The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 1, 2020

William Wyler's "The Shakedown" (1929) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton. Also included with the release is a 10-lage illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Nora Fiore and credits. Region-A "locked".

You don't want to go down that road, pal.

Dave Roberts (James Murray) is a professional boxer. He is also a member of a small team of professional cheaters who travel the country and set up crooked boxing matches that make them a ton of money. Dave is usually dispatched ahead of the group to impress the locals and after they get a sample of his ‘potential’ eventually he agrees to challenge his partner, Battling Roff (George Kotsonaros), who is a well-known veteran with a long record of impressive wins. Before the two men face each other boxing fans are encouraged to pick a winner while placing bets with the Manager (Wheeler Oakman), who makes sure that the team is never in the red.

But one day Dave arrives in a small provincial town where he accidentally meets Clem (Jack Hanlon), a feisty orphan boy, who quickly becomes attached to him and unintentionally forces him to reconsider his profession. Then Dave’s new girlfriend, Marjorie (Barbara Kent), encourages him to walk away from the cheaters and start a new life as an honest man. Soon after, during a tense confrontation with the Manager and his right-hand man, Dugan (Harry Gribbon), Dave agrees to participate in a real boxing match with Battling Roff whose outcome will determine his future.

It is rather odd that this early silent film -- which was apparently released as a part-talkie as well -- from director William Wyler has not inspired a contemporary remake because its drama can very easily be updated. On the other hand, if a contemporary remake does materialize it is practically guaranteed that it will be a vastly inferior film. The simplicity of the drama cannot be ‘improved’ and it is hard to see how a contemporary cast could bring the same pure emotions to the story because any spoken words will instantly erode their authenticity.

At the center of the narrative are two excellent character transformations that used to bring the audience into 1920s American reality. Dave and his partners have figured out a scheme that allows them to easily manipulate folks across the country, so all they have to do to keep their business profitable is stay professional. There are endless opportunities, or at least it looks that way, and the cheaters are simply taking advantage of them. However, when Dave meets Clem the film switches the angle from which their business is observed and, in the process, gradually reveals how everyone, including the cheaters, is actually engaged in a never-ending game of survival. It is why the orphan’s transformation is so moving as well. His relationship with Dave allows him to behave as a kid again, and as soon as he does, it becomes crystal-clear that the troublemaker that lives in his tiny body has been his only reliable friend and protector.

There are a few whiffs of old-fashioned melodrama, but Wyler’s direction keeps the film looking very authentic. The situations where the main characters make important decisions that affect their relationships and lives come naturally and it never feels like Wyler is intentionally trying to emphasize their significance. In fact, considering that the film is only sixty-five minutes long, one can probably quite easily argue that quite a few of these situations could have been expanded.

The film can be viewed with a very stylish music score by Michael Gatt that blends soft jazz and more conventional classic harmonies.

*Kino Lorber’s release of The Shakedown is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film that was completed by Universal Pictures.

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Shakedown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration from a 35mm dupe negative which was completed by Universal Pictures. I like the end result a lot, but I have to make it very clear that because of the nature of the surviving elements some limitations are retained. What does this mean exactly? It means that there are a few areas with noticeable density drops as well as minor surface damage of the kind that is best to leave 'as is' rather than trying to minimize with powerful digital tools and in the process compromise the integrity of the visuals. I do believe that some tiny portions of the damage could have been manually removed, but the difference would have been meaningless. The bigger picture is much more important to me. Indeed, the film has a solid organic appearance and when projected reveals a pretty nice range of native nuances and details that make it easy to appreciate the artistic vision of its creator. As you can tell from the screencaptures we have provided with our review, the grading job is also very convincing. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Music DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The film can be seen with original English intertitles.

Michael Gatt's score was obviously recorded in a studio, which means the lossless audio track reproduces the native qualities of the original mix that was prepared. I thought that the piano and bass, for instance, sounded terrific. Dynamic intensity is limited, but there are very nice dynamic contrasts and subtle chamber nuances.

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, critic Nick Pinkerton shares a lot of interesting information about the history of The Shakedown and its relationship with Universal Studios, the film's placement in William Wyler's body of work and its stylistic appearance, the careers of the principal actors, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber.

• Booklet - 10-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Nora Fiore and credits.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

The Shakedown Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I predict that at the end of the year a large number of serious collectors will identify The Shakedown as one of their favorite acquisitions from Kino Lorber's catalog. It is a small and quite simple but truly wonderful film from the great director William Wyler which has been given a new life on Blu-ray after the folks at Universal Pictures restored it in 4K. I was genuinely surprised how good the film is and did not expect to hear such a stylish score from Michael Gatt. Simply terrific release. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.