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Obsession AKA The Hidden Room (blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (3rd June 2024). |
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The Film
 Starring Robert Newton (Kiss the Blood Off My Hands), Phil Brown (The Camp on Blood Island), Sally Gray (They Made Me a Fugitive) and Naunton Wayne (The Lady Vanishes), Obsession – originally released in the US as The Hidden Room – takes a dark and unsettling journey into the mind of a murderer. When psychiatrist Clive (Newton) learns that his wife, Storm (Gray), is having an affair, he resolves to take revenge by kidnapping and murdering her lover, Bill (Brown) and dissolving his corpse in acid. As Bill languishes in Clive’s cellar, Detective Finsbury (Naunton) doggedly pursues the case ... Written by Alec Coppel (Vertigo), scored by Nino Rota (8˝, The Godfather), and directed by Edward Dmytryk (The Sniper) during his blacklist-induced exile in Britain, Obsession’s original release was delayed due to the ongoing court case of real-life ‘Acid Bath Murderer’ John Haigh.
Video
According to the booklet: Obsession was scanned, restored and colour corrected in 4K at Film Finity, London, using 35mm dupe negative film materials. Phoenix image-processing tools were used to remove the many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.Gorgeously shot by stallwart C. M. Pennington Richards, who shot Scrooge (1951) and went on to direct A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967), in beautiful monochrome in the Academy ratio. Gamma is perfect, no colour bias creeping in and black levels are satisfying with plenty of shadow detail; occasional crush is evident but intended by the cinematography. There are some density fluctuations in the darker hidden room sequences. Contrast is also on a par with the blacks making for an image with terrific range. It could only be bettered by a 4K HDR presentation. Detail is excellent in closeups, softer in long shots - I've seen sharper looking films from this period - but I suspect this is down to the source and how it was lensed. Grain is ever present, courser in optical tansitions but well handled by the encode. No signs of digital tinkering or damage to the source; it's a great transfer of an excellent element ('A-'). 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 1.37:1 / 98:24
Audio
English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz, 16-bit) Subtitles: English HoH Simple mono track gets the job done, dialogue exchanges are clear with no distortions that I could detect, even when the volume was cranked up. Perhaps some mild hiss but this is an old analogue track from the '40s, what does one expect. Music is melodramatic (Nio Rota) and supportive of the film bot getting in the way of clarity. The hard of hearing subtitles are superb as is usual for Powerhouse Films. I recently watched Arrow's Duck Soup (1933) with a mostly deaf person and the subtitles were ttrocious, missing many jokes and spoiling the experience for my friend. Not so here; from the sections I checked, 100% of the dialogue was there. Overall as good as a mono track from the '40s can be (B+').
Extras
Audio commentary by film historians Thirza Wakefield and Melanie Williams (2024) A well observed track by two professionals who've worked on a number of yaktraks in recent years. It covers themes, personalities, technical aspects amongst many other topics in great detail and with insight. Presented in lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 112kbps). "The John Player Lecture with Edward Dmytryk: Conducted by John Baxter at The National Film Theatre, London on 16 April 1972" 1972 interview plays as an alternate soundtrack over the film (73:32) This chat kicks off discussing Dmytryk's first big film, Crossfire (1947) and how it was changed to be about anti semitism rather than homosexuality, which was taboo at the time. Farewell My Lovely was changed to Murder My Sweet (1944) because of lead Dick Powell's association with musicals, The Devil's Command (1941). Most interesting is his discussion of working in B-pictures as a way of building up one's craft and technique so that if creativity deserts you can fall back on technique which lends you greater staying power. Dmytryk feels that many young director's flare out because they didn't toil in the lower echelons of the industry and shape their craft; examples cited were little optical techniques used amongst others. Hos discussion about sound editing is also fascinating. A fascinating talk that covers a huge amount of ground including the McCarthy Communist witch trials, presented in lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 112Kbps). "The British Entertainment History Project (BHEP) Interview with Gordon K. McCallum: Conducted by Alan Lawson on 11 October 1988" 1988 interview plays as an alternate soundtrack over the film (98:10) McCallum was an Oscar winning sound specialist (Fiddler on the Roof, 1971) born in the USA to English parents (like myself!) and moved back to the UK age four (I was 16). His career spans 1935; he says age 16 but IMDB has his first credit as The Edge of the World (1937) and his last Supergirl (1984). Notable films include A Canturbury Tale, This Happy Breed (both 1944), Great Expectations (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) in the early years (including my great uncle Slim Hand's one film as director Penny and the Pownall Case, 1947) and latterly six Carry Ons, eight Bond films and Blade Runner (1982) ... and The Devils (1971) which he didn't want to do and told Ken Russell! Another wide ranging interview that covers a huge amount of film history. Presented in lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 112Kbps). "A Man About a Film: Richard Dyer on Obsession" 2024 interview (34:18) Excellent interview with Dyer who delves into Obsession praising its wit and humour, covering the careers of all of the key individuals featured in front of and behind the camera and is obviously a big fan of the film. He talks with humour and passion; a great featurette. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (48kJz, 112Kbps). Obsession Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (34 images) Fine HD gallery of promotional images. 36-page liner notes booklet with a new essay by Fintan McDonagh, archival articles on Edward Dmytryk’s period in Britain and the making of Obsession, an archival interview with actor Naunton Wayne, an overview of contemporary critical responses and full film credits McDongh gives us a nice history of the film and it's themes. Lots of great material about Dmytryk's British interlude amongst other articles of interest. Another superb hard copy contextual booklet.r
Packaging
Not sent for review.
Overall
A mostly forgotten British film from stalwart American director Edward Dmytryk gets the deluxe treatment making its worldwide Blu-ray debut from Powerhouse Films with fine image and sound quality. Extras are also very strong and filled with plenty of interest. Dymtryk (1908-99) is one of those directors who seems to have fallen by the wayside over the years, not being discussed much and yet he made many fine films like Crossfire (1947), Obsession (1949), The Caine Mutiny (1954), The Young Lions (1958), The Carpetbaggers (1964), Anzio (1968), Bluebeard (1972) amongst many, many others. Highly recommended ('A-').
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