Warner Archive Press Release: The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment. Funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation
THE MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (1933)
Run Time 78:00
Subtitles English SDH
Audio Specs MONO - English, DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English
ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 1.37:1; 4 X 3 FULL FRAME
Product Color COLOR
Disc Configuration BD 25
Special Features: Documentary "Remembering Fay Wray"; Audio Commentary by Author.Film Historian Alan K. Rode; Audio Commentary by Scott MacQueen, head of preservation, UCLA Film & Television Archive; Restoration Featurette

Bodies are mysteriously disappearing all over town, and a new wax museum has just opened. Is there a connection? But of course! In this horror classic, Fay Wray (King Kong) stars as the intended next victim of a mad wax sculptor obsessed with her resemblance to one of his prior creations. Glenda Farrell plays a quintessential wisecracking newspaper reporter, and noted actor Lionel Atwill is the deranged artist who loses his studio to a fire set by his partner. Filmed in the early Two-Color Technicolor® process, The Mystery of the Wax Museum was considered a lost film for decades, until a well-worn print was discovered nearly 50 years ago. Thanks to the meticulous new restoration presented on this disc, the film can now be experienced as intended.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

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[Alan Tully]

Ooo, gotta have that. I last saw it an age ago on DVD (or was it VHS) looking terrible, but a lot of fun. I seem to remember Fay Wray was a wisecracking journalist & the ending was still very effective. It must be around 60 years ago when I saw some stills of it in the magazine Famous Monsters Of Filmland. Ah, so many great horror stills in that mag that I now have on great Blu-rays.

 

[[email protected]]

It was actually Glenda Farrell who played the wisecracking journalist.

 

[Marc Hampton]

Saw this restoration last year..absolute eye candy.

Can’t wait to have this blu!!!

 

[Alan Tully]

It was actually Glenda Farrell who played the wisecracking journalist.

Ha, well it has been an age since I last saw it, a whole lake of red wine & bourbon has flowed since then. That's a good thing, as I won't remember too much about it, it'll be like viewing it for the first time

 

[Robert Crawford]

Saw this restoration last year..absolute eye candy.

Can’t wait to have this blu!!!

That's good to hear as I can't wait to see this Blu-ray.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Wow! Pre-ordering this as soon as it's up. And even neater that they're decking this out with extras. If you haven't seen this before, you're in for a treat. Not just 2-color Technicolor (one of the last features in the process), but also pre-code.

 

[dana martin]

new level of awesomeness, already have Wax 3D, but there is something about this pre code, that works on a different level

 

[Thomas T]

I've kept the old House Of Wax DVD solely because of Mystery Of The Wax Museum as an "extra" or bonus feature. I have the HOW blu ray and now it will be nice to have MOTWM on blu too.

 

[John Sparks]

What a great addition to our horror collections!!!

 

[borisfw]

This is great. Love Fay Wray and am interested in seeing the documentary "Remembering Fay Wray". Another classic horror from the 30s on Blu ray.

 

[Robert Harris]

Mystery of the Wax Museum, Restored: Q&A with Scott MacQueen | UCLA Film & Television Archive

www.cinema.ucla.edu

 

[bujaki]

Saw the 35mm nitrate print of this in 1973. Can't wait to get this. I hear it's awesome!

 

[cadavra]

A few years ago I had the opportunity to see both WAXes within a couple of days of each other, and as wonderful as HOUSE is, MYSTERY proved to be the superior of the two, not only because of the sharper script and performances, but also because in HOUSE it's clear from the outset that Price is the killer,

Spoiler

whereas MYSTERY cleverly maneuvers around his appearances so it takes a while before we realize it's Atwill.

Not to mention the contemporary setting is far preferable to the 1890's of HOUSE.

 

[lark144]

Saw the 35mm nitrate print of this in 1973. Can't wait to get this. I hear it's awesome!

Was it 1973? I thought it was earlier. Saw it at both the NYFF & MOMA, and it looked beautiful, way better than the DVD. I think at NYFF it might have been Jack Warner's personal print and a few years later at MOMA, it was part of an AFI restoration series. But definitely the best two colot Technicolor I've ever seen. Dazzling to watch, plus in addition to the horror, an excellent, fast-paced Warners pre-code comedy with tough as nails babes. Can't wait!

 

[Garysb]

Here is the before and after restoration comparison from the article Mr. Harris referenced above.

 

[Matt Hough]

Most interesting and very impressive!

 

[bujaki]

Was it 1973? I thought it was earlier. Saw it at both the NYFF & MOMA, and it looked beautiful, way better than the DVD. I think at NYFF it might have been Jack Warner's personal print and a few years later at MOMA, it was part of an AFI restoration series. But definitely the best two colot Technicolor I've ever seen. Dazzling to watch, plus in addition to the horror, an excellent, fast-paced Warners pre-code comedy with tough as nails babes. Can't wait!

It was shown as part of the Warners Retrospective series in '73. The print may have been Jack Warner's own.

 

[lark144]

It was shown as part of the Warners Retrospective series in '73. The print may have been Jack Warner's own.

AH, I saw two earlier screenings, one which was Jack Warner's print @ NYFF probably '70 & one from the AFI @ MOMA probably '71.