Gambling House - Victor Mature

Search DVDBeaver

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

(aka "Alias Mike Fury" or "La casa de juego")

directed by Ted Tetzlaff
USA 1950

The opening and closing images of this movie, directed by Ted Tetzlaff, fall firmly in the tradition of evocative noir staging and shooting. Too bad the bulk of the movie falls far short of that promise. Victor Mature, an operative in a gambling syndicate bossed by duplicitous William Bendix, eludes a rap but finds himself about to be deported. Squeakily wholesome Terry Moore, who works expediting such cases, falls for Mature (she's the primary female presence in the film, which cries out for a darker, more ambiguous woman). For long stretches it's unclear whether the script is about the inequalities of the immigration laws or about the dangers of organized gambling. A much grittier treatment of the same subject, from the same era, is The Lady Gambles, starring the First Lady of Film Noir, Barbara Stanwyck.

Excerpt of review from Bill McVicar for imdb.com located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 27 December 1950 (USA)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Vértice Cine (Filmoteca RKO) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Vértice Cine Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:20:00
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6:48 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 (English, Spanish Dub)
Subtitles	Spanish (forced with English audio)
Features	Release Information: Studio: Vértice Cine Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: � 24-page booklet with notes by Pedro Crespo (in Spanish) DVD Release Date: July 20th, 2011 Keep case inside a cardboard slipcase Chapters 8

Comments

Gambling House is another RKO title that received a DVD release in Spain from Vértice Cine before region 1 - just like previously reviewed The Devil Thumbs a Ride, Hunt the Man Down and The Company She Keeps, and it is the best looking disc compared to them. The interlaced video has issues - marks and specs, some softness, but the contrast is well-balanced and the image is not as muddy as other discs. The film can use a new progressive transfer from Warner, but until that happens, this is a watchable release. The English mono is decent and a musical score by Roy Webb (I Married a Witch, The Fallen Sparrow, The Window, Journey Into Fear, I Walked with a Zombie etc.) comes off well. The disc includes a Spanish dub and Spanish subtitles that can't be turned off when English soundtrack is selected. The superior packaging includes a cardboard slipcase and 24-page booklet in Spanish. Gambling House falls short on the true noir promises, but it gives us great characters from Victor Mature and William Bendix and adorable Terry Moore, so the film can be recommended. Amazon Spain provides the best pricing for this release.