Horror Classics Vol. 2: Indestructible Man/The Amazing Transparent Man
by Edgar G. Ulmer, Jack Pollexfen
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Lon Chaney Jr., Marian Carr, Max Showalter, Ross Elliott, Stuart RandallDirector: Edgar G. Ulmer, Jack Pollexfen
Producer: Jack Pollexfen
Producer: John Miller
Producer: Lester D. Guthrie
Writer: Jack Lewis
Writer: Sue Dwiggins
Writer: Vy Russell
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 128 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-10-26
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: ROAN
Movie Reviews of Horror Classics Vol. 2: Indestructible Man/The Amazing Transparent Man
Movie Review: Adequate if unremarkable DVD two-fer of minor SF cheapies
Summary: 3 Stars
Indestructible Man is probably the most familiar, and beloved, of producer-director Jack Pollexfen's poverty-row epics (Neanderthal Man, Daughter of Dr. Jekyll, Atomic Brain). Pollexfen's name in the credits always means you're in no-budget-land. Another clue this time out is the preponderance of narration (indicating an absence of synch sound, of course). The movie gets what little rep it has from the casting of Lon Chaney as back-from-the-dead killer `The Butcher' Benton, although he actually looks rather thin and haggard here (he was no doubt drinking heavily at the time), and not very threatening at all. Or as the narrator says, "like any normal person on his way to work." Robert Shayne (Neanderthal Man, Inspector Henderson on Superman) makes a brief appearance as "mad" Professor Bradshaw (assisted by Joe "Captain Binghamton" Flynn) resuscitating The Butcher; bland Casey Adams/Max Showalter (Monster that Challenged the World, Niagara) is Lt. Dick Chasen the flatfoot hero; and Ross Elliott (Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Monster on the Campus) plays a sleazy lawyer. The movie tries for trash appeal by making The Butcher's ex-girlfriend Eva (Marion Carr) a burlesque performer, but her sweet-and-innocent manner totally undercuts any bad-girl ambience that might have been generated. Overall the movie is a bit on the dull side, with a few laughs, and a modicum of bad-movie charm. Cinematography is by John L. (Jack) Russell (Hitchcock's Psycho; Thriller TV series), though you're unlikely to be impressed by the source print: it's fairly grainy, with a slightly soft, `dupey' look, and respectable if unremarkable grayscale, brightness, contrast, and shadow/highlight detail. There is also light-to-moderate speckling, scratching, and blemishing throughout, and the sound is merely OK, a bit on the muddy side at times. Kind of makes you wonder what exactly Roan "restored." (The box claims the movies to be "digitally mastered and restored from original film elements." ?!?). Not nearly as nice as some of their other releases (e.g. Svengali, Horror Hotel), if not disastrous either.The Amazing Transparent Man was cult director Edgar G. Ulmer's final American film and it pretty much feels like a last gasp (it's not nearly as much fun as Beyond the Time Barrier). The mostly no-name cast ranges from annoying (loud, abrasive Douglas Kennedy as safecracker Joey Faust) to cloying (Dr. Ulof [familiar character actor Ivan Triesault] and his daughter Maria). The script is an odd mix of gangster movie cliches, soap opera melodramatics, late 50s topicality (Cold War/espionage subplotting), and Weighty Issues thematics that never really goes anywhere. The laboratory set is quite poverty-stricken, and the invisibility effects, accomplished with traveling mattes, are only mildly diverting. Other special effects are of the pantomime-and-fishing-line variety; almost cheesy enough to be funny. Almost. Legendary makeup artist Jack P. Pierce's talents are completely wasted (it was one of his last movies), and, let's face it, Ulmer is way past prime here, with precious little onscreen to distinguish this from any contemporary Dick Cunha or Herbert L. Strock picture.
At least the source print is better than that of Indestructible Man. It's actually quite decent, presented in anamorphic widescreen at approximately 1.85:1, with generally very good to excellent grayscale, sharpness, brightness, contrast, and highlight detail. The shadow detail looks a little blocked up at times, and there is some sporadic light speckling, blemishing, and scratching (mostly around reel changes), but overall the print's quite acceptable, especially considering the age and history of the film.
Bottom line: neither movie is really indispensable to a 1950s SF collection, both being of interest mainly to bad movie diehards with fairly strong constitutions. The DVD package rates a solid three. The source prints, while nothing to write home about, are basically average to slightly above (especially The ATM), and far better than the crap you typically find on a Madacy or Brentwood disc. Unfortunately, there are no menus, trailers, or any other extras, though both movies are broken into chapters. Fifties C-movie completists and Ulmer fanatics might as well go for it, mainstream consumers beware.
Summary of Horror Classics Vol. 2: Indestructible Man/The Amazing Transparent Man
The Indestructible Man stars bearish horror movie icon Lon Chaney Jr. as the vicious "Butcher" Benton, a notorious killer and bank robber on death row who swears to take revenge on his backstabbing lawyer and double-crossing partners. When his corpse is brought back to life in a secret experiment, mute but monstrously strong and impervious to bullets, he's suddenly in a position to carry out his threat and scoop up the loot he hid from his last job. Meanwhile, investigating cop Robert Shayne, who dryly narrates Dragnet style, leads the hunt to catch him before he kills again. The Los Angeles location shooting, including scenes in the underground sewer system and a climactic showdown at a power plant, and Chaney's lumbering, lurching performance (a kind of urban Frankenstein's monster) bring a little character to an otherwise drab thriller.B movie auteur Edgar G. Ulmer directs The Amazing Transparent Man, another science-fiction-tinged crime thriller. In the film's handsomely shot introduction, Douglas Kennedy is sprung from prison to help an ambitious crime lord (James Griffith) with his master plan to take over the world with his new invisibility formula. But tough-talking thug Kennedy is no man's patsy, and the two double-cross each other. The slim 60-minute feature is stuck with a leaden script and silly twists, but the film looks better than it has any right to and Ulmer directs with a brisk pace, ending the picture (thanks to the wonders of stock footage) with an apocalyptic bang! --Sean Axmaker
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