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

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (March 2021): Imprint have transferred Arch Oboler's Five to Blu-ray. It is advertised as a "NEW 2K scan from the original negative". This is a significant leap over the 2009 green-heavy DVD. The 1080P transfer has a bitrate almost 6X that of the SD, detail rises and contrast is superior with purer whites and deeper black levels. The DVD was very modest and this is a substantial improvement showing beautifully consistent grain textures - also showing a sliver more information in the 1.33:1 frame.

NOTE: We have added 50 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Imprint use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio and score credited to Henry Russell (Gun for a Coward), William Lava (The Deadly Mantis, Moonrise, S.O.S. Tidal Wave, War Arrow, The Night Riders, Retreat, Hell!) and Charles Maxwell (The Woman in the Window, Grand Hotel, Along Came Jones) sounding a bit deeper with more consistent dialogue. Imprint offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Imprint Blu-ray offers a new commentary. Glenn Erickson announces Five as the first post-apocalyptic feature film and Matthew Rovner has written extensively about writer-director Arch Oboler. It's very good - plenty on Oboler, how this was his project with students shot at his ranch in Malibu, Susan Douglas (Targets), William Phipps (often uncredited parts in such films as Invaders from Mars, 1953's The War of the Worlds, The Blue Gardenia and many westerns etc.), the politics between Oboler and correspondence with architect Frank Lloyd Wright, comparisons to Hitchcock's Lifeboat and much more. The commentary is full of fascinating details. Also included is a 25-minute interview with Kim Newman talking about "Five" as its pioneering genre status and he talks about Arch Oboler - notably on his radio work, as an artist ahead of his times, and how this feature was very 'Anti-Hollywood'. He's at his usual informative, interesting level. There is a theatrical trailer and limited editions slipcase (see below.)  

Arch Oboler's Five was an obvious inspiration for Z for Zachariah and many other post-apocalyptic features that followed - centering on the conflict arising from some of the remaining survivors. Notably apparent are the racism themes also found in The World, The Flesh and the Devil made later that decade. There is an easy case to make for this being part of our 50's and 60's science-fiction listing. It's a film I am very pleased to own on Blu-ray with the massively improved a/v, commentary and Kim Newman piece. A strong recommendation to those who appreciate this genre! 

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVD (2009): A recent release of Warner Archive's made-on-demand disc of The World, the Flesh and the Devil made me think of this underrated end-of-the-world movie from Columbia Pictures. Released on DVD with little fanfare back in February of 2009, in ill-advised 'Martini Movies' line with silly re-titling (5ive instead of Five - I guess, to make it harder to find) and unattractive cover artwork, the film is a must for any serious classic science-fiction fan. And it's not a irrational sci-fi, but very thought-provoking and, at-times, a surprising parable of an impending apocalypse. Writer-director Arch Oboler was nominated for Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Low-Budget Film - Samuel Fuller's The Steel Helmet took the prize.

  - Gregory Meshman