Experiment in Terror Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Experiment in Terror Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2017

Blake Edwards' "Experiment in Terror" (1962) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original promotional materials for the film; new video interview with actress Stefanie Powers; new audio commentary by film critic Kim Morgan; and more. The release also arrives with a 32-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Kim Morgan's essay "Experiment in Terror", Jeff Billington's essay "Operation Gordon: The Secret FBI Files of Experiment in Terror's Writers", and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The reluctant accomplice

One very important detail about Blake Edwards’ Experiment in Terror that some viewers miss is that it is not a traditional film noir. It was conceived as a psychological thriller with an evolving identity which actually functions a lot like David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. In fact, the manner in which Edwards transforms San Francisco into a key character is pretty much identical to the way Lynch treats Los Angeles in Mulholland Dr. The specific stylistic techniques that the two directors employ are obviously very different, but they both shift the angle from which the cities have been previously seen and in the process let them play with the minds and expectations of their characters. Remember this as it will help you keep everything that happens in Experiment in Terror in the proper context, as well as remain aware of the fact that its unique ambience is a crucial element of its story.

The elegant bank teller Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) is ambushed in her own garage and nearly strangled to death by a mysterious man (Ross Martin) who threatens to kill her and her teenage sister, Toby (Stefanie Powers), if she does not immediately agree to help him steal $100,000 from the bank that employs her and then hand the money to him. The man also tells her that if she attempts to warn the police or her bosses he will again not hesitate to kill. Kelly immediately panics and agrees to do what she is asked, but after the man disappears into the shadows of the night she reaches out to a good friend (Patricia Huston) who then contacts FBI agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford). Soon after, Ripley goes hunting for the attacker and tracks down a Chinese woman (Anita Loo) who might still be in a relationship with him, but she refuses to reveal his identity because he has been paying the hospital bills of her seriously ill son. Ripley and his colleagues then set up a trap for the man while letting him believe that Kelly is going to help him execute his plan. At Candlestick Park where Kelly is supposed to hand the stolen money to the man, however, a very large crowd of Giant fans seriously complicate Ripley’s job.

The story does have some obvious flaws, mostly introduced by a few choices that do not follow conventional logic, but they all seem to work quite well for Edwards’ experiment to prove that a city with a unique personality can have the ability to mess with people’s heads and at the right time perhaps even intentionally create a chain reaction of tragic events. So while the hunt for Kelly’s attacker is underway, Edwards dives into San Francisco’s underbelly and what he captures with his camera, especially at night, is both mighty atmospheric and quite often actually genuinely spooky. (The nighttime sequence where the thick fog quickly begins to cover the city while the FBI agents are trying to monitor Kelly’s home is simply superb). This is essentially the main reason why there is some of the same ambiguity in the film that Lynch will eventually expand and masterfully use to create the stunning puzzle that Mulholland Dr. is.

The final sequence, however, begs to be compared with that from another film that Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood shot in San Francisco a decade later, Dirty Harry. In it the iconic detective finishes off another maniac at Kezar Stadium and the casual yet quite brilliant manner in which the entire sequence is lensed makes it awfully difficult not to wonder whether Siegel and Eastwood might have been inspired by Edwards’ film.

The lush jazzy score was created by the great Henry Mancini, who repeatedly teamed up with Edwards on the various Pink Panther films.

Experiment in Terror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Blake Edwards' Experiment in Terror arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a superb recent 4K restoration that was completed by Sony Pictures in the United States. Indeed, the visuals are representative of what I consider to be 'reference quality', boasting striking depth and clarity while supporting the type of organic fluidity that only very high-quality 4K masters can deliver. The grading is also exceptional -- the blacks and whites are lush but not overwhelming and there is a terrific range of delicate gray nuances that embody everything that makes black-and-white films look so stylish. There are absolutely no traces of problematic degrainig or sharpening adjustments. In fact, despite the different shooting and lighting conditions density and fluidity remain very impressive (compare screencaptures #10, 15, and 20). Image stability is excellent. Finally, it is very easy to tell that the entire film was very carefully cleaned up because it is literally spotless. Outstanding restoration. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Experiment in Terror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the original Mono track and thought that its fidelity was exceptional. The basics -- depth, clarity, and balance -- have the type of impressive consistency that makes it very obvious that the audio was in fact fully remastered and then rebalanced and optimized as best as possible. This being said, I think that it is very much worth experimenting with the 5.1 track as well because Henry Mancini's soundtrack definitely benefits from the expansion of the dynamic field. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.

Experiment in Terror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• All by Herself: Stefanie Powers on Experiment in Terror - in this new video interview, actress Stefanie Powers recalls how she was discovered and cast by Blake Edwards to play Toby Sherwood, and discusses the director's working methods and his relationship with important studio representatives, her interactions with Lee Remick and Glenn Ford during the shooting of Experiment in Terror, the film's Lynch-esque atmosphere, the dynamics of some key relationships, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Promotional Materials - two original trailers and two original TV spots for Experiment in Terror. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Trailer One (3 min).
  2. Trailer Two (3 min).
  3. TV Spot One (1 min).
  4. TV Spot Two (1 min).

• Isolated Score - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, film critic Kim Morgan discusses in great detail the stylistic appearance and ambience of Experiment in Terror, the evolution of the main relationships between its characters, and the film's production history and director Blake Edwards' body of work. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

• Booklet - 32-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Kim Morgan's essay "Experiment in Terror", Jeff Billington's essay "Operation Gordon: The Secret FBI Files of Experiment in Terror's Writers", and technical credits.

Experiment in Terror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am a very big admirer of Blake Edwards' work and The Party is actually one of my favorite comedies, but there is a part of me that wishes that he would have worked on more projects like Experiment in Terror. This is a film that reveals a completely different cinematic stylist who, perhaps with some encouragement, I believe eventually would have created some absolutely incredible genre films. Indicator/Powerhouse's Blu-ray release of Experiment in Terror is sourced from a first-class 4K restoration that was completed by Sony Pictures in the United States. As usual, it is Region-Free and all of the bonus features that are included on it are perfectly playable in North America. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.