Josh's Blind Buys: Watching The Unseen Collection (1 Viewer)

[Josh Steinberg]

I've always liked The Paradine Case a lot. I'm sorry to learn that the disc is not very good.

I didn't mean to make it sound that bad... most of the film looks very good. Some of it looks just average. It sounds consistent throughout, and has some good bonus features - if you're a fan of the film, I think this edition is worth a look

 

[Josh Steinberg]

100. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Viewed on: June 4th, 2017
Viewing Format: Blu-ray (Criterion)

Rather than overthinking it and trying to come up with some movie that could magically symbolize hitting 100 on this list (though it was tempting), I decided to go with another unwatched Hitchcock from my collection. This one had been sitting on the shelf since the July 2014 B&N Criterion sale, so I figured nearly three years of collecting dust was enough. I had picked it up because it was Hitchcock on Blu-ray on sale, but in the back of my head, I remembered hearing this wasn't one of his better efforts so it was never a priority to watch it. Better late than never, I hope.

This 1940 thriller stars Joel McCrea as the titular foreign correspondent, roped into covering a beat he has no knowledge of, because his editor likes his attitude and ambition. While investigating a story about a group of dignitaries trying to prevent the outbreak of WWII (the movie is set in 1939), McCrea witnesses an assassination. Partnering with another journalist (George Sanders) and the daughter of one of the dignitaries (Laraine Day), McCrea follows his story where it leads. I'm hesitant to reveal more because the film's plot is essentially a maze that McCrea and the viewer must navigate, and to explain who did what or who is running from what gives away the pleasure of watching the film unfold. Though the film isn't one of Hitchcock's best, it is fun seeing what will happen next to our protagonist.

This isn't prime Hitchcock, but it's by no means a bad film. It does take a little while to set up all the players, but once McCrea gets caught up in the thick of things, it starts moving along. I love the little flourishes that Hitchcock brought to the film: an overhead shot of a killer fleeing through a crowd of umbrellas getting lost in the crowd; McCrea distracting would-be hit-men out to get him in his hotel room by ordering room service, plumbing, and housekeeping after slipping out a window, and then sending a valet back for a change of clothes. Little touches like that are reminders of who's behind the wheel, but there are stretches where the film isn't as clever. There are moments when it gets draggy after building momentum; it's not as nimble or fun as The Lady Vanishes or The 39 Steps, nor does it sustain tension like Rear Window or The Man Who Knew Too Much.

The presentation on the Criterion release is first rate. The edition I have includes both Blu-ray and DVD versions; I watched the Blu-ray. The video is nearly pristine and the audio is perfectly clear. English subtitles are also available. It looks like there's a good array of bonus material, but I didn't sample any of it yet.

Foreign Correspondent isn't the best Hitchcock film I've ever seen, but it's not a bad one either. When Hitchcock shows his trademark wit and mastery of suspense, the movie is thrilling, but there are stretches when he's not putting much of a mark on the material, and the film is less impressive in those moments. Some of the images, like the overhead shot of umbrellas mentioned above, will stick with me longer than my recollection of the story. This Criterion edition features a beautiful presentation, and even minor Hitchcock is worth seeing in my book.

 

[Matt Hough]

I think Foreign Correspondent is a wonderful film and anything but minor Hitchcock, filled with twists and surprises and offering a wonderful chance for Joel McCrae to be the Hitchcock focal man in danger. And let's not forget that it was one of two Hitchcock films up for Best Picture of 1940, the other being the eventual winner Rebecca. We'll just have to agree to disagree about this one.

 

[Jimbo64]

I think Foreign Correspondent is a wonderful film and anything but minor Hitchcock, filled with twists and surprises and offering a wonderful chance for Joel McCrae to be the Hitchcock focal man in danger. And let's not forget that it was one of two Hitchcock films up for Best Picture of 1940, the other being the eventual winner Rebecca. We'll just have to agree to disagree about this one.

I agree wholeheartedly, Foreign Correspondent is one of my top 10 Hitchcock films! Joel McCrea and the rest of the cast were all on point, great sets and cinematography, 6 Academy Award nominations and Best Picture Award from the National Board of Review. It really doesn't get much better than this!

 

[TravisR]

I agree wholeheartedly, Foreign Correspondent is one of my top 10 Hitchcock films! Joel McCrea and the rest of the cast were all on point, great sets and cinematography, 6 Academy Award nominations and Best Picture Award from the National Board of Review. It really doesn't get much better than this!

Only Alfred Hitchcock could have made a movie as good as Foreign Correspondent and, in my opinion, still have it not be one of his absolute best movies. He's a victim of his own greatness.

The plane crash and sinking is a great sequence that still works well today. Considering what was going on in the world, the entire movie must have felt real and scary to a 1940 audience.

 

[Joel Arndt]

I've been meaning to reply to a number of your recent reviews and comments.

First off, I'm in agreement with the other posters above regarding Foreign Correspondent. Excellent Hitchcock and easily one of my favorites. Rebecca AND Foreign Correspondent in the same year. Wow! A hell of a beginning for Hitchcock's US career. Give FC another spin when you have time.

Along with others here, I haven't seen The Paradine Case, but have been planning to pick it up and will still do so even though the bd isn't flawless. One of the very few post 1934 Hitchcock titles that I haven't seen and have always wanted to for completist purposes.

I believe I may have been the one who mentioned how much I enjoy Disney's That Darn Cat (1965) on your thread. It's still one of my very favorite Disney live-action films. Possibly part of the appeal for me is that I first saw it in an early 70s re-release in a packed theater with an appreciative audience that howled with laughter. Some of the best character actors in this one, Elsa Lanchester, William Demarest, Roddy McDowall, Ed Wynn and the cat is great. Based upon your review of Blackbeard's Ghost I need to revisit that one, It's been years.

And finally, Those Redheads From Seattle. IMHO, it has one of the best and most informative commentary tracks I've ever heard. Very interesting information from Bob Furmanek and the 3-D Film Archive. They did an amazing job rescuing this title. Josh, it's not "heresy" to say you enjoy Redheads more than Kiss Me Kate.That's your opinion and Redheads is a very enjoyable film produced by the "Dollar Bills" Pine and Thomas , but Kate, for me, is a much better picture...and musical. KMK was one of Cole Porter's very best shows with iconic music and lyrics even though the ribald lyrics needed a bit of "taming" for the filmed version.Plus, I feel the cast of Kate did some of their very best onscreen work here. First time I saw KMK was the first time I saw SNL which was in its first season. Our local NBC affiliate played movies after SNL and I was watching it waiting for Kate at 1:00am. Needless to say, I became hooked on SNL as well.

Looking forward to reading your further reviews.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

"And finally, Those Redheads From Seattle. IMHO, it has one of the best and most informative commentary tracks I've ever heard. Very interesting information from Bob Furmanek and the 3-D Film Archive. They did an amazing job rescuing this title."

Wow, thank you Joel. I'm so glad you found the commentary interesting.

It was a pleasure talking 3-D with Hillary Hess, Jack Theakston and Greg Kintz!

 

[Joel Arndt]

Very much so Bob! And thanks for adding Hilary, Jack and Greg's names in your post. All of you do amazing work. Thank you!

"And finally, Those Redheads From Seattle. IMHO, it has one of the best and most informative commentary tracks I've ever heard. Very interesting information from Bob Furmanek and the 3-D Film Archive. They did an amazing job rescuing this title."

Wow, thank you Joel. I'm so glad you found the commentary interesting.

It was a pleasure talking 3-D with Hillary Hess, Jack Theakston and Greg Kintz!

 

[Bob Furmanek]

It really came about as a commentary track out of necessity. None of the previous tracks on 3-D titles have addressed the stereoscopic aspect - and a few have downright dismissed it.

I'm very glad that you enjoyed it!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Only Alfred Hitchcock could have made a movie as good as Foreign Correspondent and, in my opinion, still have it not be one of his absolute best movies. He's a victim of his own greatness.

I think that's the thing.

I wasn't trying to pan the movie, and if it came out that way, maybe I need to proofread these a little better. But I was trying to express what Travis said above.

I liked Foreign Correspondent. I found some of the twists to be predictable (a dead person not being dead, the love interest's father turning out to be the bad guy), but it was still an enjoyable picture. I can just think of a dozen or two dozen of his movies that I liked better so that's what led me to call it minor Hitchcock.

I think it's also a truism that a lesser Hitchcock is still better than most other people's major works.

 

[Joel Arndt]

Totally agree that lesser Hitchcock is better than other director's better works.

BTW, I didn't get the impression that you disliked Foreign Correspondent, but that you were a bit less enthusiastic about it than others of us are.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Cool, that's what I was going for.

On the plus side, I'll probably like it more the second time.

 

[TravisR]

I wasn't trying to pan the movie...

I didn't take it that way either.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

101. Son Of Frankenstein (1939)
Viewed on: June 4th, 2017
Viewing Format: Blu-ray (Universal)

I never get to watch scary movies in October. I always want to, and generally come up with ambitious plans to do so, but as the song goes, life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. Over the past few years, in the month of October, I've been to Disney World and I've been to Puerto Rico and I've gotten married, but I haven't watched a single scary movie. It looks like this coming October is going to be just as busy, so I've decided to try to get in some of these movies over the summer. I'm a big fan of James Whale's Frankenstein and Bride Of Frankenstein, but I've never seen any of the other films in the series. The upcoming Mummy movie had me interested in getting that new Blu-ray set of the classic mummy movies, and while I was at it, I picked up the Frankenstein Legacy Collection on Blu-ray as well. I rewatched Frankenstein and Bride Of Frankenstein (which I also had in the Universal Horror set from a few years ago), and remain impressed at both the quality of filmmaking and the presentation on the discs. The big question was what the uncharted territory of the other films would be like in comparison.

For Son Of Frankenstein, director James Whale declined to return, and was replaced by Rowland V. Lee. Happily, Boris Karloff returns as the monster, along with two welcome new additions, Basil Rathbone and Bela Lugosi. Rathbone is Frankenstein's son, claiming his inheritance and instantly at odds with the townspeople. Remembering the horror his father unleashed upon the town, they are immediately hostile towards him, despite his pledges to do only good. Soon, he encounters Ygor (Lugosi), struggling with a broken neck from a hanging that failed to kill him. Lugosi has been hiding the monster, now in weakened condition, in the old lab. When Rathbone tries to help the monster, Lugosi takes advantage of the creature's newly restored strength to pursue revenge against those who hung him.

While the film isn't as good as its immediate predecessors, it's still a worthy entry in the series. This time around, Karloff's monster doesn't get to speak, and expresses less of a personality overall. However, as the film progresses, it becomes understood that this is because he's injured and weak; it doesn't seem as if the performance has been dumbed down just for the sake of it. Lugosi is wonderful as Ygor, initially coming off as just slightly disturbed before his true madness is revealed. And Rathbone brings the whole thing together beautifully in the central role, his character initially all eagerness and unrestrained enthusiasm, but showing a conscience as events unfold. Lionel Atwill delivers a fine performance as the local police inspector who had been maimed by the monster as a child, but as an adult remains committed to ensuring that the son isn't made to pay for the sins of the father.

Son Of Frankenstein is one of eight films in the five disc Legacy Collection set; it shares a disc with Ghost Of Frankenstein. Running 100 minutes and without any bonus features, there's plenty of room on the disc for a quality presentation, and this certainly is one. The transfer has nearly pristine video, and equally good audio to match. English subtitles are available.

While Son Of Frankenstein isn't the best film in the series, it's a worthy entry in the series and a great opportunity to see Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Basil Rathbone sharing the screen. Compared to the earlier films, its not as well constructed and the pacing seems a little uneven at times, but it's still enjoyable. And as someone who loves Rathbone's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, it was fun to see him in an entirely different series.

 

[Matt Hough]

I haven't watched Son of Frankenstein in ages. If I can find the time today to put it in the player, I'll happily renew my acquaintance with it. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[BobO'Link]

Now that you've seen Bride... and Son... you can watch Young Frankenstein and "get" all the references. Brooks used those two films as the main inspiration for the spoof with several scenes and dialog lifted almost directly from Son....

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Watching Son, I couldn't help but notice which things inspired Young Frankenstein. I had always assumed it was primarily spoofing the Whale films and had no idea how much of Son is being sent up in Young.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

102. The Ghost Of Frankenstein (1942)
Viewed on: June 5th, 2017
Viewing Format: Blu-ray (Universal)

The Ghost Of Frankenstein is the next installment in the series; while Son Of Frankenstein was generally considered to be an "A" picture and made for a budget to match, Ghost is considered the first "B" picture entry in the series. Though the production values might have been trimmed, the movie still has great entertainment value.

This one sorta picks up where Son Of Frankenstein left off (as is the case with a lot of these Universal Monster sequels, there's enough continuity to keep the stuff the filmmakers want to reuse, but not a strict enough adherence to let anything from the previous film stop them from doing what they want to do with the new one). Though we saw Ygor (Bela Lugosi) die at the end of the previous film, we're now told that he survived and is living in Frankenstein's castle. The villagers want to burn down the castle to rid themselves of bad luck, and Ygor flees with the Monster (now played by Lon Chaney Jr.) to a new town, with the Monster injured in the struggle. Ygor leads a search for Dr. Frankenstein's brother Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), hoping that Ludwig can heal the monster. Arriving in town, the Monster comes to the aid of a small girl who's lost her ball (shades of the original film) and is mistaken by the townspeople as being a threat. Captured and locked up, the town prosecutor (Ralph Bellamy, slumming it but having fun) asks Ludwig (in his capacity as town doctor) to examine the patient. Ludwig connects the dots and realizes who the monster is and his familial connection to it. Though Ygor wants Ludwig to heal the creature, Ludwig has grave doubts, forcing Ygor to take matters into his own hands...

The transfer on the Blu-ray, part of the Legacy Collection set, is equal to the other transfers in the set and very pleasing to look at, with a clean picture and clear audio. Subtitles are also provided. The film shares a disc with Son Of Frankenstein, but I noticed nothing that detracted from the presentation.

The Ghost Of Frankenstein was a fun b-movie, with fun performances from Lon Chaney Jr., Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi. While not as moving as the original two films, and not remotely frightening, it was an entertaining film that I really enjoyed. I look forward to continuing with this set.

 

[Matt Hough]

I did finally get around to rewatching Son of Frankenstein a few nights ago. Very entertaining movie and amazing that Rathbone made this and his two Fox Sherlock Holmes pictures in the same year. I especially love how hysterical he becomes in the film's second half when control of Ygor and the Monster are out of his hands and he's trying to keep everything a secret. At certain moments, he gets so worked up you think he might burst a blood vessel.

Beautiful transfer (looked a little dark but as I recall in previous releases, it's always been a dark film).

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I didn't realize that Son was from the same year as the Holmes movies, wow, that's a great year for Rathbone!