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The
Black Cat
Universal Horror
Classic Movie Archive
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8 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by Troy
Howarth |
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From the Universal Horror
Classic Movie Archive
• DVD Rating is for
entire set
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As
greedy heirs gather for the reading of a will,
a murderer starts bumping them off one by one...
As the
above sentence indicates, this particular version
of The Black Cat
has very little to do with Edgar Allan Poe. Indeed,
apart from the baleful presence of the titular
kitty, it plays more along the lines of an Agatha
Christie whodunit, with the addition of plenty
of comedic relief. Though hardly startling in
its originality, it's a slick and professional
B-movie told with skill and economy.
The
cast certainly helps. Basil Rathbone gets star
billing, but in reality he's something of a supporting
character —
he plays the role with sly wit and plenty of charisma,
and a character is even able to poke fun at his
most famous role when he tries playing detective
and someone remarks, "He must think he's Sherlock
Holmes!" Rathbone has been accused of walking
through his role, but in truth he plays the part
with more conviction and energy than, say, some
of his later Holmesian appearances. The presence
of Bela Lugosi adds to the film's tenuous horror
film connections, but the veteran actor isn't
given a lot to do —
that said, Lugosi makes the most of his appearances,
playing the creepy gardener for all it's worth.
The introduction of Lugosi at the gate, which
cuts in to an intense closeup of his wild eyes
evokes memories of the actor's glory days at Universal
in Dracula
(1931) —
but a mere ten years later, and the glory days
were over; whereas he once was entrusted with
carrying major films, he would from now on be
relegated to supporting roles for Universal.
Rathbone
and Lugosi to one side, the film is predominately
carried by Hugh Herbert and Broderick Crawford.
They make for an appealing comedic team —
Crawford more straight laced and heroic, Herbert
blissfully unaware of the mayhem taking place
around him —
and for once, the humor actually enhances the
picture rather than detracting from it. Gale Sondergaard
(The Spider Woman)
and a young Alan Ladd (Shane)
also appear.
With its slick, shadowy black
and white cinematography by Stanley Cortez (The
Magnificent Ambersons) and effective use
of standing sets, The Black
Cat belies its low budget from beginning
to end. Director Albert S. Rogell, in apparently
his only genre offering, keeps the action moving
at a good clip while making excellent use of whatever
horror imagery the presence of Lugosi and the
cat can conjure up. The score is inevitably a
pastiche of cues written by Hans J. Salter and
others for Son
Of Frankenstein, Tower
Of London and other films; the recurring
use of these cues throughout Universal horrors
of the 40s would always give the films an air
of cozy familiarity. In addition to the technical
panache, the script actually manages a surprise
or two in its final reel that helps to detract
from its otherwise formulaic structure. Though
hardly one of the prime examples of the genre
from Universal —
and certainly, comparisons to Edgar G. Ulmer's
perverse masterpiece, also with Lugosi, would
be unkind —
The Black Cat is
a fun and sprightly programmer.
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Released
as part of the new Universal Horror Classic
Movie Archive collection, exclusively available
through Best Buy, The Black
Cat finally makes its debut on DVD. The
fullframe transfer is very good — the print utilized
is in excellent condition, there are no discernible
authoring defects, and the detail is very strong.
The mono soundtrack is clean and clear, on a par
with other films of this vintage. Extras are limited
to a theatrical trailer; in truth, a reissue trailer
which favors Alan Ladd (who has a fairly colorless
supporting role) by being billed second behind
Rathbone. 10/22/07
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| NOTE
The two-disc/five film Universal
Horror Classic Movie Archive also contains
Man Made Monster
and Horror Island (both
1941), Night Monster (1942)
and Captive Wild Woman (1943).
This limited-run collection is only for sale at
Best Buy stores.
Copies are available on Amazon via Third
Party Sellers, but be warned — the price is considerably
higher (i.e, "scalping"). |
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