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The Old Dark House [Blu-ray]

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 438 ratings

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Additional Blu-ray options Edition Discs
Price
New from Used from
Blu-ray
October 24, 2017
4K Restoration
1
$22.86 $27.64
Genre Horror, Comedy
Format Dolby, NTSC, AC-3, Black & White, Full Screen, Subtitled, Surround Sound
Contributor Raymond Massey, Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Stuart, Boris Karloff, Eva Moore, James Whale, Charles Laughton, Carl Laemmle Jr., Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger, Benn W. Levy See more
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 12 minutes

Product Description

From the director of Frankenstein, a group of stranded travelers stumble upon a strange old house, and find themselves at the mercy of the highly eccentric, and potentially dangerous, Femm family. This well-performed, atmospheric thriller features the first starring horror role for Boris Karloff, as the hulking, disfigured butler. Based on the novel Benighted (1927) by J. B. Priestley. The Cohen Film Collection is proud to present this stunning new 4K restoration.

BONUS FEATURES:
- feature length audio commentary by actor Gloria Stuart
- feature length audio commentary by James Whale biographer James Curtis
- interview with director Curtis Harrington on the rediscovery of this once thought-lost film
- new interview with Sara Karloff
- re-release trailer

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.37:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.25 x 5.75 x 0.5 inches; 3.2 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ James Whale
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, NTSC, AC-3, Black & White, Full Screen, Subtitled, Surround Sound
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 12 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ October 24, 2017
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Lilian Bond
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Producers ‏ : ‎ Carl Laemmle Jr.
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (PCM Stereo)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074TR63JC
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ Benn W. Levy
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 438 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
438 global ratings
NOT JUST KARLOFF: ALSO DIRECTOR JAMES WHALE + THE HOLLYWOOD DEBUT OF CHARLES LAUGHTON + CROSS-DRESSING IN HOLLYWOOD
5 Stars
NOT JUST KARLOFF: ALSO DIRECTOR JAMES WHALE + THE HOLLYWOOD DEBUT OF CHARLES LAUGHTON + CROSS-DRESSING IN HOLLYWOOD
Photo 1: Magazine Advertisement (note "John Dudgeon" in the cast list)Photo 2: Melvyn Douglas, Boris Karloff, Charles LaughtonPhoto 3: Raymond Massey, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Ernest ThesigerPhoto 4: John Dudgeon as Sir Roderick FemmPhoto 5: Elspeth DudgeonPhoto 6: Lobby CardPhoto 7: Director James Whale with Ernest Thesiger in 'Bride of Frankenstein'.‘The Old Dark House’ (1932) was the second entry in Universal’s horror trilogyteaming director James Whale with Boris Karloff.All three are now on blu-ray:'The Old Dark House' came between the original 'Frankenstein' (1931) and ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’ (1935)Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection [Blu-ray]Unlike the Frankenstein films which had a long life in second-run movie houses and on television,‘The Old Dark House’ was considered a “lost” filmuntil 1968 when director Curtis Harrington discovered an uncataloged negative in Universal’s vault.Damaged but viewable.The film was restored by the George Eastman House and released on DVD in 1999 by Kino.The Cohen Collection Blu-Ray is a new 2017 4K Blu-Ray transfer.Significantly improved picture and sound.Wonderful movie, fully the equal of the two Frankenstein films.The Kino bonus features from 1999 are carried over to the new Blu-Ray:--- feature length audio commentary by James Whale biographer James Curtis--- feature length audio commentary by actress Gloria Stuart (recorded at age 85)--- interview with Curtis Harrington on the rediscovery of this "lost" filmNew bonus features on the Cohen Blu-Ray:--- English SDH subtitles--- twelve page booklet--- re-release trailer--- interview with Boris Karloff's daughter SaraIn 1932 the film opened with a title card - included on the 1999 DVD, but not the new Blu-Ray:"PRODUCER'S NOTE:Karloff, the mad butler in this production, is the same Karloff who created the part of the mechanical monster in 'Frankenstein'. We explain this to settle all disputes in advance, even though such disputes are a tribute to his great versatility."British director James Whale was portrayed by actor Ian McKellan in the the 1998 film Gods and Monsters (Widescreen Collector's Edition)Recommended.For 'The Old Dark House', Whale used actors he had worked with on the London stage.Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey and Ernest Thesiger were making their American film debuts.Ernest Thesiger's best-known role was Dr. Pretorious in 'The Bride of Frankenstein' three years later.CROSS-DRESSING IN HOLLYWOOD'The Old Dark House' is based on the 1927 novel 'Benighted' by J.B. Priestly.For the role of family patriarch "Sir Roderic Femm",James Whale cast British actress Elspeth Dudgeon (1871-1955), billing her in the film credits as "John Dudgeon".Whale was one of the few openly gay directors in Hollywood,I always assumed this trans-gender casting was an inside joke.In her commentary, Gloria Stuart reveals that she never guessed John Dudgeon's true identity until the final day of shooting, when the director revealed all to general amusement.Of course, I also thought the name "Sir Roderic Femm" was another of the director's inside jokes.However that turned out to be J.B. Priestly's name for the character in his original novel,so I missed that one.Photo 1: Magazine Advertisement (note "John Dudgeon" in the cast list)Photo 2: Melvyn Douglas, Boris Karloff, Charles LaughtonPhoto 3: Raymond Massey, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Ernest ThesigerPhoto 4: John Dudgeon as Sir Roderick FemmPhoto 5: Elspeth DudgeonPhoto 6: Lobby CardPhoto 7: Director James Whale with Ernest Thesiger in 'Bride of Frankenstein'
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Top reviews from other countries

BigGMonsterMan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD of a classic movie
Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2017
One person found this helpful
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JS
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic of the Genre
Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2018
Gary Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-see classic!
Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2017
Mitch
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant bluray edition of this excellent film
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2018
6 people found this helpful
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Joey R
5.0 out of 5 stars Oldies Are The Best
Reviewed in Canada on March 11, 2018