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Mark of the Whistler (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (12th May 2024). |
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The Film
 Our sixth journey into Columbia Pictures’ film noir output walks a different path, taking a detour into the mysterious world of the Whistler, as we present all eight films in the popular series. Adapted from a hit radio series, each episode has the Whistler emerge from the shadows to introduce a nightmarish, twisting tale in his own sardonic manner, with the first seven films starring Richard Dix (It Happened in Hollywood). In The Whistler, a guilt-stricken man hires a contract killer to end his life… but finds he cannot pull out of the deal. The Mark of the Whistler sees a homeless man claim the money in an abandoned bank account, only to find the rightful owners on his tail. In The Power of the Whistler, an amnesiac must reconstruct his dark past using only the items in his pockets. Voice of the Whistler finds a poor nurse marry her wealthy, terminally ill patient, only for him to defy the odds and recover. In Mysterious Intruder, a private eye becomes embroiled in a murderous race to track down a missing girl and a lost fortune. The Secret of the Whistler sees a young bride suspect that her new husband may have murdered his first wife. In Dix’s final film, The Thirteenth Hour, the owner of a trucking company is framed for a murder he didn’t commit. Finally, in The Return of the Whistler, Michael Duane takes the lead as a man whose fiancée is abducted on the eve of their wedding. This essential four-disc collection marks the UK Blu-ray premiere of all eight films, and features an array of fascinating contextualising extras, including newly recorded commentaries, critical appreciations, rare archival short films, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 individually numbered units.E
Video
From the booklet: The Whistler, The Power of the Whistler, Voice of the Whistler, Mysterious Intruder, The Secret of the Whistler, The Thirteenth Hour, and The Return of the Whistler were sourced from Sony’s HD remasters. The films’ original mono soundtracks were remastered at the same time. The Mark of the Whistler was sourced from Sony’s Standard Definition master.Essentially this technical review breaks down into two sections; the main one deals with films #1, #3-#8 (The Whistler, The Power of the Whistler, Voice of the Whistler, Mysterious Intruder, The Secret of the Whistler, The Thirteenth Hour, and The Return of the Whistler) because they all come from Sony's HD remasters. Film #2 (The Mark of the Whistler) is the odd one out in that for whatever reason (and no reason is forthcoming) exists only as a standard definition master which has been expertly upscaled by Powerhouse Films for this comprehensive release. The Whistler, The Power of the Whistler, Voice of the Whistler, Mysterious Intruder, The Secret of the Whistler, The Thirteenth Hour, and The Return of the Whistler Sony creates some of the best HD masters in the business and these seven are no slouch either, well up to their usual high standards for monochrome, Academy ratio (1.37:1) material from the 1940s. The contrast ratio is excellent with subtle shades between light and dark, highlights are well burned in and bright with no loss of detail, which is textured and strong on all focal planes, with no blow outs. Black levels are perfectly balance with excellent shadow detail where intended. Grain is ever present in this sharp image only getting softer and courser during optical transitions. Gamma is also spot in with no colour bias. I saw no signs of print damage worth mentioning ('A-'). The Mark of the Whistler Generally my comments above regarding contrast and black levels hold true (Sony's standard def masters are also strong for the format) although there is more evidence of mild crush in some shadows, especially during darker sections. Obviously everything is noticeably softer, detail less prominent but that said for standard def this is extremely good. Grain is obviously not as well handled ('B-'). Overall I'm favouring the HD masters because the upscale situation is beyond Powerhouse's control; only seems fair ('A-'j. 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / 4 x BD50 / 1.37:1 / Region 'B' locked / 60:09, 61:40, 66:27, 59:46, 61:42, 64:24, 65:45, 62:32 Mark of the Whistler is a standard definition upscale.
Audio
English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) Subtitles: English HoH My comments apply for all eight films in the set because on that score all are competing from an equal playing field, the second film (The Mark of the Whistler) may be a standard definition upscale but it's sound is of the same quality, uncompressed etc. in any case, the 1.0 tracks are all very solid for the age of the films concerned. Dialogue is always crisp and clear and sound effects register well. I played these at a fairly high volume to see if they distorted and they didn't. The bombastic, melodramatic scores did created some LFE response when played this way but otherwise the only caveat that I could detect was the usual low level his that ebbed and flowed according to what sounds where playing at any one time. At normal listening levels it was barely present. No noise reduction has been used, at least not that I could detect; there's nothing as egregious as Studio Canal's use of NR on The Avengers BD remasters. These tracks lack range, are not ambitious as one would expect from B movies of the era, so there's no dynamism or anything immersive. Hard of hearing subtitles are 100% comprehensive on the sections of the films I checked ('B').
Extras
Audio commentary on "The Whistler" by film historian Josh Nelson (2024) Audio commentary on "The Power of the Whistler" by film historian Jason A. Ney (2024) Audio commentary on "Voice of the Whistler" by film historian Lee Gambin (2024) Audio commentary on "Mysterious Intruder" by film historian Jeremy Arnold (2024) Audio commentary on "The Thirteenth Hour" by film historian Eloise Ross (2024) All of the commentators are dab hands at these yaktraks, and each does well by their chosen film. Some focus more on themes, some on the nuts and bolts of the making of the films, the radio origins, the cast and crew, where they sit within film noir as a whole ... all have plentiful trivia to savour for fans. All are presented in lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 192Kbps) with no subtitles. There is a note of sadness listing to these, Lee Gambin sadly and unexpectedly in May of this year. He was born on my birthday twelve years after myself on July 13, 1979 and was always an engaging, lively commentator and writer. He is much missed. "A Whistle-Stop Tour: Kim Newman on the Whistler Series" 2024 interview (22:32) "Working in the Shadows: Kim Newman on William Castle" 2024 interview (20:51) Newman could read from the phone book and make it interesting and seemingly what he doesn't know about cinema wouldn't fill a gnat's codpiece. Here he covers across 43:23 two main subjects, the Whistler series and the man who set it off and directed several entries, William Castle. Chatty, engaging and always with a smile and a twinkle in his eye (and in this case a big, black hat) you know what to expect: Scholarly, and filled with accurate detail and trivia about his subjects. He kicks off discussing the radio origins, literary inspirations and the films themselves. Castle's early career is focussed on. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound (48kHz, 192Kbps) and no subtitles. "Noir City Interview with Robert Dix: Conducted by Alan K. Rode Following a Screening of The Power of the Whistler at the Egyptian Theatre, Los Angeles, on 17 April 2010" 2010 interview (18:54) Whistler star Richard Dix's son Richard (1925-2018 according to n onscreen caption) is interviewed by film historian and writer Rode on stage. It starts off with an amusing anecdote that when he saw The Wolf Man (1941), not one of his father's films, scarred him so much that he didn't sleep for weeks (age 15?!*). He covers his father's career and what it was like to live with him, his ancillary business and properties, his wife (and Robert's mother) etc. Robert also had a show biz career (covered in the last five minutes), albeit not one as big as his dad's appearing character parts, guest spots on TV etc. His highest profile roles seem to be as the il-fated CIA agent Hamilton in Live and Let Die (1973) and crewman Grey in Forbidden Planet (1956). Presented in NTSC standard definition 1.33:1 pillar-boxed 1.78:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 192Kbps). "Stuart Holmes: Oral History" 1958 audio interview conducted by curator and film historian George Pratt, plays as an alternate audio track over "Voice of the Whistler" (68:42) Holmes (1884-1971), according to online sources, featured in over 400 films between 1909 and 1964. Here he gives a run down on his career. The questions asked by Pratt are at a much lower volume than Holmes who is very loud due to how the sound was recorded at the time. You'll need to listen to this is a quiet room with no other sounds in order to hear what's being asked. In any case, Holmes is game and garrulous so even if you don't hear Pratt's questions his responses are detailed enough. Recordings / interviews from this era are comparatively rare to the valued nature of the track more than makes up for any technical shortcomings. Presented in lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 192kbps). The Whistler / The Mark of the Whistler Image Gallery: Original Promotional material (20 images) The Power of the Whistler Image Gallery: Original Promotional material (17 images) Voice of the Whistler Image Gallery: Original Promotional material (18 images) Mysterious Intruder Image Gallery: Original Promotional material (15 images) The Secret of the Whistler Image Gallery: Original Promotional material (17 images) The Thirteenth Hour Image Gallery: Original Promotional material (37 images) The Return of the Whistler Image Gallery: Original Promotional material (13 images) 137 HD images spanning all eight films. "It's Your America" 1945 short film (36:11) "It's Murder" 1944 short film (9:10) Two vintage shorts totalling 45:21. According to the booklet: It’s Murder was transferred in High Definition from a 35mm finegrain master composite print by the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). It’s Your America was transferred in High Definition from a 35mm duplicate negative by the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)Rhe first is directed by John Ford and features Arthur Kennedy and J. Carol Naish (also in The Whistler). It's obviously from a print source with mild black crush and print damage. The second is from a superior source, looks a shade better but still has signs of age-related wear and tear. 1080p24 1.37:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 192kbps). 120-page liner notes book with a new essay by Tim Lucas, archival interviews with actor Richard Dix, an extract from director William Castle’s autobiography, an archival article on the popularity of the radio show, new writing on the short films and film credits The usual, excellent and in this case chunky hardcopy companion filled with new and archival writing on both the main films and the shirts included in this set. Always a highlight of each Powerhouse release, no one in the business does them as well. These are always much more accessible, down to Earth and not as academic as other book/booklets that accompany releases from other labels. * IMDB claims he was born in 1935 which would make him only five when The Wolf Man came out, which would jibe more with his comment about being terrified.
Packaging
Not sent for review.
Overall
The sixth Columbia Noir boxed set contains eight popular B pictures, the entire Whistler franchise. Ignoring the second film, which is an unavoidable upscale, thos set makes excellent use of Sony's fine HD masters. Coupled with first rate Fidelity in Motion encode these films have arguably never looked or sounded better. The upscale looks very good for what it is and the sound on that is as good as the others. Extras are comprehensive if not quite exhausting on a film by film basis ('A-').
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