THE
INVISIBLE MAN (1933)Director: James Whale
Universal Home Video
THE
INVISIBLE MAN (1933)A classic in the horror genre, THE INVISIBLE MAN is recommended for anybody claiming to be a fan of fright films. It's a masterpiece from a masterful director, complete with tongue-in-cheek humor and genuinely terrifying scenarios.
Claude Rains give his first significant performance as Jack Griffin, a scientist who has developed a drug that can turn one transparent but gradually reduces him to a raving lunatic. Rains tries in vain to find a formula which can help him regain his visibility, all the while going madder and madder.
Even though Rains is featured in bandages throughout the film, it is his gut-wrenching voice which creates the horrifying performance here. It demonstrates just how great an actor he was, despite the fact that his face is not actually revealed until the final moments of the story.
You would think that a great and enduring centerpiece of horror cinema such as this would warrant a nice presentation, wouldn't you? Not when you're dealing with Universal Home Video. This addition to the "classic monster series" suffers from the same indifference as the last batch (see my UNIVERSAL (UN)APPEAL for details) and is mournfully inadequate. The transfer is the same grainy and speckled war horse that was issued on the old VHS tape. Apparently, nobody at the front office is interested in doing an extensive job of re-mastering these titles, and maybe even dipping into their pockets for the money necessary to perform the painstaking frame-by-frame restorations that these classic movies deserve.
I'm tired of hearing that ridiculous argument: "Well, these are old films; you've got to take that into consideration." Well, why don't those same people take THIS into consideration: Criterion's MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932- and older than INVISIBLE MAN) looks like sterling silver in contrast to Universal's discs. The Roan Group even made WHITE ZOMBIE (1932 also) look beautiful by working with different prints to turn a grade C production by the Halperin brothers into an A-looking masterwork! Other black and white oldies which look better than Universal's include such similar fare as THE BRUTE MAN (from Image), THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK (also Image), and THE APE (a real cheapie, but looking pristine from Roan).
INVISIBLE MAN is riddled with dots, lines, grain, and scratches. I grant you that once you get used to them they're not too distracting, but why should I have to settle for that in this day and age of digital disc enhancement, especially when the movie in question is a classic innovator from horror's Golden Age!?
If there's one thing I insist on with a DVD, it's that the picture must appear "smooth" and glass-like. I can even tolerate markings on the print, as long as the picture looks silky soft. Instead, I often feel like I'm seeing a 16mm print when watching the Universal discs.
A commentary track is featured on this DVD, as well as a still gallery and a documentary. There is no trailer because one does not exist. All extra features this time are pretty dull, but I suppose it's nice to have them anyway. One other thing for me to rant about is that the co-star of INVISIBLE MAN, Miss Gloria Stuart, is not interviewed. She's still with us, fresh from her role in TITANIC, and should have been represented. I just hope that she was approached and declined; I'd hate to find out that she was not even taken into consideration by Universal. It's also typical that we have to rely on THE OLD DARK HOUSE disc (from that wonderful company Image again) where we actually get a complete audio commentary on the film from Gloria Stuart herself! Too bad the more independent companies couldn't get the rights to this feature.
One little compliment I can pay Universal is regarding their improved sound quality for this movie. It's clear and free of hiss, and I've never heard it sound better. Thanks.
At least Universal Home Video is bothering to release their monster films (pity I can't say the same for Warner and their Hammer Horror catalogue) and I hope that they get the rest of their classics out in the next few years. As their VHS tape masters got more improved, even they began to appear slick. This means that second-string titles like THE INNER SANCTUM mysteries and the JUNGLE WOMAN trilogy should knock our socks off somewhere down the pike. (Joe Lozowsky)