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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
Directed by Harry Keller
USA
1958
Never come between a woman and her prey in the wickedly entertaining drama, The Female Animal! Hollywood star Vanessa Windsor (Hedy Lamarr) is saved from a terrible on-set accident by handsome studio extra, Chris Farley (George Nader). In appreciation of his skills and good looks, she sets him up as the “caretaker” of her beach house. When Vanessa’s sultry daughter (Jane Powell) meets Chris, the claws come out as both ladies try to stake out his affections in this campy, glitzy battle for love. *** This was Lamarr's last film before she went into retirement, and not a very good finale. Lamarr is a movie star who is saved from a falling light by extra Nader. She gives him a job as caretaker of her beach house, which starts an affair. Trouble starts when Nader falls for Powell, who turns out to be Lamarr's adopted daughter. Lamarr brings in a good performance considering the material, but her costars fall way below par. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: January 22nd, 1958
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Universal - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
Presently, only available in Kino's Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema II Blu-ray with Thunder On The Hill, The Price Of Fear and The Female Animal Bonus Captures: |
|
Distribution | Universal Home Video - Region 0 - NTSC | Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:22:23 | 1:22:33.949 |
Video |
2.35:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.47 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
2.35 :1 1080P Single-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 21,780,513,218 bytesFeature: 21,037,713,408 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.42 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate: |
|
|
Bitrate Blu-ray: |
|
|
Audio | English (Dolby Digital mono) |
DTS-HD Master
Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 /
48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
Subtitles | None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details: • NoneDVD Release Date: October 30th, 2015 Keep Case Chapters: 9
|
Release Information: Studio: Kino
2.35 :1 1080P Single-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 21,780,513,218 bytesFeature: 21,037,713,408 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.42 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian David Del Valle and David DeCouto• The Female Animal trailer (2:10)
Standard Blu-ray Case inside cardboard sleeve (see below) Chapters 10 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 34 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track (16-bit) in the original
English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio and,
occasionally dramatic, score by Hans J. Salter (Naked
Alibi,
Pittsburgh, Man
Without a Star,
The
Killer that Stalked New York, The
Strange Door,
Cover
Up, Man
Without a Star,
Scarlet Street,
The Land Unknown,
The War Lord,
The Mole People,
The Strange Case of Doctor Rx) sounding a bit deeper with
more consistent dialogue. Kino offer optional English
subtitles on their Region 'A'
Blu-ray.
The Kino
Blu-ray
offer us a new audio commentary by film historians David Del Valle and
David DeCouto who admit they had never seen the film previously. They
make some great comments on Hedy (some good stories suing Mel Brooks
etc.) and the female star's age issues relating to the plot.
I enjoyed with some talk beyond the generic in terms of the cast and
crew. Good stuff, guys. There is also a trailer for The Female Animal
and two other films.
While there is a certain gossipy silliness
to the plot of The Female Animal
so it's biggest attribute seems to be the stars; Hedy Lamarr, Jane
Powell, Jan Sterling - and the biting dialogue in a Noir-leaning
way. In some sense - those features can be enough for many a fan. Let's
not forget Russell Metty's cinematography. The
commentary tacks another bonus point to give it value. We will review
the other two Blu-rays
of
ON THE DVD: The Female Animal is an attempt at a provocative brand of cinema that didn't have a long shelf life although it achieves on a few levels although the star ages were inaccurate to the plot - Hedy Lamarr (44), Jane Powell (30), Jan Sterling (38) had their more glamorous years behind. The exploitive title was an unfulfilling 'come on' but it wasn't all bad. The disc is predictably single-layered and has no menus, or extras, and the transfer is interlaced (see combing in bottom capture.) Aside from that it was a bit soft - but consistent. There wasn't much damage or speckles. DoP Russell Metty's utilizes the black and white visuals well - with snippets of contrast brilliance.
The audio is lossy but clear and clean.
The
score by
Hans J. Salter (Man
Without a Star,
Cover Up, The
Wolfman,
The Mole People) sounds supportive but is largely unremarkable
in the presentation.
There are no subtitles and the media is region FREE.
The film is
weak beyond the performer appeal. I'll watch Hedy in anything on
celluloid, and Jane Powell had some aggressive cuteness. Unfortunately,
there isn't enough to recommend - especially an the exorbitant MoD
pricing. Pass too all except die-hard fans of the ladies.
Gary Tooze |
Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
1) Universal - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Universal - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Universal - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Universal - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
Box Cover |
Presently, only available in Kino's Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema II Blu-ray with Thunder On The Hill, The Price Of Fear and The Female Animal Bonus Captures: |
|
Distribution | Universal Home Video - Region 0 - NTSC | Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |