Werewolf of London Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Werewolf of London Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson December 16, 2016

Werewolf of London is being released as part of The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection.

The 1930s were a halcyon decade for monster movies at Universal and with Stuart Walker's Werewolf of London (1935), the studio released its first werewolf picture and perhaps the first cinematic study of lycanthropy. Henry Hull plays the title role as well as the overly ambitious Dr. Wilfred Glendon who, as the film begins, embarks on an expedition to Tibet to find the ultra-rare mariphasa plant. When he kneels down to extract a specimen from the Tibetan flower, he is attacked by a surreptitious werewolf. The bitten Hull manages to make it out with scrapes and scratches on his arms but unbeknownst to him, his life-changing problems haven't really begun yet. Upon returning to London, he is approached by fellow botanist Dr. Yogami (Warner Oland), who recalls that he made acquaintances with Glendon in Tibet but the returning doctor can't remember him. Yogami is also obsessed with the mariphasa and he informs Glendon that it can serve as an antidote (albeit temporary) to lycanthrophobia but not a cure. Glendon neither buys any of Yogami's scientific rhetoric nor he is terribly concerned about himself transforming into a werewolf.

Dr. Glendon's "double" that will take over his body.

John Colton's screenplay becomes erratic and inconsistent when it starts veering away from Glendon and Yogami's discussion of werewolfery. The script contains a long sequence of a botanical garden party at the Glendon residence where British socialites fraternize in trite and frivolous chatter. The dialogue is boring and disengages the audience from story involvement and the characters' narrative goals. Colton also incorporates a unnecessary scene at a slumber party hosted by Glendon's aunt, Miss Ettie Coombes (Spring Byington). Although things happen in Coombes's bedroom, the scene is really a plot convenience to have Yogami at the house to deliver an explanation for the unexpected event. Valerie Hobson seems lifeless as Glendon's wife, Lisa, and the audience waits impatiently to see her astonishment as she reacts to her husband's affliction. There are too many secondary characters in Werewolf of London and the script could have used pruning, even at seventy-five minutes.

Werewolf of London Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Werewolf of London appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this BD-50 that it occupies with She-Wolf of London. Unfortunately, the print Universal struck is not in good shape and this represents the weakest transfer in the set. There are an assortment of stability issues with the image, though Universal has done its best to make the picture as smooth in motion as possible. There isn't any major telecine wobbling but the framings can often appear tilted and unstable. There is contrast flickering and some splices that creep into the frame. There are also small scratches and a host of vertical tramlines (see Screenshot #6). Despite all of these anomalies, the picture is generally watchable and resolution is at least average.

Werewolf of London Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal gives Werewolf of London a problematic DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that will leave viewers reaching for their volume button. The monaural mix derives from a damaged master that is plainly evident as the film plays all the way through. There are continuous pops and crackles on the soundtrack, particularly during the first half when they are most amplified. There is a surfeit of analog hiss and it is advisable that viewers switch to a "mono" field on their receivers so they can discern the dialogue on the center/fronts.

Fortunately, Universal has supplied optional English SDH, French subtitles, and Spanish subtitles. I watched the film entirely with the white English subs and they are presented accurately and completely. They describe sound effects and occasionally (but not always) note the character whose speaking in all caps. They are either centered in the middle of the screen or placed on the speaking character.

Werewolf of London Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailer (1:24, 480i) - an unrestored, windowboxed trailer that also is pillarboxed for text and credits. This re-release trailer is badly worn and in poor condition. It may not be the first trailer that Universal originally ran.

Werewolf of London Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Werewolf of London has its moments but is arguably the weakest entry in The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection. Despite my reservations about the film, I feel bad that Universal could not have given it a new restoration or accessed different elements for a composite print transferred to Blu-ray (if they could be found). The video and audio contain a variety of flaws so keep that in mind as you watch. The movie is worth seeing at least once for historical interest.