7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A wealthy judge coaxes the brilliant but eccentric neurological surgeon Dr. Vollin, who also has an obsessive penchant for Edgar Allen Poe, out of retirement to save the life of his daughter, a dancer crippled and brain damaged in an auto wreck. Vollin restores her completely, but also envisions her as his "Lenore," and cooks up a scheme to kidnap the woman and torture and kill her fiance' and father in his Poe-inspired dungeon. To do his dirty work, Vollin recruits a wanted criminal, and turns him into a hideous monster to guarantee his subservience...
Starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lester Matthews, Irene Ware, Samuel S. HindsHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This version of this film is available as part of Three Edgar Allan Poe Adaptations Starring Bela Lugosi.
Bela Lugosi may have sadly ended his life as a largely destitute, wasted drug addict consigned to wandering through films like Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space, but in the wake of the release of Dracula in 1931, for one brief, shining moment he was arguably
the
biggest star at Universal, at least within the studio’s horror output. Of course Lugosi soon had considerable competition from the likes of Boris
Karloff
in Frankenstein, which opened just a few months after
Dracula and which arguably stole a bit of its thunder. That said, it’s important to note that Karloff got that iconic role only after Lugosi
dropped
out after what
have been described as less than successful make up tests. Eureka Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema imprint has now aggregated three early
Lugosi efforts, including his first two collaborations with Karloff. This set is at least somewhat similar to Shout! Factory's Region A release
of Universal Horror Collection: Volume 1
,
including not just in its inclusion of some of the same films but some of the supplements as well, so fans with region free players may want to do
some contrasting and comparing
between the two releases.
The Raven is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. While Eureka!'s press sheet touts the same "2K scan of the original film elements" verbiage that evidently accompanied the Shout! release on Blu-ray, I'm somewhat less generous in my scoring than Brian was of that version. While there's nothing significantly shoddier looking in this presentation than in the two others in this set, this is at times noticeably softer, with a somewhat "dupier" look, especially in terms of fine detail levels, contrast and thickness of grain. There are moments of excellent clarity and detail levels here, sometimes to the detriment of Jack Pierce's controversial makeup, but even some other close-ups can look a bit on the fuzzy side. There's once again pretty recurrent signs of age related wear and tear, but nothing out of the ordinary for an element this old. I'm scoring this at 3.0 to indicate it's less consistently pleasing than the two other transfers in this set, but I'd up my score to 3.25 if I were able to.
The Raven features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track which is, like its sonic siblings in this set, kind of narrow and not especially deep, but decent sounding nonetheless. The score and occasional effects like stormy weather reverberate well enough if never overly forcefully. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
Eureka! has packaged this release with Murders in the Rue Morgue on Disc 1 and The Black Cat and The Raven on Disc
2. While there are some film specific supplements, as in the commentaries, there are also more generalist items, so here's a full list of the contents
of both discs:
Disc One
For you lovers of Hollywood trivia, and vis a vis my comments above about billing, font size, and the rest, there are two other kind of interesting connections to Frances Farmer in this film courtesy of its colorful supporting cast. Lester Mathews, here the dashing hero, would be teamed with Farmer in her first Paramount picture Too Many Parents very shortly after this film, and Farmer's second outing for Paramount, Border Flight, would feature Samuel S. Hinds, Jean's troubled father in this film, in a supporting role. The Raven is another interesting pairing of Lugosi and Karloff, and in some ways it may satisfy the "traditional" horror yearnings of some fans more than The Black Cat did/does. Technical merits are generally okay, and the supplementary package enjoyable. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
The Vanishing Body / Masters of Cinema
1934
1936
1940
Masters of Cinema
1932
2018
1933
1963
Masters of Cinema
1932
Eureka Classics
1952
1972
Director's Cut
2013
2012
Premium Collection
1933
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga
1972
2019
Shut In
2015
2015
2009
1935
Premium Collection
1953