The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 10, 2018

Rpger Corman's "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers for the film; new video interviews with author Ben Ohmart and film historian and author Barry Foreshaw; vintage promotional materials; and more. The release also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Neil Sinyard, archival interviews with Roger Corman, contemporary critical responses, and film credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"I like a guy who can use his head for something else besides a hat rack."

It is quite easy to conclude that The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre must have been conceived as a ‘big’ but cost-aware project. From the period costumes and decors to the compact nature of the action everything in this film looks like it was designed, choreographed and shot with a rather striking efficiency. Surprising? Hardly. It is precisely how Roger Corman liked to make films and over time this actually became a key element of his style.

It is early 1929 and Al Capone (Jason Robards) and his organization are on the verge of gaining complete control over street business in Chicago. The last problematic area is the western part of the city, where the cocky gangster Bugs Moran (Ralph Meeker) and his boys have been strong-arming some of Capone’s clients and are threatening to expand their influence in other competitive territories. Enraged by the inability of his associates to neutralize his last rival Capone orders them to change their tactics and use maximum force to reclaim lost business. But the new plan causes serious concerns even amongst some of Capone’s most loyal associates and he is warned that it could lead to an all-out war with unpredictable consequences. Instead of giving diplomacy a second chance, however, Capone becomes personally involved and shortly after tricks Moran to do a bold move that make him vulnerable. Then, while he is away in Miami and enjoying the beautiful weather, his assassins are given a green light to wipe out Moran’s gang.

Corman’s film is about three things plus the historic event that is referred in its title, and the event is, perhaps somewhat predictably, the least important. Indeed, the film essentially uses the brutal elimination of Moran’s gang as a pretext for a pretty fluid colorful period crime drama in which Corman does what he can to convince that he could be a big-time director. (This was the first film that Corman directed for a major studio and there were a lot of important eyes fixated on it). So the management of tone, visual style and atmosphere is actually far more important than the accuracy of different characterizations and ultimately the recreation of everything that occurred before and during the massacre.

Corman’s previous experience with smaller independent projects, however, was certainly a negative that ended up affecting the overall quality of the film. For example, his efficiency ensured that the film retained the same chamber environment that was typical for Corman’s previous B-projects. The pressure of working with some A-list actors must have had an effect on Corman’s confidence to seek and demand balanced chemistry between them and as a result large sections of the film are actually full of awkward climaxes that are forced by a single character. There are also a lot of unconvincing editing choices that make certain parts of the film look choppy and even underdeveloped.

The one aspect of the film that makes it somewhat entertaining is the pure energy that emerges during key events. But it is usually only when a few of the big stars feel inspired and then do a bit of improvising that adds an extra dose of color. It is too bad that Corman apparently did not know how to encourage more of it, or was completely unaware that it was happening before his camera.

*This recent home video release of The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is sourced from a 4K restoration that was completed by Twentieth Century Fox in the United States.

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Roger Corman's The St. Valentine's Day Massacre arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a lovely 4K remaster that was prepared by Twentieth Century Fox in the United States. The film looks very fresh, appropriately vibrant, and impressively stable. Density is particularly good and on a large screen the visuals convey some quite striking depth. There are no traces of degraining or sharpening adjustments. I also like the color grading a lot. It preserves the intended 'dated' font that imitates the light yellow color(s) that an old newspapers and books typically acquire but without skewing the native values of primaries and nuances. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, the film literally looks spotless -- there are no scratches, debris, cuts, stains, or other conventional age-related imperfections to report. Fantastic remaster. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio was almost certainly remastered at the same time when the 4K remaster was prepared because stability and clarity are exceptional. Depth is also outstanding, and I would even speculate that some viewers will probably be surprised to hear that it coexists with a great deal of equally impressive dynamic movement. The lossless track is outstanding.

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage segment from Trailers from Hell, with a commentary by Roger Corman. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - vintage U.S. trailer for The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Image Gallery - a large collection of vintage production stills and promotional materials for The St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

• Super 8 Version - presented here is an archival Super 8 version of The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (8 min).

• The Man of Thousand Voices - in this brand new video program, author Ben Ohmart (The Life & Voices of Paul Frees) discusses the work and legacy of the prolific voice actor Paul Frees, who narrates The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. The program was produced exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Scenes of the Crime - in this new video interview, film historian and author Barry Foreshaw (American Noir) discusses the evolution of Roger Corman's career and the style, tone, and narrative construction of The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. The interview was conducted exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Roger Corman Remembers - in this archival featurette, Roger Corman explains how The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was funded and shot for Twentieth Century Fox. Mr. Corman also quickly explains why viewing the film on Blu-ray will be a special experience. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Neil Sinyard, archival interviews with Roger Corman, contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The management of tone, visual style and especially the period atmosphere in The St. Valentine's Day Massacre seems a lot more important than the event that supposedly inspired Roger Corman to shoot the film. However, this should not be too surprising because this was the first project that Corman did for a major studio and he essentially treated it as a masterclass -- he did a little bit of everything to show that he had what it takes to be amongst Hollywood's very best. Was he successful? Well, the film isn't bad, but considering the impressive cast that Corman had the opportunity to work with it is rather difficult not to speculate that the end result should have been vastly superior. If you enjoy the film and wish to have it in your collection, you should be excited to hear that this recent release from Indicator/Powerhouse Films is sourced from a top-notch 4K remaster that was prepared by Twentieth Century Fox in the United States. RECOMMENDED (but to fans of the film).