Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Shock Corridor Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 15, 2011

Samuel Fuller's "Shock Corridor" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an interview with actress Constance Towers; "The Typewriter, The Riffle & The Movie Camera", a wonderful documentary, courtesy of the British Film Institute and the Independent Film Channel, about Samuel Fuller and his legacy; and the film's original theatrical trailer. The disc also arrives with a 28-page illustrated booklet. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Corridor

An ambitious young reporter named Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck, Hootenanny Hoot) enters a mental hospital to solve a mysterious murder case, which he hopes will win him a Pulitzer Prize. The only people who know that he isn’t crazy are his stripper girlfriend, Cathy (Constance Towers, The Naked Kiss), his boss, and the few psychologists who taught him how to act and react while being treated by the doctors.

In the hospital, Johnny encounters a number of interesting characters – Pagliacci (Larry Tucker, Blast of Silence), an obese patient who loves Italian opera; Dr. Boden (Gene Evans, Young and Wild), a once brilliant scientist involved with the development of the Atomic bomb who has completely lost his mind; Stuart (James Best, Man on the Prowl), a Southerner and Korean War veteran who has committed terrible crimes and retreated to the Civil War where he has assumed Confederate General Jeb Stuart’s identity; and Trent (Hari Rhodes, The Nun and the Sergeant), an angry black man who is convinced that he is the Grand Wizard of the KKK.

Johnny tries to gather as much information as possible to at least come up with a few suspects, but the more time he spends with the patients, the more confused he becomes. Most of their stories are so incoherent that they are practically useless.

Meanwhile, the doctors begin treating Johnny. In the beginning, he undergoes a series of standard tests and then hydrotherapy, but the doctors are not satisfied with the results and eventually he is enrolled in an intense shock treatment program.

While trying to follow up on a good lead, Johnny is attacked by a group of nymphomaniacs and seriously injured. When Cathy visits him in the hospital, she cannot believe how much he has changed. What shocks her the most, however, is that Johnny rejects her when she attempts to kiss him.

Johnny’s mind also begins playing tricks on him - he hears voices that unleash a never-ending string of speculations about who the killer might be, and whether he is awake or dreaming. Naturally, the more he attempts to put his thoughts in order, the more disconnected from reality he becomes.

Samuel Fuller’s Shock Corridor takes a brilliantly manipulative approach to defining what it means to be normal in an environment - which obviously draws parallels with society and the rules and regulations one is expected to follow in it - that isn’t. Driven by his inexorable desire to win a Pulitzer Prize, the main character in the film gradually evolves into two things: a success addict whose life spirals out of control, and a deranged, violent egoist, willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal.

The secondary characters are just as fascinating. Cathy, who is the first and only person to accurately assess Johnny’s deteriorating condition, continues to help him even after he begins evolving. She isn’t necessarily weak but certainly lacks the courage to be a whistle-blower.

Dr. Boden and Trent are also locked in their own strange realities - the former’s brilliant mind has capitulated and transformed him into a grown-up child, while the latter has cracked under the pressure of the environment he once dreamed about (an all-white academic institution) and become an outspoken racist.

Shock Corridor is a bold, inventive and daring film, which I feel should be mandatory viewing for all young stockbrokers dreaming about entering their madhouse and earning their first big prize. There is an important lesson in it that could seriously diminish the number of Johnnies that each year go bust.

Note: In 1964, Shock Corridor received a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer - Male (Larry Tucker).

Shock Corridor Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Samuel Fuller's Shock Corridor arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

Telecine supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Telecine colorist: Gregg Garvin/Modern Videofilm, Los Angeles."

As it was the case with The Naked Kiss, Shock Corridor occasionally looks a bit soft. Still, detail is very good, and contrast consistent throughout the entire film. Color-reproduction is also pleasing; the whites and grays are stable, looking healthy, while the blacks are well saturated. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern, though occasionally tiny traces of it are easy to spot. Macroblocking, which plagues Criterion's SDVD release of Shock Corridor, is also nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, random noise corrections have been performed, but variations of light grain are present throughout the entire film. Aside from some minor frame misplacements/transition, there are no serious stability issues. I also did not see any large damage marks, stains, cuts, or warps to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Shock Corridor Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm monaural magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation."

The English PLCM 1.0 track does not disappoint - though its dynamic amplitude is fairly limited, the audio has pleasing organic qualities. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow, and the high-frequencies are not overdone. There are no balance issues with Paul Dunlap's music score either. Lastly, I did not detect any annoying pops, cracks, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

Shock Corridor Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Constance Towers - in this interview, conducted by Charles Dannis in the summer of 2007 in Beverly Hills, Mrs. Towers recalls her first encounter with director Samuel Fuller, work on Shock Corridor, relationship with director John Ford, the type of films she did during the years, etc. (Another lovely interview, also conducted by Charles Dennis in 2007, is included on The Naked Kiss Blu-ray release). In English, not subtitled. (29 min, 1080i).

• The Typewriter, The Riffle & The Movie Camera - a wonderful documentary, courtesy of the British Film Institute and the Independent Film Channel, about Samuel Fuller and his legacy. With special guests Tim Robbins, Jim Jarmusch, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino. In English, not subtitled. (56 min, 1080i).

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Shock Corridor. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - a 28-page illustrated booklet containing Robert Polito's "Lindywood Confidential" and "Love Your Country Despite the Ulcers", an article excerpted from Samuel Fuller's 2002 autobiography A Third Face: My Tale of Writing, Fighting, and Filmmaking.

Shock Corridor Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Brilliantly conceived and executed, Shock Corridor is undoubtedly one of Samuel Fuller's most provocative films. It reaches so far and delivers lessons that are so effective, it is hard to believe that it was filmed nearly half a century ago. As expected, Criterion have put together a wonderful package for it. Make sure to see the wonderful documentary The Typewriter, The Riffle & The Movie Camera. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.