White Savage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

White Savage Blu-ray Movie Review

White Savage is an exciting fantasy-adventure romance with plenty of thrilling sequences. The feature-film production is adapted from the original story by Peter Milne. Produced by George Waggner (The Wolf Man, Man Made Monster), White Savage is an incredible old-school adventure. Starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Sabu.

Princess Tahia (Maria Montez) is the strong-willed leader of the Temple Island. On the Island, Princess Tahia encounters shark-hunter Kaloe (Jon Hall) and his traveling friend, Orano (Sabu). While being a Princess has some perks, the Temple Island must also be protected from invaders and thieves.

A group of rebels manages to wreak havoc on the island while seeking out rare and valuable treasures. Yet these villainous threats won’t be the end of the island. Meanwhile, Orano plays matchmaker and helps bring together the love-struck Princess Tahia and Kaloe. Can love overcome all obstacles?

The star of the show? The performances. Maria Montez and Jon Hall are outstanding performers and the pair have excellent chemistry on screen. Maria Montez is one of the best leading ladies of golden age cinema. Montez certainly carries herself well with an abundance of confidence in the role. Hall is similarly impressive and manages to play well opposite Montez. The film plays so much better with these performers bringing out the best in their roles.

The costumes by Vera West (The Wolf Man, Madame Spy) are impressive and one of the best elements of the production. West is an iconic costumer of classic Hollywood and the designs for this production are a testament to her talent. Maria Montez is given a nice variety of beautiful costumes during the production and the designs certainly make a noteworthy impression.

The art direction by John B. Goodman (Shadow of a Doubt, The Trouble with Harry) is breathtaking and there is a lot to appreciate about the scenery. With set decoration by Russell A. Gausman (Saboteur, Spartacus), the film looks even more fantastic. The design elements for the production are simply remarkable. White Savage is a great example of classic Hollywood cinema done well and with an impressive sense of scale.

The score composed by Frank Skinner (The House of the Seven Gables, Arabian Nights) is entertaining and easy to get lost in. The music sweeps one up in to the adventure and won’t let go. The music has plenty of energy and it never fails to impress. The music certainly made the viewing experience more thrilling and there is something special about that with old-school action-adventures.

The cinematography by William E. Snyder (Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Loves of Carmen) and Lester White (Invisible Agent, Burn ‘Em Up O’Connor) is simply put: beautiful. This is a wondrous and captivating looking production and the cinematography highlights the aesthetic of the film with an outstanding sense of artistry. The visual elements are remarkable and make this a more grand and ambitious adventure.

Edited by Russell F. Schoengarth (The Fighting O’Flynn, My Man Godfrey), White Savage never feels overlong or undercooked. The production is extremely entertaining and the pace and rhythm of the filmmaking is spot-on. The effort here by Schoengarth is certainly appreciable.

The screenplay by Richard Brooks (Key Largo, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) doesn’t disappoint, either – and there is a lot to appreciate about the dialogue and rhythm of the scriptwriting. White Savage is an outstanding adventure script and one with a fun story and good characters. The script makes the film an enormous delight.

Directed by Arthur Lubin (Phantom of the Opera, The Incredible Mr. Limpet), White Savage manages to showcase the remarkable filmmaking of its director. White Savage is no ordinary walk in the park. The classic action-adventure is enormously entertaining – and, dare I say it, underrated in the threshold of classic adventure cinema. White Savage is a blast from start to finish.

White Savage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, White Savage is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 full frame. The presentation of White Savage has been sourced from a brand new 2K remaster. The new restoration looks excellent and this is an enormously satisfying presentation with few drawbacks. Though there are occasional specks, the presentation is exceptional looking on the whole and it exceeded my expectations. The vibrant Technicolor cinematography looks beautiful. The color reproduction is excellent. A crisp filmic presentation.

White Savage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. The lossless audio on the release is excellent sounding. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear during the presentation. The score is similarly well reproduced. The track sounds clear and more vibrant than expected. This is a largely fantastic sound presentation and the lossless encoding enhanced the experience.

White Savage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary for White Savage by Film Historian Phillipa Berry

White Savage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

White Savage is a thrilling adventure. Starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Sabu, White Savage is terrific fun and it is easy to become engaged with the filmmaking. The performances are excellent and this is a testament to the lasting power of classic Hollywood spectacles. The production design is impressive as well. There are a lot of elements to appreciate with White Savage.

White Savage has received an impressive new 2K master and the filmic presentation on the release is outstanding. A beautiful print – one that is highly satisfying. The release includes a nice lossless audio soundtrack as well. With releases as nice as this one, I'm reminded of the feeling of owning a nice film print of a classic adventure. Highly recommended.