Michael Lindsey-Hogg was trying to keep things as "real" as possible, but the off-the-cuff atmosphere of the film matches how the Beatles themselves approached this project--they literally didn't seem to know what exactly they were going to do on any given day, nor did they know how the film was going to wind up. Billy Preston shows up about halfway through the film, almost out of the blue, and there's no set-up to the rooftop concert whatsoever--the Beatles are shown appearing on the roof and immediately playing. 

The movie has been fully restored, and the picture and sound quality is excellent. The best part of the film for me is when the group plays "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" back-to-back. It's chilling how moving these performances are, and it's magical to see these four extraordinary young men, at the height of their powers, performing together as a true band. The Phil Spector versions of these songs sound tepid in comparison. 

What amazes me about LET IT BE and GET BACK is how disorganized this project was. We live in a world now where mega-corporations and entertainment conglomerates carefully control and shape every bit of info that comes out anywhere, and here are the Beatles, the biggest act in the world at the time, engaging in a major multimedia production almost on the fly. For years anything connected to LET IT BE was looked down upon, even by most Beatles fans. Now due to GET BACK and this restored LET IT BE, it will be realized that the group--and their music--were still at the top of their game. (Remember that after the LET IT BE sessions, the Beatles would later that year record ABBEY ROAD, one of the greatest music albums of all time.) The Beatles have nothing to be ashamed about the LET IT BE documentary, and neither do their fans. 

BLUEBEARD (1944) On Blu-ray From Kino

 

The 1944 Gothic noir BLUEBEARD has had plenty of public domain home video releases, due to its being a product of Hollywood's poverty row. The movie now has an official release from Kino Lorber. 

BLUEBEARD, set in 19th Century Paris, was made by the low-budget PRC studio, and it was directed by a low-budget legend, Edgar Ulmer. It stars another low-budget movie legend, John Carradine, as puppeteer/artist Gaston Morrell, whose creativity unfortunately triggers his homicidal instincts. Morrell becomes interested in a beautiful modiste named Lucille (Jean Parker), while the woman's sister (Teala Loring) and a Paris detective (Nils Asther) try to track this "Bluebeard" down. 

Due to Ulmer and John Carradine's notable performance, BLUEBEARD has long had a cult reputation as a poverty row treasure. It's an above average film, obviously one of the better made products from PRC.....but I have to agree with Tom Weaver, who, on one of the audio commentaries on this disc mentions that when he first saw it he was somewhat underwhelmed. I had the same experience. I think I expected some poverty row craziness, and a more emotional John Carradine. BLUEBEARD tries to be more of a somber look at a sensitive murderer who can't stop himself from killing. Carradine's Gaston is a soft-spoken, brooding fellow who the script tries to create sympathy for. Carradine even looks a bit dashing here, although one still wonders why someone as vivacious as Jean Parker's Lucille would be interested in the guy. The lovely Parker, by the way, brings a much needed lively spark to a movie that is rather slow at times. 

BLUEBEARD does have some moody photography from Eugen Schufftan, and a supporting cast that is quite impressive for a PRC picture, with Nils Asther, Ludwig Stossel, Sonia Sorel (who was John Carradine's real-life love at the time), and Iris Adrian, who deserves mention for her cameo as a model who seems to have come to France by way of Brooklyn. Edgar Ulmer certainly put some care into this, and a few elements of it do remind one of MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, but BLUEBEARD might have been better if it played up to the more sensational aspects of the story. 

On the disc case Kino states that the print used is from a 2020 HD master by Paramount Pictures....but the visual quality overall is under average. There's a number of scenes that have visible damage, the picture lacks sharpness, and at times the audio sounds wobbly. This print does have the PRC logo at the beginning and the proper end title. I can only assume that this is the best version of the film that Kino could use. A number of film buffs online have already mentioned this disc's picture quality, due to the high standards one expects from Kino. 

As mentioned there are two brand new audio commentaries. One features the dynamic duo of classic horror film experts Greg Mank and Tom Weaver. Weaver lets Mank take the lead, and Greg gives his expected astute and informative analysis of the film. Mank reveals that BLUEBEARD had a far larger shooting schedule & budget than everyone has assumed, which may cause some to rethink their opinions of it (Ulmer has historically gotten a lot of compliments for making a film like this with supposedly almost no time and no money). The second commentary features David Del Valle, who gives his usual rambling talk that is filled with his usual stories about interacting with various members of the cast & crew. 

I have to say that I expected BLUEBEARD to look much better on this Blu-ray than it does--this is a Kino product, after all. The print used here is watchable enough, and the Greg Mank-Tom Weaver commentary is worth a listen, but some out there may want to wait to make a purchase until they see if a better version comes along. 

THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) On Blu-ray From Eureka

 

Eureka Entertainment's very first Region A release is an impressive presentation of the Universal 1927 silent mystery-thriller classic THE CAT AND THE CANARY. 

The original film adaptation of THE CAT AND THE CANARY had a great influence upon not just the old dark house genre but the Universal horror series in general. It has all the now-expected cliches of the comedy-mystery thriller--an eccentric old millionaire's will, a group of greedy relatives, sliding panels, secret passageways, and so on--but one must remember that this film and the John Willard play it was based on initiated most of these cliches. Due to Paul Leni's direction, Gilbert Warrenton's cinematography, and Charles D. Hall's art direction, the original THE CAT AND THE CANARY still stands out as a fun show, and an example of how inventive and creative Paul Leni was. The Bob Hope version of the story is more famous, but the silent version is the best overall adaptation. 

Eureka has done THE CAT AND THE CANARY proud with this release. The print presented on this disc is a 4K restoration of the original negatives, and it looks outstanding, with vibrant tinting. The music score, conducted by Robert Israel, is in 5.1, and it is based on music cue sheets created for the original 1927 release. 

The Blu-ray comes with a 36-page illustrated booklet that has three essays on the film written by Imogen Sarah Smith, Craig Ian Mann, and Richard Combs. The trio of articles go into the making and legacy of the film. (There is some overlap in the writers' observations.) There's also two new audio commentaries, one featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, and the other with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby. The talk with Jones and Newman has more info on the comedy-mystery thriller genre in general, and the one with Lyons and Rigby goes into greater detail about the lives and careers of the cast & crew. There is also some overlap between the two commentaries, but both are worthy to listen to, mainly due to the fact that the four men appreciate the film they are discussing, and enjoy talking about it. 

The disc also has a video essay by David Cairns and Fiona Watson that gives background detail on THE CAT AND THE CANARY and on those involved in making it, along with interviews with critics Pamela Hutchinson and Phuong Le. Also included are extracts from the John Willard play, and a Lucky Strike ad featuring Paul Leni. The Blu-ray has a reversible sleeve featuring original artwork by Graham Humphreys (see above). 

The silent THE CAT AND THE CANARY has had many home video versions over the years, but this one from Eureka is the presentation the movie deserves. Watching this movie on this Blu-ray makes one wonder what effect Paul Leni would have had on Hollywood history had he not died in 1929. Leni was certainly talented and artistic enough to make the transition to sound and even color. If Leni had lived, the Universal classic horror series might have been very different--and maybe better in some ways? 

I'm happy that Eureka Entertainment has now entered the Region A market, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they have in store for the future.