A Few Words About A few words about...™ Universal Monsters -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

I should say the house owner is in a nursing home right now. But she loved the movies when she was there.

 

The remaining films this year: "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Mad Monster Party," "Trick R Treat," "An American Werewolf in London," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and "E.T. the Extra-Terrrestrial."

 

[David Norman]

FWIW, my shipments from Amazon.uk lately have been arriving in a week or less, including my coffin box which came within the week.

Usually my Royal Mail arrives in about a week. My Monsters plus a couple others this time shipped DHL on Oct 1 and arrived Oct 13 -- honestly I was
a bit shocked since I always expect close to a month for DHL and even the extimated delivery was the 26th.

 

[Mark-P]

I just watched "Phantom of the Opera," projected of course, and I'm in agreement with those who are scratching their heads over the very low marks that reviewers are giving the quality of the disc. I thought it was quite a lush and beautiful presentation. I kept an eye out for registration errors and only a couple of times could I spot any, and in my opinion they were very minor, especially compared to the horrible registration errors I've seen on DVDs such as "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" and "Dodge City." So this is just one of those times when I've been completely satisfied with a product that has been panned by the reviewers. Go figure.

 

[David Weicker]

Watched several of these this weekend with my sons. They looked terrific. (UK versions).
After watching both The Invisible Man and Bride Of Frankenstein, I have to say that Una O'Connor is definitively an acquired taste. And my sons and I haven't acquired it. I'm wondering if the Frau Bleucher bit was inspired by her wails.
Watched Phantom Of The Opera today, and enjoyed it a lot more than I remember from past viewings. Sure as a monster movie, it doesn't come close to the Chaney version(s). Still, it was enjoyable on its own. The opera singing is quite good, and I really liked the humor of the suitor rivalry (although in one scene, I felt like I was watching Spanky and Alfalfa trying to woo Darla - but I love the Little Rascals, so that was OK).
Still, I have to say that the set is great.
David

 

Una is very good in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "The Bells of St. Mary's." In "St. Mary's" she is very calm!

 

[JohnMor]

today, and enjoyed it a lot more than I remember from past viewings. Sure as a monster movie, it doesn't come close to the Chaney version(s). Still, it was enjoyable on its own. The opera singing is quite good, and I really liked the humor of the suitor rivalry (although in one scene, I felt like I was watching Spanky and Alfalfa trying to woo Darla - but I love the Little Rascals, so that was OK).
Still, I have to say that the set is great.
David

Okay, you guys have convinced me to spin it next.

 

[David Weicker]

Una is very good in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "The Bells of St. Mary's." In "St. Mary's" she is very calm!

Actually, I don't mind Una. My son kept egging on the monster to silence her.
She was also much 'calmer' in The Sea Hawk and Witness For The Prosecution.
It would have been an interesting pairing if she and Jonathan Harris (Dr. Smith from the later seasons of Lost In Space) could have worked together. Which of your speakers would blow out first? (I know, I know, wrong decades and such, but still...).
David

 

[Ejanss]

After watching both The Invisible Man and Bride Of Frankenstein, I have to say that Una O'Connor is definitively an acquired taste. And my sons and I haven't acquired it. I'm wondering if the Frau Bleucher bit was inspired by her wails.

Oh, Frau Blucher (whinny!) was unquestionably inspired by O'Connor, although I don't recall her ever playing sinster hausfraus--
Tended to play more peasant period-color/comedy-relief, and was out of the series by the time Son of/Ghost of Frankenstein came along.
I remember seeing Invisible Man with an audience at an all-night festival where some of us were just starting to drop off, which made us that much more ready to stifle Una's shrieking--which was more prevalent in Invisible Man than in Bride of Frankenstein--with the nearest pillow.
(Although "Son of the Invisible Man" from Amazon Women on the Moon was better:
)

 

[Steve Tannehill]

When I was 11 or 12, my father took me to a double feature of Frankenstein and Dracula. I have tried to recreate that day on laserdisc, DVD, and now blu-ray.
I ordered the set from Amazon.co.uk last Thursday, and it showed up today via Royal Mail/USPS.
I am looking forward to the double feature, Dracula with the Philip Glass score, and a follow-up with Spanish Dracula.

 

[chas speed]

I thought "Phantom of the Opera" looked perfect and also thought "The Wolf Man" looked great. This is an amazing set!

 

[Matt Stieg]

I find the choice of windowboxing in The Wolf Man to be pretty annoying and questionable given that the previous 2010 Legacy DVD (which was also culled from an HD master no less) was NOT windowboxed. Don't understand why they would feel the need to go back and windowbox a blu-ray release. Still, a minor gripe in what otherwise sounds like a stellar set. Every film in this set (except the '43 Phantom, no disrespect to the film intended) is pretty much responsible for my love of cinema.

 

[MichaelEl]

I just watched "Phantom of the Opera," projected of course, and I'm in agreement with those who are scratching their heads over the very low marks that reviewers are giving the quality of the disc. I thought it was quite a lush and beautiful presentation. I kept an eye out for registration errors and only a couple of times could I spot any, and in my opinion they were very minor, especially compared to the horrible registration errors I've seen on DVDs such as "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" and "Dodge City."

Both the Blu-Ray and the DVD of PHANTOM have crushed blacks during many scenes, and that makes the registration problems less apparent. During the opera sequence that starts about 40 minutes in, the Blu-Ray looks nearly perfect. Outside of that sequence, it tends to look either very soft (registration problems) or else too dark (contrast boosting?).

 

[Matt Stieg]

My UK set arrived yesterday. Took a look at several of the films and watched the whole of The Invisible Man and all I can say is...wow...just wow. These films just look so beautiful it almost brought a tear to my eye. I never, EVER thought I would see Dracula look as rich and vibrant as it does here, I just never thought that would happen. My jaw was just on the floor.
In regards to Creature, I'm not exactly sure the problem people are having. I noticed the back and forth between sharp/detailed and dupey-looking shots, but isn't that just because of the optical dissolves? (Granted the underwater footage also looked soft, but to my memory that's always looked softer and fuzzier compared to the rest of the film, with the underwater footage in the sequels looking much sharper). The same thing happens on Criterion's blu-ray of Anatomy of a Murder reptical dissolves and I don't recall anyone have a complaint about that.

 

[Spottedfeather]

Are the 4:3 movies windowboxed so if you're watching on a 4:3 tv, the image is a square with black on all four sides ?

 

[Woody8]

Can anyone remember if earlier home video releases of Creature had stereo audio? I gave my earlier copies away, but still have a copy of "It Came From Outer Space" with stereo audio

 

[Spottedfeather]

I know that the original audio for Creature was mono. I don't have it on dvd, so I wouldn't know about it being in stereo ever.

 

[Robert Harris]

Just for fun...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTvQW0FV-j8&feature=youtu.be

 

[John Morgan]

Just for fun...

They probably should have left it alone, but I remember in the earlier, unrestored version of this film had a jump cut at that point. I figured that when the film was originally cut there was a short cut into the hermit's hut at that point. And they had moved forward the camera closer to the hut which resulted in the jump when it was edited together as a single cut, and the branches were out of frame. I guess the restorationists figured the eye would be on the monster and his jump was more distracting than the disappearing branch. Of course, most of us monster kids, know these films backward and forward.

 

[Dan_Shane]

Oh, Frau Blucher (whinny!) was unquestionably inspired by O'Connor, although I don't recall her ever playing sinster hausfraus--

Neither do I, and I suspect Frau Blucher was more likely inspired by Judith Anderson in Rebecca. She was as sinister as they come in that role.