Blu-ray Review Doctor X (1932) Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

A mystery thriller with overtones of horror and occasional comic interludes, Michael Curtiz’s Doctor X is a remarkably effective pre-code drama.



Doctor X (1932)



Released: 27 Aug 1932
Rated: Unrated
Runtime: 76 min




Director: Michael Curtiz
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller



Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy, Preston Foster
Writer(s): Robert Tasker (screen play), Earl Baldwin (screen play), Howard Warren Comstock (based on a play by), Allen C. Miller (based on a play by)



Plot: A wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer.



IMDB rating: 6.4
MetaScore: N/A





Disc Information



Studio: Warner Brothers
Distributed By: Warner Archive...

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[Robert Crawford]

I'm looking forward to watching this upcoming BD release as this movie really needed to have a restoration as the DVD and what was shown on TCM was frankly terrible looking. Thank you for the fine review as I look forward to listening to those two audio commentaries.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

So I’ve never seen this or Mystery of the Wax Museum, but they’re both on order - I was thinking that since they’re both on the shorter side and both two strip Technicolor that it might make for either a fun double feature or viewing on back-to-back nights.

Any thoughts on which to watch first?

 

[Matt Hough]

I'd watch them in order of release just as audience in their era did.

 

[Will Krupp]

Any thoughts on which to watch first?

I'm a chronological order queen** so I vote for watching them in order of release.




** you're talking to a crazy person who sorts his movies chronologically by original release date so take that for what it's worth.

 

[Robert Crawford]

So I’ve never seen this or Mystery of the Wax Museum, but they’re both on order - I was thinking that since they’re both on the shorter side and both two strip Technicolor that it might make for either a fun double feature or viewing on back-to-back nights.

Any thoughts on which to watch first?

I watch both movies the last week of October. My thoughts can be read here. When I watch the "Doctor X" BD, I will be watching the Blu-ray again for "Mystery of the Wax Museum" because I never got around to listening to that audio commentary. I would watch "Doctor X" first because it will be harder to get through than "Mystery of the Wax Museum" and former came out first in 1932, while the latter was released the next year.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm a chronological order queen** so I vote for watching them in order of release.




** you're talking to a crazy person who sorts his movies chronologically by original release date so take that for what it's worth.

I did that once back in my Boston days when I had roommates - I had one that was not the best fit for our situation and I got really annoyed at that person being a pain to me all day and then helping themselves to my movies at night. A chronological ordering cross referenced by original studio rather than home video label did the trick!

Thank you Matt and Robert and Will for the suggestions, I agree and will do it chronologically and I’m very much looking forward to it.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I'd watch them in order of release just as audience in their era did.

This also allows the viewer to conclude with the superior movie, as I think "Wax" works way better than "X"!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Doctor X was fun! I’ll have to check out the B&W version next time but the way they were able to salvage that surviving Technicolor print is just extraordinary.

 

[lark144]

I watched it last night. While I found Lee Tracy irritating--so glad they replaced him with Glenda Farrell in the second iteration--the color is amazing. Visually, I preferred it to "Wax Museum". So very beautiful. I love all the bottles, laboratory contraptions, and red and green sparks. The color has a painterly quality, a pleasing softness you don't find in three-strip. In particular, it reminds me of the Degas pastels of ballet dancers, where he used two tones. usually blue and red, with an out of focus neutral swirl for the middle ground. I want to place a shout out here for Ray Rennahan. What a master! I compared it to the black and white, and the conclusion is it's a lot scarier in color. (I grew up with the b&w version on TV, so the very first shot triggered my sense of nostalgia. It's so nice to see it looking so crisp and well-preserved. )