DVD Review Backlash (1947) DVD Review (1 Viewer)

Backlash (1947) DVD Review

During the golden era of Hollywood, most of the major studios had B-picture units that churned out programmers to occupy either the top or bottom half of double bills. Some really interesting and entertaining films were often B-pictures. Universal’s Basil Rathbone/Sherlock Holmes series were B’s. So were MGM’s Maisie movies. Eugene Forde’s Backlash was most definitely a B-picture with its no-name cast and sixty-six minute running time. There’s the kernel of an interesting mystery contained in this movie though clumsy writing and the rushed feeling of the whole enterprise make something of a muddle of it before its secrets are finally revealed.

Studio: Fox

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 480I/MPEG-2

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Audio: English 2.0 DD

Subtitles: None

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 1 Hr. 6 Min.

Package Includes: DVD

Amray case

Disc Type: DVD-R

Region: All

Release Date: 10/23/2013

MSRP: $19.98

The Production Rating: 2.5/5

Attorney John Morland (John Eldredge) finds out someone has been poisoning his food, and when a body wearing his ring is pulled out of a purposely wrecked car, several people come under the suspicion of killing him by Detective Lieutenant Jerry McMullen (Larry Blake) and his partner Sergeant Tom Carey (Richard Benedict): Morland’s possibly unfaithful wife Catherine (Jean Rogers) who may or may not be having an affair with the district attorney Richard Conroy (Richard Travis), John's law partner James O’Neil (Robert Shayne) to whom he owed money, and criminal “Red” Bailey (Douglas Fowley) whom Morland had picked up on the road after an alleged bank job and who is now missing. Jerry and Tom travel the convoluted path to the mystery’s solution.Irving Elman’s screenplay uses the flashback motif continuously to set up character expositions and potential motives, and they work rather well for so brief a movie, even if they sometimes seem too abbreviated to set up their points clearly enough. There are even conflicting flashbacks depending on who tells the stories to add to the mystery’s complications. As McMullen runs down all the leads and questions all of the suspects, Carey flirts with everything in a skirt playing a tiresome stereotypical masher character that intrudes on the storytelling apparatus. For those accustomed to the popularity of mysteries and procedurals on television for the past forty years, perhaps the machinations of the plot won’t seem quite as novel as they might have to audiences in 1947, and there are one or two pieces of the puzzle once it’s explained that don’t fall felicitously into place. A caution for those who may be interested in buying or renting this title, do not look closely at the DVD’s rear artwork since very foolishly major revelations to the mystery’s solution are revealed there.Though none of these actors in the cast ever rose to true star status, if you’re a fan of 1950’s television, you’ll know the faces of many of these people instantly: Larry Blake, John Eldridge, Robert Shayne, Douglas Fowley, and Richard Benedict appeared constantly on crime dramas and adventure shows throughout the decade stepping right out of their film studio contracts and into television without missing a beat. They’re all seasoned actors who handle their chores in this movie with the expected professionalism and more than a little panache. They make a mediocre little mystery just a step better.

Video Rating: 2/5 3D Rating: NA

The 1.33:1 aspect ratio of the film is true to its Academy ratio origins. The movie seems to have been culled from a variety of sources since the opening and closing credits appear newly (and cheaply) created, and the first reel is overly contrasted and rather ugly looking with crushed blacks that make shadow detail almost impossible to discern. Later reels are better with a stronger grayscale and surer black levels with decent whites and better than average sharpness. But naturally the MOD nature of the program means at least for this title there has been no clean-up at all, so the transfer is ripe with dust, dirt, debris, and damage rather constantly and with reel change cues popping up with expected regularity. The film has been divided into 7 chapters.

Audio Rating: 2/5

The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound mix will require some volume adjustment downward before the movie begins to prevent distortion. With no remastering of the audio elements, hiss is a constant companion, and there are pops, crackle, and noise throughout. Still, amid all that racket, one can still discern the dialogue well enough even if it occasionally sounds quite hollow and strained.

Special Features Rating: 0/5

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

Overall Rating: 2/5

Backlash could have been a decent little mystery with a script rewrite, and even as is it’s not a completely hopeless little puzzler. The Fox Cinema Archive release, though, is bottom of the barrel poor in terms of quality control.

Reviewed By: Matt Hough

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