Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Five Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 27, 2021

Arch Oboler's "Five" (1951) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by Glenn Erickson and Matthew Rovner; exclusive new program with critic Kim Newman; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The last woman on Earth

Arch Oboler’s Five was released just a few years after the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and is credited as the first post-apocalyptic thriller to be made in America. It is a very bleak film that gets a lot of things right. The biggest truth that emerges from it, however, is that a nuclear war cannot produce a winner.

After a very short nuclear confrontation the world has instantly evolved into a vast and unusually creepy desert. There are only five survivors -- Michael (William Phipps), a disillusioned and cynical poet who has miraculously managed to stay alive and found shelter in a secluded villa near the ocean; Roseanne (Susan Douglas Rubes), a middle-aged pregnant woman who has been spared while having an X-ray taken in a doctor’s office; Mr. Barnstaple (Earl Lee), an aging bank clerk, and his younger assistant, Charles (Charles Lampkin), who have evaded death while working together and getting locked inside a giant vault; and Eric (James Anderson), a professional climber who was so high on Mount Everest that he was lucky to avoid the first and deadliest radiation wave.

They meet at Michael’s place. The first to arrive there is Roseanne. Having left the nearby city and wandered aimlessly for days, she is eventually attracted by the smoke coming through the chimney of Michael's place. Severely dehydrated and no longer able to stand on her feet, Roseanna collapses immediately after Michael approaches her with his rifle. Mr. Barnstaple and Charles appear in a jeep. Eric is pulled out of the ocean, barely breathing but still conscious and able to explain where he is coming from.

After sharing their stories, the survivors quickly begin to realize that they have drastically different ideas of what the future might hold for them. This not only makes it difficult for them to work as a team, but gradually transforms a few into rivals that cannot tolerate each other’s existence. With tensions rising, Mr. Barnstaple also reveals signs of severe radiation poisoning.

Five was obviously shot with a very modest budget which is why it lacks any respectable special effects. The screenplay must have been short and simple as well because its narrative is essentially a collection of uneven episodes where the survivors exchange only very basic lines. But these production limitations actually help the post-apocalyptic environment appear quite convincing and make the driving factors behind the division that breaks the group simply impossible to ignore. (I am intentionally not going to highlight them because they produce the few twists that partially redirect the film).

The cast is good but towards the end there is a tendency to exaggerate contrasts that temporarily infuse the film with a soapy quality that also makes it appear dated. This is the only material where it looks and sounds like certain lines were memorized and delivered according to Oboler’s wishes.

A good case can probably be made that the film should have been substantially longer so that the survivors can disclose their stories in a more intimate manner and then gradually begin revealing the flaws and biases that would push them apart. In its current form the film seems quite eager to send them on a collision course.

But considering the subject matter and the fact that this was the first time a director had dared to tackle it with an appropriate understanding and appreciation of the importance of authenticity, the end result is very good. In fact, it won’t be an exaggeration to declare that Five was well ahead of its time.

Five Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Five arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. While it has a few rough spots with minor density inconsistencies, I think that it is quite good. Virtually all close-ups and nicely-lit panoramic shots, for instance, look very strong. I like the grayscale as well, though proper older masters of older black-and-white films that emerge from the studio's vaults are always graded very carefully, so this was not surprising at all. There are no traces of problematic digital work. Image stability is fine, but if the film is fully restored now there will be some meaningful stabilization enhancements. A few blemishes and specks and can be spotted, but there are no large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. So, even though the current master is older, it has strong organic qualities and the film looks pretty good in high-definition. (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).

Five Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is properly transferred. It is free of any distracting any-related imperfections as well. Again, this isn't surprising because the folks at Sony Pictures have high standards and they must be met when a master is finalized. Now, the audio could sound a bit thin at time, but it is very easy to tell that this is an inherited limitation. A new and moder audio remaster could introduce some meaningful enhancements, but I think that the audio is already very good.

Five Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Five. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Kim Newman on Arch Oboler - in this new video program, critic Kim Newman discusses the life and career of director/writer/producer Arch Oboler, the production history of Five, the film's genre identity, the era in which it emerged, and how it might have influenced other genre films that came after it. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, film historians Glenn Erickson (DVDSavant) and Matthew Rovner discuss in great detail the filming of Five, Arch Oboler's work as a radio dramatist and his politics, the careers of the principal actors, the 'strange' sounds that are heard throughout the film, the symbolism of lonely beaches in post-apocalyptic films, etc. A wonderful commentary.

Five Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was not aware that Arch Oboler's Five was the first post-apocalyptic thriller to be made in America. This discovery inspired me to see it a second time and then ponder the nature of some of its flaws and how they might have helped other similarly themed films that came after it. On the Beach might be a better film, but how many similar flaws did its creators avoid by analyzing the blueprint Oboler delivered? And how many of its strengths did they copy? Glenn Erickson's comment about the symbolism of lonely beaches in post-apocalyptic films in the excellent new audio commentary that is included on this release, for instance, is spot on. And guess what, the beach sequence in On the Beach is every bit as atmospheric as the one in Five. A coincidence? I don't think so. I enjoyed Five quite a lot, and I am grateful to have it on Blu-ray. Via Vision Entertainment's Blu-ray release is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.