6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When the villagers of Klineschloss start dying of blood loss, the town fathers suspect an outbreak of vampirism. While police inspector Brettschneider remains skeptical, scientist Dr. von Niemann cares for the victims one by one. Meanwhile, suspicion falls on simple-minded Herman Gleib because of his fondness for bats.
Starring: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, Maude Eburne, George E. StoneHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The latest public domain release from The Film Detective is The Vampire Bat, the 1933 effort by second-string studio Majestic Pictures to cash in on the horror bonanza inaugurated by Universal Studios with Frankenstein and Dracula. The disc is notable for the involvement of the UCLA Film & Restoration Archive, which has overseen the film's restoration from surviving elements, including the re-creation of rarely seen hand-painting that added splashes of color to one sequence on a few black-and-white release prints.
The Vampire Bat was shot by Ira S. Morgan, who would later serve as Charlie Chaplin's
cinematographer on Modern Times. To create this new
master for The Film Detective's 1080p,
AVC-encoded BD-R, the UCLA Film & Restoration Archive has drawn from several different
prints of varying quality (and with different styles of "cigarette burn" markers). Even with
UCLA's efforts, visible damage remains in the form of scratches and an occasional missing
frame. On the whole, however, this presentation of the film is such a vast improvement on
previous video releases that fans should be delighted. The original photography is somewhat
inconsistent, with interiors shot on well-lit sound stages typically displaying the best clarity,
sharpness, detail and contrast, while exteriors shot at night on the Universal backlot or on nearby
locations appear muddier and less distinct. (A few inserts of stock footage look even worse.)
By far the most impressive achievement of this Blu-ray presentation is the sequence just over
halfway into the film, where a mob of villagers chase the unfortunate Herman Gleib through a
canyon and into a cave. The digital colorist has shaded the townspeople's torches with bright
yellow and orange flames in an effort to replicate the hand-painting applied to a few original
release prints. The contrast between the brightness of the flames and the black-and-white
surroundings creates a memorably surreal effect, endowing the sequence with an eerie but
beautiful foreboding. Contemporary audiences must have been dazzled.
The Film Detective has been faulted for using BD-Rs instead of pressed Blu-rays, but no one can
accuse them of skimping on bitrates. The Vampire Bat has been authored with a high average rate
of 35 Mbps and a capable encode. In rating the disc's video, I have taken into account the
problematic source, so that this Blu-ray has received a higher rating than would be assigned to a
release from a major studio with comparable flaws. PD presentations have to be graded on a
curve.
The mono soundtrack, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0, has presumably been sourced from
optical track(s) of the various prints used for the restoration. Digital cleanup has been performed,
but the results have been oddly assembled. Whenever there is dialogue or a sound effect, it is
accompanied by audible background hiss such as one expects to encounter on tracks of this
vintage, even after filtering and noise reduction. But when the soundtrack contains nothing, the
hiss disappears, replaced by dead silence. Sometimes the silence lasts so long that one might be
forgiven for wondering whether the audio processor has shut off. No doubt the engineers were
instructed to minimize background noise, but they have taken their assignment too literally. The
proper approach for a soundtrack of this nature is to establish a consistent level of background
noise, to which the ear adjusts and the listener subjectively tunes out. But by intercutting periods
of dead silence, the engineers have effectively emphasized background hiss whenever it returns,
constantly reminding the listener of unwanted interference. The effect may not bother everyone,
but I found it distracting.
The Vampire Bat has only two music cues, which were supplied from stock sources. Their
fidelity is what one would expect from a low-budget film from this era.
The Vampire Bat isn't in the same league as Universal's horror classics, but it's a superior "B"
picture with several memorable performances and an inventive mash-up of elements lifted from
other films (I can't be more specific without spoilers). The Film Detective and the UCLA
Archive has freshened the film beyond anything one usually sees with a PD property.
As long as you're not bothered by distribution on BD-R, the disc is recommended.
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1958
2018
Warner Archive Collection
1935
Standard Edition | Masters of Cinema
1927
1935
1933
Collector's Edition
2021
2015
Warner Archive Collection
1935
Collector's Edition
2022
2018
1989
2012
1959
1923
1970
Warner Archive Collection
1932
2019
2017
1994