The Ghoul
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Movie Reviews of The Ghoul
Movie Review: The Ghoul of Your Dreams
Summary: 5 Stars
Movie: ****1/2 DVD Transfer: ***** Extras: N/A
MGM's gorgeous DVD release of this Gaumont-British film is truly a treasure that belongs in every Boris Karloff fan's home video library. Filmed in England in 1933, "The Ghoul" gives the actor a plum role, that of an Egyptologist who is convinced that an ancient jewel is his ticket to the afterlife. Swearing to return from the dead to kill anyone who dares to steal the gem from his body, the dying professor soon expires ... and is promptly robbed. Can murder and mayhem be far behind?! The plot concerning the undead scholar's rampage of revenge is complicated by a twist of mystery as the sacred jewel continues to exchange hands, sought after by a series of suspects who may not be exactly who they claim to be. It's all great shivery fun, played to near perfection by a distinguished cast. Karloff, of course, is very effective as the mouldering Professor Morlant, and he's ably supported by Cedric Hardwicke as a mercenary lawyer; Anthony Bushell as the romantic lead; and Ralph Richardson as a priest who frowns upon Karloff's worship of ancient Egyptian gods. Worthy of special note is frequent Karloff co-star Ernest Thesiger, who played the effete Horace Femm in "The Old Dark House" and the quirky Dr. Praetorious in "Bride of Frankenstein"; here, as Karloff's club-footed Scottish valet, Thesiger plays with uncommon vocal and physical restraint, allowing his marvelously gaunt face and piercing eyes to create his character. It's a wonderfully effective portrayal.
As mentioned earlier, MGM's DVD presentation is of phenomenally high quality. "The Ghoul" was once considered a lost film, until a deteriorated, subtitled print was finally discovered in the late 1960's. Fans and film scholars who had long waited to see the movie were understandably disappointed upon finally viewing the only copy available to them, and the film's reputation suffered accordingly. If only they had seen this pristine transfer, which is for all intents and purposes "flawless"! Featuring crisp, clear sound, and outstanding video, the DVD showcases the beautifully composed deep-focus photography of cameraman Gunther Krampf, and the top notch skill of makeup artist Heinrich Heitfeld - whose transformation of Karloff into a withered and disfigured old man is nothing short of astonishing. This one's definitely a keeper, one you'll be proud to own and enjoy over repeated viewings.
Movie Review: A rarely seen Karloff gem
Summary: 5 Stars
Looking at the artwork on the case, you might think this was a newer film, say, one made in the last 20 years, but that is not so. This movie was actually made in the early 30's, and is an excellent companion to the Universal horror movies of the time.Boris Karloff stars as a professor/Egyptologist who is soon to pass into the great beyond. Through his studies, he believes he's found the key to immortality, in a ancient gem called The Eternal Light. Now, there is a little confusion on my part as to what possesion of this gem is supposed to do, if it makes one immortal or opens a passage to a wonderous paradise in the afterlife, but the gem in question is highly sought after due to its' monetary and supernatural value.
Karloff's character passes on, and guess what? The gem is stolen! This prompts Karloff's corpse to come back to life and seek out the gem. Things get a tad confusing, as Karloff's heirs get involved, along with a butler, an unscrupulous accountant, a couple of Egyptians, a priest, and so on. If you follow closely, you should be able to keep things straight, but if your attention wanders, you will miss something. Karloff's make up was kept minimal, which I thought worked really well, and the quality of the production seemed fairly high, even though I am sure the actual production budget was pretty modest. A great example of making the most of what you have. The atmosphere was thoroughly creepy, and even the comic relief, who I found annoying at first, sort of grew on me. But, in the end, see this movie for Karloff, as he's in his prime. He may not have a lot of dialogue, but his actions and facial expressions speak louder than words. I would say this movie is a combonation of The Mummy and The Old Dark House.
There are no extras, but the print and sound are both excellent, and, from reading other reviews on the rarity of this movie, sounds like this excellent print has been on many peoples wishlist for a long time. I give a lot of credit to MGM, not only for releasing movies from their catalog in a timely manner, but also keeping an eye towards the quailty of the prints of the films they put on DVD.
Movie Review: An Astounding Restoration!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have yet to see the 'Citizen Kane' disc (which I have heard a lot of good things about), but I will tell you what; this is far and away the best treatment of an older black and white film I have seen as yet on DVD. It almost looks as if it could have been filmed yesterday! The astounding quality leaves any recent VHS releases in the dust - especially the decrepit, well worn old Czech copy which, not all that long ago, was thought to be the only surviving print. The film itself is very British and quirky and odd, and carries itself off as a spooky mystery most of the way through. Mr. Karloff is mostly in the first ten minutes and last twenty minutes of the film, and it is not a role that gives him too much to do except sport a creepy Ardath Bey-esque makeup job and run around being.....well, ghoulish. Some good vintage black & white horror style graveyard goings on throughout.
But the real highlight here is the DVD itself. For a relatively minor production from what I believe was a low budget film company which was probably filmed on lower grade stock and lacking in the technological advances that the larger studios boasted back in 1933, this is really something. Someone put a lot of care into this restoration and it shows.
No extras to speak of - which may account in part for this disc's remarkable affordability as well. After watching this - especially if you are a vintage horror die hard who has already sat through a few creaky, muffled VHS viewings of this once almost forgotten gem and you have something to compare this fantastic DVD to - any future DVD releases of ANY vintage black and white film will be held to a higher standard. Here's hoping that someday, the original version of 'King Kong' looks as good on DVD!
Movie Review: Not the Czech print
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite what previous reviewers have said, this DVD of The Ghoul is NOT from the print that turned up in Eastern Europe in the late '60's. The person put in charge of making the DVD was told to see what he could do with it. He made a few cursory calls just to cover the bases, including a call to the British Film Institute. Turns out that they were sitting on a copy that had not been screened in decades. It is overuse of a copy of a film that gives it the "beat" look; it we could take a first generation copy print of Frankenstein today, it could in theory look this good without a total overall. The print was so good that a typical transfer looked like it was made yesterday.The Ghoul dates from a time when the studios had not yet wholeheartedly committed to making supernatural horror. They felt that audiences needed a final logical explanation to buy into it. The Universal films of the 30's turned that tide around, but this movie was still not fully into that realm. So if you go in expecting a super shock, you will be disappointed. However, if you like atmosphere and good acting, and want to see an amazing transfer of a 30's movie that looks like it was filmed yesterday, look no further. The plusses outweigh the minuses in this case.
Movie Review: A Lost Treasure
Summary: 5 Stars
The Ghoul quite has the sense of a lost treasure, it is brilliantly filmed with dark, moody sets and strong, sparse, directional focused lighting, giving an all over creepy feel to a movie where the title role of 'the ghoul' is only actually seen in about three scenes and is never a real threat to anybody. It boasts stellar performances from Boris Karloff and his fellow cast members, particually Kathleen Harrison as Kaney, a simple, quirky, overly cheerful girl besotted with a phony Sheik who seems destined never to amount to anything other than the leading lady Dorothy Hyson's supporting role, but out of sheer chance ultimatly saves the day.
The sound is dreadful and it is quite difficult to hear the words beyond the muffled spits and scratches of the deteriated film, but don't let this put you off. Generally if you love films of this period as I do you are used to, even enjoy their historic aging. Considering this film was lost until the late 1960s when it was discovered in someones basement, you really have to expect a certain amount of spits and scratches and honestly this very poor quality adds much of the atmosphere and sense that the viewer is watching something unseen for generations.