The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday) (1934) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)These represent the Universal films outside the "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" franchises that starred Bela Lugosi--or more accurately, Karloff and Lugosi in all but one. Once Karloff entered the Universal scene a few months after "Dracula" (1931) and created such a hit with the Frankenstein monster--eclipsing Lugosi's Dracula, the studio wasn't keen to feature Lugosi as their horror star any longer: very ungrateful of them. So it leaves a "Lugosi Collection" from Universal largely as pairings with Karloff. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1932) is exclusively a Lugosi vehicle. In "The Black Cat" (1934), the two are matched. Lugosi dominates in "The Raven" (1935), while "The Invisible Ray" (1936) is more a Karloff vehicle. "Black Friday' (1940), by far the weakest film, shouldn't be here at all, as Lugosi only has a small role.
Since others have already spoken at length about the films, and since most people buying this two-sided disc know what they're getting, I want to address the DVD mastering problems experienced. Many have noted that, regardless of player, films on the disc pixelate and freeze at random points. This is a problem with Universal's DVD-18 mastering process, which has flaws that have since caused Universal to return to their earlier, more reliable DVD-9 process.
In the meantime, both this disc and the 2-DVD "The Hammer Horror Series" have more than their share of bad discs. Contacting Universal itself will serve no purpose: even though they are aware of the problem, the pressings are out there and are not being remastered. You just have to be persistent and keep exchanging defective copies at retailers--even if you have to get a refund and start again with another dealer; the films are worth it. Eventually, you *will* get one without glitches. It took me three copies from two places for both this and "The Hammer Horror Series." Importantly, you don't have to play through all the films in real time to know if you have a flawed copy: just scan through the films in the player at 4x-10x speed (no faster), and if there is a glitch, the player will freeze at the spot. That way, you don't have to watch through eight 90-minute movies on every copy you try out; it will take only 10% of the time to check the set, and you don't even have to be in the room. If you come back and the image is frozen, rather than having finished the film being scanned and having returned to the menu, then you have a bad one.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday) (1934)

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday) (1934)

Read More...

Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It is a shame that it seems this holiday season so many studios are just double-dipping previously released material. Abbott and Costello are probably worthwhile purchases because, as someone else has already pointed out, the previous collections were on double-sided discs. However, this does seem to hurt the true fan who bought those double-sided disc collections by making them purchase the same films yet again in order to get something that will last long term. The following is the press release for this set, which indicates that 1943's "It Ain't Hay" will be the only film in this set that is a new release.
DISC 1:
One Night in the Tropics (1940) - Bud and Lou get mixed up in a "Love Insurance" scheme.
Buck Privates (1941)- The duo accidentally enlists in the U.S. Army to avoid getting arrested
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historians Bob Furmanek and Ron Palumbo (Buck Privates)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 2:
In the Navy (1941) - Bud and Lou are sailors bound for duty on the high seas in this musical comedy.
Hold that Ghost (1941) - The boys inherit a haunted house formerly owned by a mobster.
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historian Jeff Miller (Hold That Ghost)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 3:
Keep `Em Flying (1941) - Bud and Lou enlist in the Army Air Corps and get caught up in a love triangle.
Ride `Em Cowboy (1942) - The duo head to the Lazy S ranch to hide after Lou accidentally proposes to an Indian girl.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 4:
Pardon My Sarong (1942) - Bud and Lou travel to the South Seas where Lou is mistaken for a legend.
Who Done It? (1942) - The boys are suspected of murder while being targeted by the actual killer.
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historian Frank Coniff (Who Done It?)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 5:
It Ain't Hay (1943) - Only film not previously on DVD
Hit the Ice (1943) - Bud and Lou hit the slopes at the Sun Valley Resort after getting mixed up with gangsters.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 6:
In Society (1944) - The boys find themselves in hot water after a plumbing job goes wrong at a high society bash.
Here Come the Co-Eds (1945) - Bud and Lou head to campus and attempt to save Bixby College from closing down.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 7:
The Naughty Nineties (1945) - Set aboard the River Queen showboat, Bud and Lou perform their legendary "Who's on First?" routine.
Little Giant (1946) - Lou plays a little man with big dreams and ends up selling vacuum cleaners.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 8:
The Time of Their Lives (1946) - Mistaken as a traitor, Lou's ghost is trapped in Danbury Mansion until his innocence is proven.
Buck Privates Come Home (1947) - Bud and Lou return to civilian life and get involved in midget car racing in the sequel to Buck Privates!
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historian Frank Thompson (The Time of Their Lives)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 9:
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (1947) - Accused of murder, Lou is forced to take care of a widow and her children on a farm.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) - Bud and Lou encounter Frankenstein's monster, Dracula and The Wolf Man.
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historian Gregory W. Mank (Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 10:
Mexican Hayride (1948) - Bud and Lou head south of the border after getting mixed up in an oil stock scheme.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) - The boys meet up with Boris Karloff after a guest is murdered at their hotel.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 11:
Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) - Bud and Lou head to Algeria on business and are tricked into joining the Foreign Legion.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) - As novice private detectives, Bud and Lou come face to face with The Invisible Man.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 12:
Comin' Round the Mountain (1951) - Lou discovers he is heir to a secret fortune, and the boys search for the hidden treasure.
Lost in Alaska (1952) - Bud and Lou save an ex-sheriff, then discover he is the target of every hitman in the Yukon.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 13:
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) - The boys accidentally take off for Mars and end up in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) - The duo are American cops in London to study police tactics. They wind up in jail and are bailed out by Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll has been murdering fellow doctors who laugh at his experiments. He has more murders in mind. At one point the doctor's serum gets injected into the pair.
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historians Tom Weaver and Richard Scrivani (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
DISC 14:
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955) - Harry and Willie buy the Edison Movie Studio in the year 1912 from Joseph Gorman, a confidence man. They follow Gorman to Hollywood where, as stunt men, they find him directing movies as Sergei Trumanoff and stealing the studio payroll.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) - In Egypt Peter and Freddie find the archaeologist Dr. Zoomer murdered before they can return to America. A medallion leads them to a crypt where a revived mummy provides the terror.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
BONUS DISC (DISC 15):
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Monsters
The World of Abbott and Costello - A compilation of clips from 19 Abbott and Costello features.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection

Read More...