I Wake Up Screaming (1941) (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

The link below will take you directly to the product on Amazon. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.

 

[moviepas]

A black & white film aka Hot Spot.

 

[Robin9]

A marvellous film with an unusual part for Betty Grable, most unlike her normal roles. Laird Cregar is superb, really sinister - and note how he towers over Victor Mature. There weren't many actors bigger than our Vic. Carole Landis plays Betty Grable's flighty, impressionable sister. As always, she's good.

I'm very interested to see what Fox have done with this film and how this new disc compares with the DVD.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Much as I like Betty's musicals this is my favourite of her films.

 

[Mike2001]

Ordered!

 

[Will Krupp]

... aka Hot Spot.

Up until almost the last minute before release! The title change was so late there is still plenty of printed advertising material (and correct me if I'm wrong but a trailer, too, I think??) with the HOT SPOT title floating around out there.

The studio thought I WAKE UP SCREAMING (the original title of the Steve Fisher novel) was too gruesome so they changed it in production to HOT SPOT, a reference to sitting in an interrogation room and being in the "hot spot" for a murder accusation. Preview audiences were confused (and sometimes hostile!) because they were expecting a Victor Mature/Betty Grable movie called HOT SPOT to be a lighthearted musical about a trendy nightclub! The studio hastily reverted to the novel's original title at the eleventh hour and, in fact, you can still see where the flow of the original credit sequence is interrupted by cutting the new (old) title in at the very last minute. With a title like I WAKE UP SCREAMING, audiences certainly WEREN'T lulled into thinking it was going to be a musical!

I've always liked this one, but, as much as I HATE when people do the exact thing I am ABOUT to do, I can't help but wish we could get a Betty Grable musical on blu-ray when there are so many neglected. I would have chosen DOWN ARGENTINE WAY, MOON OVER MIAMI, or SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES (available only in a woeful MOD disc taken from an ancient interlaced TV master) before this one. I know I shouldn't bash ANY movie being made available on blu (so please save your cards and letters ) and I always hate it when people lament that x is being released before so many WORTHIER titles like a, b, and c (which I realize is EXACTLY what I've just done!) but there you have it. I am hypocrisy personified.

 

[haineshisway]

Wonderful movie, but I'm afraid I now always need to wait to hear how the transfer is. Because Kino and Olive both seem at accept whatever transfer there is, the quality differences in their releases can vary way too wildly. I cannot tell you (although I will) how awful the Modesty Blaise transfer is - clearly Fox had their old DVD master and just as clearly that faded mess of a transfer was acceptable. Well, not for my nineteen bucks it wasn't acceptable. Fool me once, not twice.

 

[Will Krupp]

Because Kino and Olive both seem at accept whatever transfer there is, the quality differences in their releases can vary way too wildly.

Hear Hear! I'm still smarting over PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and the fact that I may have to shell out more money for THE QUIET MAN on blu because no one got it right the first time.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I am really hopeful that the transfer is good. The only b&w film I like which I haven't upgraded to blu-ray is And Then There Were None. Fingers crossed!

 

[Will Krupp]

I am really hopeful that the transfer is good. The only b&w film I like which I haven't upgraded to blu-ray is And Then There Were None. Fingers crossed!

Don't bother. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE is the only film in my collection that I upgraded to blu-ray and then DOWNGRADED back to DVD because I hated the blu-ray so much. I gave it to Mark P (I think.) The good thing about WAKE UP SCREAMING is that it isn't a PD title like the Agatha Christie and the DVD was already pretty good, IMO.

 

[Mark-P]

Don't bother. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE is the only film in my collection that I upgraded to blu-ray and then DOWNGRADED back to DVD because I hated the blu-ray so much. I gave it to Mark P (I think.) The good thing about WAKE UP SCREAMING is that it isn't a PD title like the Agatha Christie and the DVD was already pretty good, IMO.

You did indeed. And Mark P was very happy with it because he isn't as fussy about PQ

 

[Steve...O]

I will also likely pass in this title because it appears that Kino has once again not ported the SDH stream from the DVD.

Fox's other outsourcing partners include subs when available. Kino inexplicably does not. I completely understand not including if an existing stream doesn't exist but Fox obviously does for these previously released to DVD titles.