Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Moonfleet Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 16, 2019

Right between his most enduring American film (1953's The Big Heat) and his return to Germany after a 21-year stint in Hollywood, Fritz Lang's Moonfleet was something of a detour for the director. It was his first and only CinemaScope production and not a modern-day film noir; adapted from J. Meade Falkner's 1898 novel, this melodrama concerns the fate of young orphan John Mohune (Jon Whiteley), who arrives in the titular village to stay with his mother's ex-lover Jeremy Fox (Stewart Granger). Dashing and debonair, Fox appears an upstanding gentleman but is secretly involved in smuggling. Adding to the mystery is the local legend of "Redbeard", who may be responsible for the recent death of two villagers, and a hidden cave beneath a nearby church cemetery that holds the key to a lost diamond.

It all sounds like good fun; not surprising, since the well-received source novel was written when tales like Treasure Island were all the rage. And at a lightweight 87 minutes, this big-screen CinemaScope adaptation ought to have plenty of bracing thrills and adventure around every corner, right? Not exactly. Sweeping changes were made to the book; the most obvious are its darker and more cynical atmosphere, extra time devoted to Fox's social life, and a softer ending. Moonfleet struggles to find its footing in the first half due to clumsy exposition and dangling detours that hamper its overall momentum. Luckily, things pick up after that: by the time young John quite literally stumbles into that secret cave and the treasure hunt begins, things get interesting...but it feels like too little too late and, while Moonfleet's best moments manage to keep the whole production afloat, as a whole it feels rough and unpolished for the wrong reasons. The film's strongest -- and perhaps only -- good through-line is the relationship between John and his de facto father, which also makes for a decently satisfying finale and is bolstered by their workable performances.

Moonfleet was a commercial failure in 1955 but, even when viewed now, is not a total loss (oddly enough, it was huge in France after its belated theatrical release there in 1960). There are admittedly a few great moments and, while the CinemaScope frame is rarely used to its full potential, the visuals can be quite striking at times. Yet overall it feels like a missed opportunity, or simply a bad match of talent. Nonetheless, die-hard fans are sure to enjoy Warner Archive Collection's new Blu-ray edition, which aims to replace their own 2010 manufactured-on-demand DVD.

Moonfleet Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original ultra-wide 2.55:1 CinemaScope aspect ratio, Moonfleet looks good overall and represents a significant step upward from Warner Archive's own 2010 DVD release. There are a lot of fundamental differences here, as the difficult -- and not always attractive -- source material seems to have created significant forks in the road. Many scenes from the DVD looked artificially saturated while the Blu-ray features a less boosted palette; skin tones are more agreeable now, with some of the costumes and lights enjoying a more refined contrast against the dark backgrounds. That's another area where the Blu-ray looks substantially different: its 1080p transfer almost swallows certain moments in shadow, from the opening nighttime scene to dimly-lit interiors and young John's initial discovery of the secret cave. That's no fault of the Blu-ray, of course -- during many stretches, Moonfleet is severely underlit and not always easy to follow for that reason. Earth tones are drab and sometimes bleed together, with brighter costumes and sunny exterior shots looking a lot more robust in direct comparison. Detail-wise, the picture is equally inconsistent due to its difficult source material, but in its best moments are very film-like and visually impressive. The Blu-ray's high bit rate and excellent compression ensures that no obvious artifacts are present, while Warner Archive's careful treatment (and near-flawless track record) has convinced me that this is a solid presentation of a visually inconsistent film.

Moonfleet Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Moonfleet's original four-track Stereo source mix lends itself to unsurprisingly great audio on this DTS-HD 2.0 MA mix, which features a suitably wide and well-balanced sound stage that regularly outpaces the visuals. The placement of dialogue and sound effects goes a long way towards creating a realistic atmosphere, as no shortage of panning effects and strong separation can easily be heard along the way. The original score, largely composed by Miklós Rózsa, also gets plenty of attention and is balanced fairly well with the other primary elements. Although Moonfleet's source audio could have likely been outfitted for a discrere 4.0 or even 5.1 remix with few compromises, I respect Warner Archive's continued decision to maintain its original format as they also did on their 2010 DVD edition. This is, simply put, one of the better-sounding MGM films from its era and holds up incredibly well almost 65 years later.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are including during the main feature and are formatted perfectly...no ALL CAPS here. Still, this seems to be the exception for WAC Blu-rays so I'm not convinced that they've kicked the habit.

Moonfleet Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Warner Archive's Blu-ray of Moonfleet is packaged in a standard keepcase with no slipcover or inserts. WB's 2010 DVD featured absolutely no bonus features, but at least this new disc includes the original trailer.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:02) - This excessively narrated piece maintains the film's 2.55:1 aspect ratio but is in very rough shape -- it's even darker than the Blu-ray's transfer with muddy, unnatural colors. Still interesting from a historical perspective, and also available on WAC's YouTube channel if you haven't seen it yet.

Moonfleet Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fritz Lang's late-career film Moonfleet was one of the director's last productions before leaving Hollywood. It was also his first and only attempt at working in CinemaScope and a rare venture outside film noir, though it obviously borrows genre attributes for all the 18th century melodrama. The problem is that its core mystery is overshadowed by too many other elements, which rarely works in the film's favor and ends up muffling some of its excitement and adventure. There are still a few thrills along the way but, as a whole, Moonfleet feels disjointed and its epic intentions are rarely realized during this surprisingly slight 86-minute adventure. Warner Archive's Blu-ray edition makes the most of it with an excellent A/V presentation that should please established fans, while newcomers should try before they buy.