White Woman Blu-ray - Carole Lombard / Charles Laughton

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Stuart Walker
USA 1933

Screen greats Carole Lombard (Supernatural) and Charles Laughton (Devil and the Deep) star in the gripping Pre-Code drama about forbidden love, White Woman. The world of a widowed nightclub performer (the luminous Lombard) changes drastically when she agrees to marry a wealthy plantation owner (the larger-than-life Laughton). As the two begin their domestic life together on his remote Malaysian estate, she realizes the extent of his cruel and jealous nature. She soon finds herself drawn to another man but must keep their love secret to avoid the wrath of her husband. Hollywood ace Stuart Walker (The Eagle and the Hawk) directs and Charles Bickford (The Plainsman), Kent Taylor (I’m No Angel) and Percy Kilbride (The Egg and I) co-star in White Woman, which barrels to a white-knuckle climax set deep within in the dark heart of the jungle.

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A nightclub singer marries the rich owner of a rubber plantation. When she returns with him to his estate in Malaysia, she finds out that he is cruel, vicious and insanely jealous. She and the plantation's overseer develop a mutual attraction, but are terrified at what will happen if her husband finds out.

Posters

Theatrical Release: November 10th, 1933

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:08:23.583
Video	1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 19,355,721,402 bytes Feature: 18,331,459,584 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.09 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1581 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1581 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 19,355,721,402 bytes Feature: 18,331,459,584 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.09 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Allan Arkush and Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer Blu-ray Release Date: February 14th, 2023 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 8

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (January 2023): Kino have transferred Stuart Walker's Pre-Code White Woman to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "Brand New 2K Master". The age of the film (90-years!) exports some expected inconsistencies - marks, scratches etc. but overall the 1080P offers a decent viewing. It is on a single-layered disc with a high bitrate.

NOTE: We have added 56 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. White Woman has a few jungle-y effects - pounding drums - that are a shade scattered. There is uncredited music by Karl Hajos (Four Frightened People, Werewolf of London, Supernatural, Summer Storm), and John Leipold (Merrily We Go To Hell, Christmas in July, The Devil is a Woman, The Flying Deuces, Duck Soup,) There are also two songs - Yes, My Dear and He's a Cute Brute performed by Carole Lombard (dubbed by Mona Lowe) sounding reasonably effective in the lossless transfer. The audio suffers from its production limitations but I didn't find it distracting or egregious. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by filmmaker Allan Arkush and film historian / filmmaker Daniel Kremer. They discuss it as a Pre-Code and the campiest movie Carole Lombard ever made - thanks to some scene-chewing by Charles Laughton. They discuss the exotic locale common among Paramount films of the era. The pair have done other commentaries for Carole Lombard films. Allan discusses the film's poor blocking, framing, sets and staging. The commentary has some great, sometimes critical, observations - discussions on Laughton, Lombard and Bickford's careers - I enjoyed it. There are a handful of trailers for other films but none for White Woman.

White Woman has an interesting location - set at at remote Malaysian jungle rubber plantation (albeit Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue) - steamy weather, restless natives, a flirtatious wife and jealous husband. In 1939, Paramount remade White Woman as Island of Lost Men with Anna May Wong - also based on Norman Reilly Raine and Frank Butler's play "Hangman's Whip" - although with a decidedly different premise. etc. White Woman is an awkward film but is nonetheless captivating and has the Pre-Code and Lombard appeal. It has themes of racism jealously, lust - at a breakneck pace at slightly over an hour. Lots going on here. The Kino Blu-ray provides White Woman in 1080P with a revealing commentary. Pre-Code fans will wish to indulge.