You feel that the Blu ray label Eureka is leading the fight against the streamers doldrums. Yes, they alongside both Arrow and 88 Films, have been pumping out Hong Kong films at a pace. They also have been sifting through some of the greatest films from Hollywood, which have been both criminally underseen and unavailable. Films like THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, which many expected would get a Criterion release (or at least they have the Criterion DVD), THE INVISIBLE RAY and the silent THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.
1939 is often considered the best year for Hollywood cinema. It had GONE WITH THE WIND (spare me the current, rather unintelligent anger), THE WIZARD OF OZ (also spare me the drug haze joys), GOODBYE MR CHIPS, DARK VICTORY, NINOTCHKA, STAGECOACH and WUTHERING HEIGHTS (to name a few). Well among all of these, the greatest comedy of the year was sent upon us. That film, THE CAT AND THE CANARY, zings with an above par Bob Hope as Wally (Bob Hope). He is a rather silly, soft hearted guy who vows to protect Joyce (Paulette Goddard). Why would she need saving you may ask?
Well it’s the abandoned mansion set deep in the Louisiana bayous, they are currently staying in. Her uncle, an eccentric millionaire, has gathered all, 10 years after his demise, to read his will. When Joyce is named the sole inheritor, things start to look ominous. He has set a condition that she does not go insane within the next 30 days or else, the money goes to the next in line. Coming a year later and equally brilliant is THE GHOST BREAKERS from 1940. Again Hope gives us a witless hero in Larry Lawrence (so good they named him twice). He is suspected of murder and escapes to a steamer ship in a trunk. The trunk is owned by Mary Carter (Goddard), who is sailing off to new places. This place is her inheritance (wow, luckily girl two in two). It’s a castle, said to be haunted worse than a Scooby Doo location. Inhabited by a ghost, a zombie and perhaps even a flesh-and-blood fiend. Things are going to get tasty. Or funny. The choice is yours.
The offer here is a series of decent commentary’s. Both Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby helmed and both informative and handled with some level of care to find new information. This benefits THE GHOST BREAKERS more, as the film has been less trodden. I never tire of Rigby. He is an actor and this tells in his delivery, which is passioned and playful. Kim Newman video interview on THE CAT AND THE CANARY but covering both, needs a bit more than what it gets. He has a lovely manner which is well informed and his interview is interacted with an energetic persona. However, I am concerned that, like some other extras, giving him only 20 minutes dulls the whole piece. He needs more time and dare I say, needs to be less aggressively edited. The thing with Kim is he wanders and its as interesting as the viable points. Just me I guess. I would want to now say that radio adaptations need to be rehashed for the modern world. They are so much fun. Adding some dynamic chuckles, within a pinpoint timescale.
SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES*
Limited Edition slipcase (2000 copies) | 1080p presentation of both films from scans of the original film elements supplied by Universal, with The Ghost Breakers presented from a new 2K master | Optional English SDH | Brand new audio commentary tracks on both films with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby | Kim Newman on “The Cat and the Canary” and “The Ghost Breakers” | “The Ghost Breakers” 1949 radio adaptation | Trailers | Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork | PLUS: A limited edition collector’s booklet (2000 copies) featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann
