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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka 'The Hounds of Zaroff')
directed by
Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack
USA 19
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The Most Dangerous Game is a superb,
pre-Code action-adventure film. Based upon a famous short story
by Richard Connell, it follows big game hunter, Bob Rainsford,
(Joel McCrea), as he becomes quarry for another, the opulently
deranged Count Zaroff, (floridly played by Leslie Banks).
Utilizing some of the amazing sets made for King Kong, the film
is sometimes thought of as a place-holder to keep key cast and
crew available during Kong's lengthy animation schedule. This
included actors Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Noble Johnson and
Steve Clemento, as well as editor Archie Marshek, composer Max
Steiner, sound effects expert Murray Spivak, illustrators Mario
Larrinaga and Byron Crabbe, and optical effects wizards Vernon
Walker and Linwood Dunn. The strong story and theme, excellent production values, vigorous action and fast pacing make The Most Dangerous Game an exciting and more than satisfying entertainment after eighty years. Both picture and sound are scrupulously restored in high definition from the original 35mm studio fine grain master positive, and there is a full-length optional audio essay by Rick Jewell, Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and author of The RKO Story and The Golden Age of Cinema: Hollywood 1929-45. *** “One of the best and most literate movies from the great days of horror,” The Most Dangerous Game stars Leslie Banks as a big game hunter with a taste for the world’s most exotic prey—his houseguests, played by Fay Wray and Joel McCrea. Before making history with 1933’s King Kong, filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack wowed audiences with their chilling adaptation of this Richard Connell short story. |
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Theatrical Release: September 9th, 1932 - USA
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Legend Films (colorized and b/w) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Wicked-Vision - Region FREE - Blu-ray
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| Distribution | Criterion Collection - Spine # 46 - Region 0 - NTSC | Legend Films - Region 1 - NTSC | Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Blu-ray | Wicked Vision - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
| Runtime | 1:02:48 | 1:02:44 | 1:02:22.739 | 1:02:39.005 |
| Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.53 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.32 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1080P Single-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 21,945,935,212 bytesFeature: 10,505,306,112 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.98 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
1080P Single-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 24,043,686,931 bytesFeature: 20,039,877,312 bytes Video Bitrate: 33.34 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate: Criterion |
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| Bitrate: Legend |
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| Bitrate: Flicker Alley Blu-ray |
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| Bitrate Wicked Vision: Blu-ray |
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| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 1.0) | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | Dolby Digital Audio
English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
DTS-HD
Master Audio German 1609 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1609 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core:
2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio English 1586 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1586 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio German 1596 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1596 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio German 1561 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1561 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) |
| Subtitles | English, None | None | None | English, German, None |
| Features |
Release Information: Aspect Ratio: Edition Details: • Audio
commentary by film historian Bruce Eder |
Release Information: Edition Details:
• Ray Harryhausen on the Importance of a Music Score (2:30) • John Morgan Composer on Max Steiner (7:13) • Trailers
for Things to Come and She |
Release Information: 1080P Single-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 21,945,935,212 bytesFeature: 10,505,306,112 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.98 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details:
• Two full-length audio essays - Rick Jewell for TMDG, and Matthew
Spriggs for Gow |
Release Information: 1080P Single-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 24,043,686,931 bytesFeature: 20,039,877,312 bytes Video Bitrate: 33.34 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details:
• 52-page booklet with an essay by Clemens G. Williges [German, English]
• Photo Gallery (04:04)
DVD |
| Flicker Alley Blu-rays Reviewed at DVDBeaver: |
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NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
ADDITION: Wicked Vision - Region FREE -
Blu-ray (September 2019):
Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack's long admired
adaptation of "The Most Dangerous Game" now appears thanks to
Wicked-Vision Media. This new release is a Region 'Free' transfer, with
the single-layer
Blu-ray
providing the film with a high bitrate - cited as a "new
2K Restoration from the original 35mm Elements". One only need to
see the captures below to see how this release compares to the already
impressive release from Flicker Alley. Gone are the rounded corners,
resulting in a slightly more zoomed-in appearance to the image. What is
new is a much clearer picture, showing a much crisper and articulated
presentation. Blacks are darker here, giving the film the impression of
greater depth. This is a fine transfer if I've ever seen - one, and
given that this is a Region 'Free'
Blu-ray,
one would be wise to grab this disc if you are keen on this classic. The
Box has both a German inlay and an English one. Colin Zavitz
***
ADDITION: Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Unfortunately, Flicker Alley didn't go lossless with the audio but I'll wager it may not have made much difference. The limitations of the production would still show through although in uncompressed it may have had more depth to the soundtrack. So the audio is acceptable, and probably authentic, but is still imperfect. There are no optional subtitles on the region FREE Blu-ray disc. Supplements are fabulous. We get two full-length audio essays - full-length optional audio essay by Rick Jewell, Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and author of The RKO Story and The Golden Age of Cinema: Hollywood 1929-45 for The Most Dangerous Game, and for the additional feature Gow (aka Cannibal Island) an audio essay by Matthew Spriggs, Professor of Archaeology at the Australian National University and author of The Island Melanesians. I've only listened to Jewell's so far and it is excellent - filled with immense vintage information. There are also 8-minutes of excerpts from an original audio interview with Merian C. Cooper conducted by film historian Kevin Brownlow and a booklet containing notes on each film by Merian C. Cooper as quoted in David O. Selznick's Hollywood by Ronald Haver and by Emerson College professor, Eric Schaefer. Another impressive package from Flicker Alley - and for fans of The Most Dangerous Game it is extremely enticing. Certainly recommended! ***
ON THE DVDs: ADDITION: Legend Films - May 09': Legend films came out with a dual colorized/black+white package with another Public Domain film; "The Most Dangerous Game". It compares reasonably well to the single-layered Criterion which shows more damage and cue-blip markers (see sample below) but looks a bit sharper with visible grain. Whether you are in opposition to the colorization of classic films or not - it's always interesting to see the results. I'm not overwhelmed by this effort by Legend Films. Mostly, I find it looks quite a bit more artificial than some of their similar DVD projects. The trouble with this film is you can't dramatically improve the detail. It will probably always remain somewhat hazy. The film is more than 75 years old and both DVDs have some contrast flickering. Legend don't offer subtitles on this one where Criterion have their usual optional English. Audio on both remains a bit scratchy mimicking the image quality. Despite the listing of supplements Legend's extras consist of three separate brief sound bites from Ray Harryhausen, James V. D'arc and composer John Morgan lasting less than 15-minutes. Criterion's Edler commentary and liner notes essay by Bruce Kawin have much more value. The film gained some prominence for its mention in David Fincher's Zodiac but I've never found this as appealing as other representatives of the genre from the classic era - despite the excellent storyline. I don't believe I have revisited it for many years prior to recently viewing the colorized version for this review. The colorization is a curiosity and to be fair to Legend films - it's appreciated and important of them to include the original black+white version along with it. These are both superior to the many cheaper PD-bandit version available but the Criterion still rules on all fronts. *** ON THE CRITERION DVD (written in 2000): This film is public domain and hence has had some atrocious transfers by other DVD distributors. Criterion have done a nice number on this one. There is quite a lot of flickering in the beginning. The commentary is sound, but the real trouble with this release is the film is just over an hour long. The data on the disc only takes up 3.5 gig... room for double the info! Audio is relatively weak for this DVD, but keep in mind it is from 1932. Overall its the type of early horror that I love to own in my collection, yet don't have the desire to watch it often. It's appeal seems to be dated. Still, the best it will look and sound out side a huge retrospective that most likely won't happen. |
DVD Menus
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample
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1) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC -
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GOW (1931, 63 min.) is not only a true curiosity but also in many ways a key influence of later Cooper and Schoedsack productions including King Kong. The footage in Gow was produced by Edward A. Salisbury, a wealthy British adventurer, who in 1920 set sail in an 80-ton yacht equipped with a motion picture laboratory to, in his words, catch and hold for history a photo record of the fast–disappearing races of the South Seas Islands”. Cooper and Schoedsack were among the cameramen on this two-year expedition that documented genuine head-hunters and cannibals along its route. The material was originally released as four separate films in the silent era and was consolidated as the film Gow, The Headhunter for an illustrated lecture by expedition member William Peck. Peck recorded his own cringe-inducing commentary in 1931.
Gow was reissued as an exploitation film into the 1950s under the title Cannibal Island, but it was made with a serious purpose. True to Salisbury’s intent, it indeed documents vanished cultures and is brilliantly illuminated here with an exclusive audio essay by Matthew Spriggs, Professor of Archaeology at the Australian National University and author of The Island Melanesians. Gow is mastered for this edition in high definition from the original 35mm fine grain master positive. |
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| Distribution | Criterion Collection - Spine # 46 - Region 0 - NTSC | Legend Films - Region 1 - NTSC | Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Blu-ray | Wicked Vision - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
| Flicker Alley Blu-rays Reviewed at DVDBeaver: |
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