Firstly, a massive thank you to our Patreon supporters. Your generosity touches me deeply. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance has become essential.

 

What do Patrons receive, that you don't?

 

1) Our weekly Newsletter sent to your Inbox every Monday morning!
2)
Patron-only Silent Auctions - so far over 30 Out-of-Print titles have moved to deserved, appreciative, hands!
3) Access to over 50,000 unpublished screen captures in lossless high-resolution format!

 

Please consider keeping us in existence with a couple of dollars or more each month (your pocket change!) so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. Thank you very much.


(aka 'Forbidden Love' or 'The Monster Show ' or Nature's Mistakes')

directed by Tod Browning
USA 1932

 

Criterion's Blu-ray of Freaks (as part of their Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers set) is reviewed/compared HERE

 

Tod Browning, who directed Bela Lugosi in the original Dracula, stepped into even eerier territory with this 1932 story of betrayal and retribution in the circus. Evil trapeze artist Olga Baclanova seduces and marries a midget in the circus sideshow, hoping to inherit his wealth. But in doing so, she has crossed the wrong folks: the tightly knit group of nature's aberrations, who stick together like family--and who set out to avenge their little pal. Browning brought in some of the most famous sideshow attractions of the era, include Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton and Johnny Eck the Legless Boy, as well as Zip and Pip, microcephalics whose appearance in this film inspired cartoonist Bill Griffith to create his comic strip, "Zippy the Pinhead." So disturbing that it was banned for 30 years in Great Britain.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 20th, 1932 - USA

Reviews        More Reviews        DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Warner Home Video - Region 1- NTSC

DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK to order from:

Distribution Warner - Home Video - Region 1- NTSC
Runtime 1:03:02 
Video 1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.56 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Audio English (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)
Subtitles English, Spanish, French, None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Warner Home Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect ratio - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Commentary by author David J. Skal
• "Making-of" documentary - "Freaks: The Sideshow Cinema" (1:03:21)
• Special prologue added for reissue (rolling text)
• 3 alternate endings (6:04)

DVD Release Date: August 10, 2004

Keep Case
Chapters: 21

Comments:

Criterion's Blu-ray of Freaks (as part of their Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers set) is reviewed/compared HERE

This is a stacked disc!... and a good DVD. The image has above average contrast with relative sharpness, but show some damage spots -especially later in the film. I love the visible film grain. Audio (mono) is a little weak and hard to distinguish at times, but the optional subtitles help decipher what is being said. Extras are quite extensive - an informative commentary, an hour long featurette, and some deleted scenes. I like the "Welcome" prologue message for great way to start a showing. Warner has done an excellent job!  out of   

Gary W. Tooze


DVD Menus


 


Subtitle Sample

 

 


 

Screen Captures

 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK to order from:

Distribution Warner - Home Video - Region 1- NTSC




 

Hit Counter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive:

Mail cheques, money orders, cash to:    or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!

Gary Tooze

Many Thanks...