Pre-Order The Old Dark House (1932) (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

My disc is own its way to me and for only $12.74 as Deep Discount had a 15% off sale from the $14.99 price.

 

[Camps]

Got mine. It's gorgeous. A no-brainer for any '30s horror fan.

 

[warnerbro]

I can't wait! It comes tomorrow! How did you get your so early, Camps!

 

[Matt Hough]

My copy of this is supposed to arrive today along with Hell on Frisco Bay. Hard to know which one I want to watch first.

 

[warnerbro]

Where is the sequence where the sound is bad?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Just discovered that iTunes is selling the restored The Old Dark House HD digital stream and extras for $9.99! The preview looked excellent on my OLED.

 

[Matt Hough]

The Blu-ray disc offers yet another astonishing restoration of an old film. Not a speck of dirt or dust anywhere and no scratches or other anomalies. Yes, the sound is still a bit hissy, but the picture quality astounds!

I really enjoyed watching it this afternoon.

 

[A. Pismo Clam]

Got mine today and couldn't be happier! In her commentary, Gloria Stuart talks about James Whale's meticulousness and attention to detail. I'm enjoying seeing the details in things such as Morgan's face, the wood carvings in the dining room chairs, and so on...

To answer a previous post, the segment of audio with increased hiss lasts from 57:20 to 1:04:53, possibly from one reel of audio coming from a different source as was previously suggested. The audio clears up again about two seconds before what appears to be a reel change. Aren't the picture and audio staggered a second or two on film prints? Maybe an expert can chime in. I'd love to know more about how audio is sourced for these film restorations... At any rate, the audio is clear behind the hiss, which I prefer to the use of noise reduction.

 

[warnerbro]

Just watched the iTunes version and it looks like a brand-new film. The extra was supposed to be Daughter of Frankenstein but instead it was a making of version of Churchill. On the iTunes version they also deleted the beginning Producer's Note about Karloff being in this film. It's ironic that the problem with the sound is the only section where Saul speaks... (spooky!) (spoiler alert) It begins where we see his face for the first time until he sets fire to the curtain. And I see they cleaned up the bumpiness during the scene with the old father (who is really a woman -- I love that twist that James Whale threw in). And the picture is so pristine you can actually see every wrinkle and hair on the old man for the first time!

 

[warnerbro]

It's ironic that the problem with the sound is the only section where Saul speaks... (spooky!) (spoiler alert) It begins where we see his face for the first time until he sets fire to the curtain. And I see they cleaned up the bumpiness during the scene with the old father (who is really a woman -- I love that twist that James Whale threw in). And the picture is so pristine you can actually see every wrinkle and hair on the old man for the first time!

 

[skylark68]

Got mine this evening... Have to wait until Friday to watch though...

 

[warnerbro]

Cohen deleted the PRODUCER'S NOTE at the beginning! The one that explains that this is the same Karloff that played the Frankenstein Monster. How could they do that? What happened! The picture, however, looks miraculous!

 

[Paul Penna]

Cohen deleted the PRODUCER'S NOTE at the beginning! The one that explains that this is the same Karloff that played the Frankenstein Monster. How could they do that? What happened! The picture, however, looks miraculous!

This issue is addressed in the Classic Horror Film Board thread that starts at this post:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/mon...1932-4k-restoration-t67148-s220.html#p1317363

In one of the following posts Tom Weaver reports that Cohen said that the Producer's Note was not in the original negative.

 

[warnerbro]

That's weird because Kino's version had the producer's note and they said they used the original negative. Why couldn't Cohen have put it on there anyway? This reminds me of the WEST SIDE STORY debacle where they faded out the opening overture. But what they did with this transfer is still beautiful beyond belief. It is most apparent I think when you look at the scene with the old man/woman. You can actually see the spirit gum holding the whiskers on her lip. And every one of the hairs in her wig is in crisp focus.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Only one "complaint" about the Blu-ray: there's a weird patch late in the film where background noise goes crazy. For most of the film, we get only a light layer of noise, but for about 7 minutes, the noise becomes much more dominant.

I have no idea why this happened - it's a minor blotch on an otherwise stellar release, but it's definitely a distraction...

Edit button now found under More, made two posts....ooops.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Scrub the post above, just realised it’s audio you were talking about, this is what happens when you just wake up and post on home theater forum.

 

[Brian Kidd]

I don't know how, but I've never gotten around to seeing this one, even though it's right up my alley. Looks like another purchase is on the horizon. I hope my wife will eventually understand my sickness.

 

[Jack Theakston]

In one of the following posts Tom Weaver reports that Cohen said that the Producer's Note was not in the original negative.

That may be the case, but I don't think that means it wasn't there to begin with. In fact, it makes more sense that it was cut out later on. That being said, it's not a deal-breaker.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm extremely happy with my disc, which I watched last night.

I could swear I had seen this movie on VHS back in the day. Everything about the description when I preordered seemed familiar, and I could have sworn I knew it. But watching the film, I didn't recognize or remember a thing. I really enjoyed every moment of it, but it turns out this was a blind buy afterall. I must've been thinking about either "The Raven" or "The Black Cat". Either way, I'm very happy to have this, even if it wasn't actually the movie I was thinking of!

 

[Dick]

It's ironic that the problem with the sound is the only section where Saul speaks... (spooky!) (spoiler alert) It begins where we see his face for the first time until he sets fire to the curtain. And I see they cleaned up the bumpiness during the scene with the old father (who is really a woman -- I love that twist that James Whale threw in). And the picture is so pristine you can actually see every wrinkle and hair on the old man for the first time!

Oddly, the curtains are still on fire when the two men fall from the upper landing, but then, the fire simply never gets addressed. Did the fire dept. show up and extinguish it during the fade-to-black? Anyway, loved this transfer. Light years ahead of the earlier DVD.