White Zombie: Kino Classics' Remastered Edition [Blu-ray] [Region A] [NTSC]

There's something weird about 'White Zombie' (1932),...it seems to exert a strange fascination on some people. And having now bought four different WZ DVD's, and also the rather expensive, 360 page hardcover, trivia filled book 'White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film' I think I can safely say I'm most definitely one of them! I wanted this one (the 'Screen Edge') because I really like the cover artwork, but I was fully expecting it to be yet another barely watchable 'public domain' print, like most of the other WZ DVD's released to date. However, on comparing the 'Screen Edge' with the 'Roan' release (which is the benchmark 'restored' version), the SE compares really quite favourably....And in some respects it's actually superior:The 'Screen Edge' DVD features an on-screen menu with a nine chapter scene selection and a three page (six paragraphs) WZ film synopsis and short history. There are also three movie stills.Picture quality:The print is quite soft, and this 'Vaseline smeared on the lens effect' seems more apparent in the movie's long distance shots. However, I wouldn't say it was overly excessive or too blurry: for instance, the copyright 'small print' text that appears at the bottom of the opening credits screen is quite legible, which is more than you can say for some WZ transfers. Film damage, dirt, marks and scratches are evident in certain sections of the movie, but again, not too excessive or distracting. It has decent contrast too; not too dark, which is a criticism sometimes levelled at the 'Roan' transfer. All in all, a very watchable print, which, image-wise kinda reminds me of Carl Dreyer's Vampyr. I'd score it a '6' or maybe '6.5' out of '10' (I'd give the 'Roan' an '8.5').Sound quality:This is where the 'Screen Edge' really has the 'Roan' (and probably all other versions) beat all ends up....Aurally, this print is positively hi-fi in comparison! I honestly think it has the cleanest, clearest soundtrack of any WZ released to date: Background hiss, rumbles and pops are absolutely minimal, and it has none of the 'listening to it underwater' effect that so blights the 'Roan' version....You can even hear the crickets chirping during the dialogue!Cuts, splices & running time:Strange this....According to the timer on my Sony blu-ray player, the 'Roan' clocks in with a running time of 1: 06: 52, while the 'Screen Edge' runs for 1: 04: 37. Yet I can't find evidence of any cuts in the SE whatsoever. In fact, it seems to be more complete: for instance, a dialogue scene with Beaumont and his butler, Silver, which has a couple of nasty jump-cuts in the Roan transfer, is complete in the SE. It also has the final note of music from the movie's end that's totally missing in the 'Roan'. I suppose the only really accurate way to compare running times would be to run both films from start to finish and timing them from an outside source, but I'm trying hard not to become THAT obsessed.IMHO, Although the 'Roan' is a definite must have for its outstanding picture quality and DVD extras,...the SE's very acceptable transfer, put together with its most excellent sound quality, gives the 'Roan' a serious run for its money in terms of overall viewing pleasure.Why not become yet another WZ nutter, and buy both?

The Region 1 Roan Archival Collection, Horror Classic 1 dvd..Having attempted/dared to watch many public domain prints of obscurer old films, it is always a pleasure when some company bothers to treat old film stock with respect. Some of the films reputations have suffered as a result of appalling pictures duped from video prints, which were duped from 16mm prints, rather than 35mm.The images of this film i have seen have been bleached, damaged & the contrast so far gone i haven't sufficient vocabulary to dredge up suitable metaphors. Lovecraft would have said that it was a ghastly eldritch pitch black loathsomeness of long dead aeon spawned badness..In this instance, the Roan release, the Kino dvd likewise, has a restored print. Now the muffled sound is still muffled and low (as it was recorded in an inferior manner this is unlikely to change), so the volume needs still to be cranked up. The picture however is now far superior.Is the film worthy of this attention?..actually yes. I would suggest that it bears striking resemblances to Vampyr, by Dreyer, in it's poetic eerie qualities when the dialogue isn't providing exposition. The one hour or so of film, unlike many early talkies, tends to drive onward with visual filmic trickery and reveling in the gothic sets, rather than standing about chatting. There is one sequence that has a long take to explain what is happening, but even that is treated efficiently. As such, the period should not put people off, its not a silent, and its not a verbose chit-chat. It is a solid gothic mood piece with oddly effective horrible moments.A few telling points of interest should draw one to the film. Lugosi is on one of his finest scenery munching parts as Murder Legendre. Watch his movements, his hands, his relish at the playing of one of cinemas most pernicious villains. Some of his lines are worthy of the sardonic playful evil from Ambrose Bierce's Devils Dictionary. The other key element to be aware of is the flourish of camera-work. The fluidity of movement, the imaginative use of depth, of focus, placing the actors in more unusual areas of the set, all contribute toward a fuller looking film. Many an old flick might tie down the camera and appear stagey throughout. Not so in this case.That is not to say it isn't showing it's age. As much as there is an expressionistic use of shadows not unlike Island of Lost Souls, or the economy of very impressive matte paintings, there is also the slightly grand gesture of acting from the silent era, the abruptness of the denouements.Overall be glad that it is now so much more visible, even though the sound level for dialogue and the interspersed musical moments still lack vitality. However,in this weird, eerie little creaker, using sets from larger more well known films, we have a classic of macabre cinema that has a timeless energy that will outlast many films of the era..if only because it has been deemed fit to give them a decent resurrection.