The Ghost Ship / Bedlam Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Ghost Ship / Bedlam Blu-ray Movie Review

Two with teeth from the RKO vault.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 4, 2022

Warner Archive's new Val Lewton double feature The Ghost Ship / Bedlam pairs up two entertaining classics from the esteemed producer: one was pulled from theaters and remained unseen for decades, and the other is Lewton's final work at RKO Pictures released just five years before his death in 1951. All of his films for the studio's horror division followed three strict rules: each had to made for less than $150,000, could run no longer than 75 minutes, and were ultimately named by his supervisors. Nonetheless, such limitations led to creative problem solving and, while these are not collectively his best films, they make for a solid pair that vintage horror buffs will enjoy.

The Ghost Ship is undoubtedly the weaker of these two entries, but its unique history and influence still make it a decent horror entry worth experiencing. Our story follows the watery fate of young merchant marine Tom Merriam (Russell Wade, Shoot to Kill), a promising new third-in-command aboard The Altair under its respected captain Will Stone (Richard Dix, Cimarron). The two form a common bond almost immediately, with Stone obviously taking a liking to the young man -- he almost regards Merriam as a son, or at least a younger version of himself. But the sudden death of a crewman before The Altair leaves port creates tension among its crew, which is elevated when another almost dies from appendicitis. Luckily, Merriam quickly steps in to complete the operation when Stone panics, but the younger man keeps his captain's fear a secret to preserve the crew's obvious respect for its leader. Sadly, Merriam's own respect and trust are broken when he believes Stone is directly responsible for a fatal on-board accident involving crewman Louie (an uncredited Lawrence Tierney, just two years before Dillinger), who had recently spoken out against the captain. After a formal inquiry finds the captain innocent of all charges, their relationship never recovers... and with Merriam now sailing on board The Altair as a passenger, he can't help but fear for his life.

This relatively brisk 69-minute production is nothing if not efficient, quickly establishing a tone that makes the prospect of its psychologically-charged story very enticing. While it does feature a respectable amount of tension and an ahead-of-its-time villain in captain Will Stone, The Ghost Ship feels too predictable in its setup and execution to create a truly lasting impact. Normally I wouldn't handicap a film for not measuring up to decades of more polished ones in its wake, but this is different: pulled from theaters after just two months when a plagiarism lawsuit was filed by two playwrights (which was eventually won in court), The Ghost Ship went relatively unseen until the early 1990s when it entered the public domain. It's a capably-made production, to be sure, and will undoubtedly thrill fans of the cast... but still feels like a relatively minor production that, despite its fundamental strengths, falls short of its true potential.

Screenshots for "The Ghost Ship" are numbered 1,2, and 6-15.

Bedlam, on the other hand, feels like a much more significant film from its first reel onward, as this well-rounded and effective thriller takes us to pre-Victorian London circa 1761. Just above the gnarled rooftops of St. Mary's Bethlehem Hospital -- nicknamed "Bedlam" and operated by Master George Sims (Boris Karloff, Frankenstein) -- an inmate and known associate of Lord Mortimer (Billy House, The Stranger) plummets to his death in an escape attempt. Mortimer's suspicions are assuaged by the creepily charismatic Sims, who agrees to entertain the Lord's wealthy friends with a show put on by his mentally ill patients. But Mortimer's assertive young protégée, mistress Nell Bowen (Anna Lee, The Sound of Music), is mortified by the agreement and, with the help of Whig politician John Wilkes (Leyland Hodgson, The Ghost of Frankenstein), aims to put a stop to Sims' scheming ways and improve the terrible conditions of his "hospital". Sensing an immediate threat to his own self-serving interests as well as Lord Mortimer's property, Sims takes swift action to have lovely mistress Bowen committed to Bedlam's horrific halls. Ah, the good old days.

If Bedlam has one clear advantage, it's star power: Boris Karloff is as magnetic as ever, and Anna Lee (who would go on to portray Sister Margarette in The Sound of Music and, much later, matriarch Lila Quartermaine on the American soap operas General Hospital and Port Charles) absolutely stuns in her rare leading role. Both absolutely carry the film in their respective and shared scenes; even Richard Fraser impresses as "thee and thou" Quaker Hannay, a character not all that integral to the story but who helps to bolster its conscience in the face of extreme moral ugliness. While Bedlam's portrayal of the mentally ill is perhaps even more shocking now than it was in 1946, the film's condemnation of it is well-handled and includes a short coda touting social reformation that began in the late 1700s.

Unfortunately, the film failed to find a wide audience during its theatrical release and, while its lack of commercial success contributed to Lewton's simultaneous career downfall and health issues just a few short years later, Bedlam still holds up as an excellent period piece that looks much more polished than its modest budget suggests.

Screenshots for "Bedlam" are numbered 3-5 and 16-24.

The Ghost Ship / Bedlam Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Since both Ghost Ship and Bedlam were shot by famed cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca (Out of the Past, Blood on the Moon) and share similar nitrate film roots, it's not surprising that both are served almost identically well on Warner Archive's Blu-ray double feature, which pairs both short films on a dual-layered disc. Each runs at a healthy bit rate with the boutique label's usual attention to detail: dirt and debris has been carefully removed while preserving each film's original texture*, shadow detail and contrast levels are uniformly excellent, and grain is highly visible in almost every scene. Both appear very thick and stable, far surpassing earlier DVD editions in every fundamental way. Although their source material was not advertised, Warner Archive's usual practice of using 2K/4K scans of original negatives or other preservation elements has once again yielded near-perfect results: both films shine like new, giving die-hard fans the chance to appreciate the very different but equally impressive production design of each one.

* One small goof in Ghost Ship's otherwise stellar transfer was discovered soon after this Blu-ray's release: an early scene where captain Will Stone scolds Merriam for nearly killing a moth is spoiled by excessive dirt removal. The poor little moth is no longer visible! New viewers will simply have to use their imaginations, I guess.

The Ghost Ship / Bedlam Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mixes for each film are similarly impressive, with again their disparate atmospheres producing different but equally great results. Both offer a pleasing balance of crisp dialogue and subtle ambiance; Ghost Ship unsurprisingly yields a more equal balance of claustrophobic cabin interiors and open-sea echoes, while Bedlam's more luxurious interiors stand out against the spooky, horrific halls of its title hospital. Hiss, pops, and crackle are kept to a minimum, while the separate scores by Roy Webb -- which include at least one cue I know I've heard before -- hang in the background while adding their own flair to each production. Overall, these are balanced efforts and much more refined than most one-channel tracks from this era, at least considering their budgets.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during both main features only.

The Ghost Ship / Bedlam Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with moody cover artwork that retools the stunning one-sheet posters for each film. Bonus features are unfortunately minimal -- the recycled commentary for Bedlam is very much appreciated, but I'd have actually rather heard about Ghost Ship and its more interesting history.

• "Bedlam" Audio Commentary - This very organized feature-length track with film historian Tom Weaver (carried over from previous DVDs) serves up an exhaustive amount of detail about Bedlam's production, the historic hospital, the cast and crew, cinematography, and Lewton's filmography as a whole. It's an essential commentary for newer fans, and possibly worth a second listen due to its density.

NOTE: Theatrical trailers are advertised on the back cover but were nowhere to be found.

The Ghost Ship / Bedlam Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

During his all-too-short but prolific career, producer Val Lewton helped to redefine classic horror in the intimidating wake of Universal's early genre dominance, helming nearly a dozen low-budget but extremely influential films for RKO in just four years. 1943's The Ghost Ship and 1946's Bedlam are two very different films in tone and execution, but both are worth watching on Warner Archive's terrific double feature Blu-ray. Although their parent company has loaned out a few Lewton titles to other studios (including Cat People, The Leopard Man, and The Body Snatcher), WAC's recent release of Isle of the Dead and this disc will hopefully lead to more Lewton titles in the near future.