Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  The Dark Eyes of London (1939)
A classic slice of British Grand Guignol starring Bela Lugosi as the head of an insurance company who commits murders in order to claim their inheritances aided by his henchman, the ghoulish Jake.
Lugosi is excellent here, holding back from his typical excesses in a role that exudes creepy menace whilst for once he isn't playing a vampire or mad scientist and he's all the better for it. The script serves him well, in fact he's better served than in the majority of his Hollywood movies. The fact that Bela... No. I won't say anything else regarding his role for anyone who might buy this new release from Network.
What i will say is don't look at the six beautiful double sided glossy art cards of which one side is of a film poster and the other lovely studio portraits from the film because one of them is one hell of a spoiler.
Aside from Lugosi the film stars Hugh Williams as a Scotland Yard inspector trying to get to the bottom of the murders and Edmon Ryan as a New York cop helping out. the pair have some terrific dialogue together and this early movie could be seen as a precursor to later films such as 1959's Jack the Ripper which has the exact same set up as well as non horror films such as 1975's John Wayne vehicle Brannigan and it's loose 1993 remake The Young Americans.
Norwegian actress Greta Gynt also has a meaty role as the film's heroine, she's especially good and not simply there to scream in terror.
Whilst the first half of the film is taken with the police investigation, this isn't surprising seeing as it's based on an Edgar Wallace story who himself wrote German Krimi stories (Think Giallo but German) it's the second half where the film becomes a delightful and atmospheric horror film with an attack on Gynt particularly well realized.
Network's Blu-ray looks gorgeous and the sound is crisp and clear. The package itself is top quality. There's a commentary from experts Kim Newman and Stephen Jones which i haven't listened to and a half hour chat about Lugosi and his four British films filmed in London's Edgar Wallace pub. I did watch this after the film and thought it highly informative as well as highly entertaining with Newman and Jones very easy to watch and listen to.
There's a fourteen page booklet on the film as well as the aforementioned six glossy double sided art cards and it's all finished off with an embossed soft touch slip case.
For £11.50 this is a fantastic package. |
Did this get sent out early Dem? It's still a preorder on Networks website.
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