Experiment in Terror, an original and exciting thriller from director Blake Edwards, arrives on Blu-ray with a gorgeous black & white transfer from Sony and Twilight Time. Set in San Francisco, the film chronicles an extremely shocking series of events which ensue after Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick), a bank teller, is accosted in her garage by a psychopathic killer (Ross Martin) who demands that she help him rob the bank of $100,000. He warns her that if she does not cooperate or if she goes to the police he will not hesitate to kill her and her younger sister, Toby (Stefanie Powers). Chillingly, the deranged man makes it clear that he knows a great deal about Toby - where she goes to school, who her boyfriend is, and the details of her daily schedule. It is clear that he is terribly serious.
Experiment in Terror
Studio: Twilight Time/Columbia Pictures
Year: 1962
Rated: Not Rated
Program Length: 123 Minutes Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p Black & White
Languages: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH
The Program
Experiment in Terror, an original and exciting thriller from director Blake Edwards, arrives on Blu-ray with a gorgeous black & white transfer from Sony and Twilight Time. Set in San Francisco, the film chronicles an extremely shocking series of events which ensue after Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick), a bank teller, is accosted in her garage by a psychopathic killer (Ross Martin) who demands that she help him rob the bank of $100,000. He warns her that if she does not cooperate or if she goes to the police he will not hesitate to kill her and her younger sister, Toby (Stefanie Powers). Chillingly, the deranged man makes it clear that he knows a great deal about Toby - where she goes to school, who her boyfriend is, and the details of her daily schedule. It is clear that he is terribly serious.
In spite of the threats, Kelly contacts an FBI agent named Ripley (Glenn Ford) and tells him about the plot. They have a clandestine meeting at the bank in downtown San Francisco, but Ripley has very little to go on because Kelly has not gotten a look at the intruder. All she is able to tell Ripley is that the man has difficulty breathing and may be asthmatic. Ripley is faced with the dilemma of trying to protect Kelly and Toby without letting her adversary know that the police are involved. The case gets even more complicated when an odd woman named Nancy Ashton (Patricia Huston) comes to Ripley with vague concerns about being involved with someone who has committed crimes. This leads to a very spooky scene involving an apartment full of mannequins.
While Ripley tries to find clues about the identity of the sociopathic bank robber, the crook embarks upon a reign of psychological terror to keep Kelly in line. He calls her at home and at work, issues various instructions to her, and never fails to remind her that both she and her sister will pay the ultimate price if she crosses him.
Beautiful Lee Remick is thoroughly believable as Kelly, a woman who is understandably shaken to the core by the threats but who demonstrates considerable intestinal fortitude (Remick's next film, The Days of Wine and Roses, also directed by Blake Edwards, earned her a Best Actress Academy Award nomination). Stefanie Powers is sympathetic as Toby, and Glenn Ford is his usual sturdy self as FBI agent Ripley. The real revelation here is the performance of Ross Martin, who is probably best-known for his role as Artemus Gordon in the television series "The Wild Wild West." Edwards had previously used Martin in a mostly light-hearted role as the friend and business partner of the title character in the successful but ill-fated television series "Mr. Lucky," so his chilling performance here as a cold-blooded brute came as a surprise to many.
Another star of Experiment in Terror is the city of San Francisco, where virtually all of the exteriors were filmed on location, including such iconic sites as Fisherman's Wharf and Candlestick Park.
As is the case with all Twilight Time releases, this Blu-ray is a limited edition of 3,000 copies. Click here for ordering information.
The Video
Sony has provided Twilight Time with another first-class Blu-ray transfer. Blake Edwards had already developed a relationship with cinematographer Philip Lathrop on the television shows "Peter Gunn" and "Mr. Lucky," and Lathrop's work on Experiment in Terror is exceptional. The images are extremely sharp and detailed. Viewers who would like to see what some of the San Francisco exteriors look like today will have no problem reading the street signs and finding the locations with Google Street View (hint: Kelly's house is located at the intersection of Glenbrook Avenue and St. Germain Avenue, and it has not changed much in the past fifty years). Black levels are generally deep and solid, and shadow detail is excellent. The framing appears to be proper and the video is pleasingly film-like throughout.
The Audio
The 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack is very good. Dialogue is confined to the center channel and is clear and intelligible. The surround channels are used primarily to provide an expansive soundstage for Henry Mancini's remarkable and evocative musical score, and the audio also adds some punch to the sounds of sirens blaring and tires screeching during pursuits through the streets of San Francisco. As is typically the case with Twilight Time releases, there also is an isolated score track.
The Supplements
There are just a few extras here. In addition to the isolated score track, there are two theatrical trailers and two television spots.
It is interesting to note that trailers attempted to make a mystery about the fact that Ross Martin was playing the psychopath. Indeed, Martin's name does not appear in the opening credits and his face is obscured for the first half of the film. I am not sure that this gimmick had much effect, because film critics at the time were not reluctant to mention Martin's performance.
The on-screen catalogue of Twilight Time releases shows that Pony Soldier, In Like Flint, and Nicholas and Alexandra are scheduled to be released in February.
Included with the disc is an excellent and informative 8-page illustrated booklet written by film historian Julie Kirgo.
The Packaging
The single disc is packaged in a standard Blu-ray keep case.
The Final Analysis
Experiment in Terror is a riveting thriller which features an outstanding cast, wonderful cinematography, a superb musical score and more than a few chilling and suspenseful moments. This is another outstanding Blu-ray release from Twilight Time.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display, calibrated to THX specifications by Gregg Loewen
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Experiment in Terror
Studio: Twilight Time/Columbia Pictures
Year: 1962
Rated: Not Rated
Program Length: 123 Minutes Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p Black & White
Languages: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH
The Program
Experiment in Terror, an original and exciting thriller from director Blake Edwards, arrives on Blu-ray with a gorgeous black & white transfer from Sony and Twilight Time. Set in San Francisco, the film chronicles an extremely shocking series of events which ensue after Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick), a bank teller, is accosted in her garage by a psychopathic killer (Ross Martin) who demands that she help him rob the bank of $100,000. He warns her that if she does not cooperate or if she goes to the police he will not hesitate to kill her and her younger sister, Toby (Stefanie Powers). Chillingly, the deranged man makes it clear that he knows a great deal about Toby - where she goes to school, who her boyfriend is, and the details of her daily schedule. It is clear that he is terribly serious.
In spite of the threats, Kelly contacts an FBI agent named Ripley (Glenn Ford) and tells him about the plot. They have a clandestine meeting at the bank in downtown San Francisco, but Ripley has very little to go on because Kelly has not gotten a look at the intruder. All she is able to tell Ripley is that the man has difficulty breathing and may be asthmatic. Ripley is faced with the dilemma of trying to protect Kelly and Toby without letting her adversary know that the police are involved. The case gets even more complicated when an odd woman named Nancy Ashton (Patricia Huston) comes to Ripley with vague concerns about being involved with someone who has committed crimes. This leads to a very spooky scene involving an apartment full of mannequins.
While Ripley tries to find clues about the identity of the sociopathic bank robber, the crook embarks upon a reign of psychological terror to keep Kelly in line. He calls her at home and at work, issues various instructions to her, and never fails to remind her that both she and her sister will pay the ultimate price if she crosses him.
Beautiful Lee Remick is thoroughly believable as Kelly, a woman who is understandably shaken to the core by the threats but who demonstrates considerable intestinal fortitude (Remick's next film, The Days of Wine and Roses, also directed by Blake Edwards, earned her a Best Actress Academy Award nomination). Stefanie Powers is sympathetic as Toby, and Glenn Ford is his usual sturdy self as FBI agent Ripley. The real revelation here is the performance of Ross Martin, who is probably best-known for his role as Artemus Gordon in the television series "The Wild Wild West." Edwards had previously used Martin in a mostly light-hearted role as the friend and business partner of the title character in the successful but ill-fated television series "Mr. Lucky," so his chilling performance here as a cold-blooded brute came as a surprise to many.
Another star of Experiment in Terror is the city of San Francisco, where virtually all of the exteriors were filmed on location, including such iconic sites as Fisherman's Wharf and Candlestick Park.
As is the case with all Twilight Time releases, this Blu-ray is a limited edition of 3,000 copies. Click here for ordering information.
The Video
Sony has provided Twilight Time with another first-class Blu-ray transfer. Blake Edwards had already developed a relationship with cinematographer Philip Lathrop on the television shows "Peter Gunn" and "Mr. Lucky," and Lathrop's work on Experiment in Terror is exceptional. The images are extremely sharp and detailed. Viewers who would like to see what some of the San Francisco exteriors look like today will have no problem reading the street signs and finding the locations with Google Street View (hint: Kelly's house is located at the intersection of Glenbrook Avenue and St. Germain Avenue, and it has not changed much in the past fifty years). Black levels are generally deep and solid, and shadow detail is excellent. The framing appears to be proper and the video is pleasingly film-like throughout.
The Audio
The 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack is very good. Dialogue is confined to the center channel and is clear and intelligible. The surround channels are used primarily to provide an expansive soundstage for Henry Mancini's remarkable and evocative musical score, and the audio also adds some punch to the sounds of sirens blaring and tires screeching during pursuits through the streets of San Francisco. As is typically the case with Twilight Time releases, there also is an isolated score track.
The Supplements
There are just a few extras here. In addition to the isolated score track, there are two theatrical trailers and two television spots.
It is interesting to note that trailers attempted to make a mystery about the fact that Ross Martin was playing the psychopath. Indeed, Martin's name does not appear in the opening credits and his face is obscured for the first half of the film. I am not sure that this gimmick had much effect, because film critics at the time were not reluctant to mention Martin's performance.
The on-screen catalogue of Twilight Time releases shows that Pony Soldier, In Like Flint, and Nicholas and Alexandra are scheduled to be released in February.
Included with the disc is an excellent and informative 8-page illustrated booklet written by film historian Julie Kirgo.
The Packaging
The single disc is packaged in a standard Blu-ray keep case.
The Final Analysis
Experiment in Terror is a riveting thriller which features an outstanding cast, wonderful cinematography, a superb musical score and more than a few chilling and suspenseful moments. This is another outstanding Blu-ray release from Twilight Time.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display, calibrated to THX specifications by Gregg Loewen
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: January 15, 2013
