- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,584
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Several years before actor William Powell, who had played an extremely sleazy Frenchman in a 1926 Paramount adventure / drama, and even before he didn't play the role of The Thin Man for Cosmopolitan (M-G-M) in 1934, he was cast as one Philo Vance in a very early talkie that had actually been shot as a silent film in 1928.
A bit earlier, Paramount had purchased the first three Philo Vance novels from S.S. Van Dine. The fourth (The Bishop Murder Case) ended up going to M-G-M, and Mr. Powell was replaced in the role by Basil Rathbone.
The fifth Vance, with Powell returning to the role, was The Kennel Murder Case (1933), a WB production. More Murder Cases were written through 1939, with a series of short films produced in the early '30s by Warner.
But returning to our subject, the three Philo Vance productions, all starring Wiliam Powell, has been released by Kino via their deal with Universal, via their EMKA deal with Paramount.
While I don't have a listing of the EMKA titles handy, The Canary Murder Case, would be one of the easiest, as it was produced in 1928. The other early title of which I'm aware, which was a silent with synchronized music and effects, was the 1929 The Four Feathers.
The release of these films is a good move for Universal, as the first is shorting to enter the public domain, and this Kino offering stop anyone from bothering to put out physical media, although it's rather certain that someone will steal the data from this disc and it will appear somewhere.
But if you desire to own these films, and you should, as they're very good early detective dramas, this collection is the way to do it. As the there films, all in 1.20 aspect ratio (Movietone) total only 213 minutes, they fit handily onto a single BD-50 with quality intact.
While unrestored, and presumably derived from 35mm masters, they look absolutely fine. Image and Movietone audio quality can't be bettered without a full restoration, which really isn't a necessity.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the first, Canary has Colleen Moore and Jean Arthur lending support, while the second has Ms. Arthur and Eugene Pallette once again in secondary roles. Mr. Pallette also appears in the third.
At $27 for the trilogy, the collection is easy to recommend. Personally, I find the first to be of major interest as it's a silent film converted to sound.
Image – 7
Audio – 9
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Worth your attention - 8
Slipcover rating - 2
Highly Recommended
RAH
A bit earlier, Paramount had purchased the first three Philo Vance novels from S.S. Van Dine. The fourth (The Bishop Murder Case) ended up going to M-G-M, and Mr. Powell was replaced in the role by Basil Rathbone.
The fifth Vance, with Powell returning to the role, was The Kennel Murder Case (1933), a WB production. More Murder Cases were written through 1939, with a series of short films produced in the early '30s by Warner.
But returning to our subject, the three Philo Vance productions, all starring Wiliam Powell, has been released by Kino via their deal with Universal, via their EMKA deal with Paramount.
While I don't have a listing of the EMKA titles handy, The Canary Murder Case, would be one of the easiest, as it was produced in 1928. The other early title of which I'm aware, which was a silent with synchronized music and effects, was the 1929 The Four Feathers.
The release of these films is a good move for Universal, as the first is shorting to enter the public domain, and this Kino offering stop anyone from bothering to put out physical media, although it's rather certain that someone will steal the data from this disc and it will appear somewhere.
But if you desire to own these films, and you should, as they're very good early detective dramas, this collection is the way to do it. As the there films, all in 1.20 aspect ratio (Movietone) total only 213 minutes, they fit handily onto a single BD-50 with quality intact.
While unrestored, and presumably derived from 35mm masters, they look absolutely fine. Image and Movietone audio quality can't be bettered without a full restoration, which really isn't a necessity.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the first, Canary has Colleen Moore and Jean Arthur lending support, while the second has Ms. Arthur and Eugene Pallette once again in secondary roles. Mr. Pallette also appears in the third.
At $27 for the trilogy, the collection is easy to recommend. Personally, I find the first to be of major interest as it's a silent film converted to sound.
Image – 7
Audio – 9
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Worth your attention - 8
Slipcover rating - 2
Highly Recommended
RAH
