DVD Review International Settlement DVD Review (1 Viewer)

International Settlement DVD Review

The B-picture units at the major Hollywood studios often turned out cracking good yarns that ran on either the top or bottom half of double bills, and Eugene Forde’s 1938 adventure thriller International Settlement is one such movie: a taut little adventure taking place during the Sino-Japanese War featuring either stars of old looking for some last flickering beams of fame or rising cinema names gaining valuable experience before the camera. With decent studio backlot locations substituting for Shanghai and some then-current newsreel footage pieced into the film at explosive moments, International Settlement may contain an erratic mix of dramatic and comic romances planted into the skirmish, but it holds the attention for its 84-minute running time.

Studio: Fox

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 480I/MPEG-2

Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1

Audio: English 2.0 DD

Subtitles: None

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 1 Hr. 24 Min.

Package Includes: DVD

Amaray case

Disc Type: DVD-R

Region: 1

Release Date: 12/16/2014

MSRP: $19.98

The Production Rating: 3/5

International adventurer Del Forbes (George Sanders) is on his way to Shanghai at the outbreak of the war between the Chinese and Japanese when he’s offered $10,000 by munitions dealer Maurice Zabello (Pedro de Cordoba) to impersonate him at a money-for-arms exchange with Joseph Lang (Harold Huber) and his partner Murdock (John Carradine), neither of whom have ever met the real Zabello. Despite an early assassination attempt on him by cafe singer Lenore Dixon (Dolores Del Rio) (who warms greatly to him once she realizes he’s not who he says he is), the $1 million deal goes through easily enough even though Del realizes after Lenore’s attempt on his life that others will also be after him. In fact, he’s pursued through the streets of Shanghai after the deal and barely escapes with his life when henchmen working for Monte Silvers (Leon Ames) come looking for him. But the sudden natural death of Zabello along with a Japanese bombing raid on the city puts everyone’s lives in danger with a number of villains out to retrieve that $1 million payout.

The Lou Breslow-John Patrick screenplay has plenty of ammunition for a sizzling wartime caper without the irritating and completely unnecessary addition of a comic romantic subplot between overly peppy journalistic novice Joyce Parker (June Lang) and wisecracking newsreel photographer Wally Burton (Dick Baldwin). Their antics (her ineptitude with chopsticks, her underestimation of a powerful Chinese cocktail, the two taking pokes at each other’s chins) are occasional disruptions to the interesting developing relationship between Del and Lenore and the complicated monetary exchange for those munitions that has various people scurrying around for a particularly loaded money belt. Ace B-movie producer Sol M. Wurtzel and director Eugene Forde keep things moving along nicely with winding studio backlot cobblestone streets standing in nicely for real Chinese locations, and even though the focus shifts surprisingly in the last twenty minutes as Del’s life hangs in the balance as Lenore tries desperately to get help for him all done while bombs are continually exploding all around them (pretty good integration of actual bombing in China going on with the huge numbers of people running frantically for cover), one can’t guess where the movie is going to end up.

The top-billed Dolores Del Rio and George Sanders certainly stand out from the crowd with their performances. Del Rio’s singing voice may be dubbed in the movie by Winnie Parker (odd since Del Rio sang for herself in early talkies and even cut a few records), but her acting is quite assured and believable throughout. The very young looking George Sanders makes a very appealing hero, a nice change from the scoundrels and rogues he’d soon become famous for playing. Dick Baldwin talks too loudly and enunciates too emphatically as the juvenile hero of his subplot while June Lang is tiresomely plucky and audacious, never staying out of danger when told and always needing to be rescued due to her impetuousness. Leon Ames makes a sneaky, sneering villain, and Harold Huber and John Carradine, Fox stock company utility players, do fine with their roles. Keye Luke has a couple of good scenes as a helpful doctor making his inevitable end the most tragic in the film. Ruth Terry gets fifth billing for singing a specialty number “The Shrug” early on and then disappearing for the rest of the movie.

Video Rating: 3.5/5  3D Rating: NA

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 is faithfully retained for this DVD release. Though there is some evidence of print damage, and a few random specks and small scratches are here and there, most of the film is very sharp and very clear. Fox has taken some time and care with this presentation since there are no reel change markers, and the grayscale is quite beautiful and appealing with rich, deep black levels and crisp, clean whites. The film has been divided into chapters every ten minutes so there are 9 chapters present here.

Audio Rating: 2.5/5

The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound mix is decoded by Dolby Prologic into the center channel. While dialogue, music, and sound effects occupy the track in complementary fashion, the sound mix’s most important problem is a constant level of hiss, especially noticeable in quieter scenes. Volume levels are overly robust and must be adjusted to prevent damage to equipment and distortion of the sound quality. Even with an adjustment, there is some crackling distortion to be heard during the bombing scenes.

Special Features Rating: 0/5

There are no bonus features on this made-on-demand disc.

Overall Rating: 3/5

International Settlement is one of those movies where the viewer goes in with fairly low expectations and comes away more impressed than expected. Sure, the B-movie budget means certain special effects don’t get the glitz and expansiveness that Fox would have given one of their A-pictures like In Old Chicago or The Rains Came. But it’s a neat little wartime thriller, and the cast for the most part does a very fine job, the storytelling aided enormously by this above average effort from Fox Cinema Archives.

Reviewed By: Matt Hough

Support HTF when you buy this title:

I've never seen this film but I'm a great admirer of George Sanders. I'll put this film on my list of DVDs to buy during a quiet month!

It's nice to read your reviews of these Fox MODs when you have a lull in regular reviewing product. I've picked up a few of these on your recommendation. I'm guessing Fox isn't aware of this or concerned with it either way, but there it is.