20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Next Time, Kelly, I'll Kill You For Sure!", November 13, 2005
This review is from: Experiment in Terror (DVD)
The calendar year of 1962 sure was a fantastic year for movies! Just look at this impressive lineup of cinematic gems released in '62 ---
"Lawrence Of Arabia", "To Kill A Mockingbird", "The Longest Day", "The Music Man", "Mutiny On The Bounty", "The Miracle Worker", "Cape Fear", "Days Of Wine And Roses", "The Manchurian Candidate", "How The West Was Won", "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?", "Advise & Consent", "Birdman Of Alcatraz", "Requiem For A Heavyweight", "Lonely Are The Brave", "Long Day's Journey Into Night", "Knife In The Water", "Dr. No", and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance".
Holy smoke! What a great year for moving pictures it was. (The first five films I listed above were the five nominees for "Best Picture" at the Academy Awards, with "Lawrence", starring Peter O'Toole, taking home first prize.)
And -- in addition to that grand laundry list of goodies above -- there is also the 1962 film contained on this exceptional DVD -- "Experiment In Terror" -- which is one of my top '62 favorites.
"Experiment In Terror" was produced and directed by 39-year-old Blake Edwards, who also directed one of those other memorable '62 flicks on my list above ("Days Of Wine And Roses", which co-starred Jack Lemmon and "Experiment" star Lee Remick). Both Lemmon and Remick were nominated for Oscars for "Wine And Roses". The trophies, however, were won by Gregory Peck and Anne Bancroft.
"Experiment In Terror" is a brilliant and compelling black-and-white thriller. It makes you squirm in your seat from the extraordinarily-eerie beginning right through to its climax, which takes place on the pitcher's mound at San Francisco's "Candlestick Park". (Glenn Ford was firing bullets alright, but not the kind of "bullets" you might expect to see fired from Candlestick's pitching rubber.)
This underrated gem of a flick runs for a tad more than two hours and is methodically slow-paced, which is a good thing here IMO. It gives you time to absorb each scene and think about what's coming next.
The city of San Francisco, California, has been used as a backdrop to many a motion picture over the years, and "Experiment In Terror" is one of the best for showcasing that beautiful western U.S. city. Lots of outdoor footage is used in the film -- from cable car close-ups to Coit Tower to Lombard Street to Candlestick.
26-year-old Lee Remick is superb (and stunning as all get out) as the terrorized "Kelly Sherwood"; while Glenn Ford is rock-solid as the FBI agent ("John Ripley") attempting to crack the case; and Ross Martin is completely convincing as "Red Lynch", the wheezing bad guy.
And I certainly don't want to forget about the sensational Henry Mancini music score, which is fabulously creepy from beginning to end. Mr. Mancini's very fitting theme that is played as the Main Titles roll is truly chill-inducing, especially that very first elongated note, which (from its timbre) lets all viewers know right off the bat that what they're about to see isn't going to be a Walt Disney-like, laugh-a-minute cartoon-fest. It's an ominous and downright spooky-sounding opening theme that sets the tone for what's to come.
"Experiment In Terror" debuted in movie theaters on April 13, 1962, and was just Miss Remick's 8th film; but she had already appeared in some excellent movies by the time "Experiment" hit movie screens -- such as her very first motion picture, 1957's "A Face In The Crowd" (opposite Andy Griffith) and 1959's "Anatomy Of A Murder", in which she couldn't have been any sexier if she tried (co-starring with the great James Stewart).
Stefanie Powers, age 19, has a very good supporting role in "Experiment", playing Remick's victimized sister, "Toby". Stefanie, like the rest of this top-notch cast, is outstanding in her part here. This was Powers' fifth film role.
Moviegoers in the United Kingdom might also recognize this film by its alternate U.K. title -- "The Grip Of Fear".
This DVD version of "Experiment In Terror" became available for purchase on June 10, 2003 (from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment), and it exhibits virtually perfect picture quality. The DVD's Anamorphically-enhanced Widescreen transfer is so clear and free of "noise" and all other video blemishes that this black-and-white film actually takes on a "multiple tone" quality from the depth of the B&W imagery that can be seen here. Excellent "PQ" indeed! You can distinctly discern between the different "shadings" of gray, black, and white throughout the movie (which is something that I've always considered to be indicative of a very well-done transfer of any B&W material to DVD).
The cinematography that can be found within "Terror" is one of the superb features of the film. It is a movie that is well-suited for black-and-white, with its nerve-racking, shadow-filled opening sequence providing a prime example of the admirable photography composed for the film.
The DVD displays the film in the originally-seen Widescreen Aspect Ratio of 1.85:1. Audio is English only (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono).
Special Features are very minimal here (three Theatrical Trailers and three different Subtitling options for the feature film), but the movie itself is certainly "special" enough for this DVD release. And it's a treat being able to see this flick in its intended "Widescreen" format; and, as I gushed previously (but it's worth repeating) -- Man, it looks good here!
The Trailers on the disc include one for "Experiment In Terror" itself (with a running time of 2:48), plus "Bonus Trailers" for two other movies, "The Big Heat" (from 1953) and 1947's "The Lady From Shanghai".
Other information about this DVD:
>> Feature Running Time -- 2 hours, 3 minutes.
>> Subtitles -- English, Japanese, and French.
>> Scene Selections? -- Yes (28 Chapter Stops included).
>> Menus -- All "static"; No animations; No music.
>> Paper Insert Included? -- Yes (A one-sheet / two-sided Chapter Guide).
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"Experiment In Terror" has everything a great suspense thriller needs -- A fine cast of characters, great actors to portray them, a first-class script which builds mounting tension and drama, superb on-location scenery, and a goose-bump-raising musical score from one of the best composers ever. And the film is made all the better via this winning DVD presentation.
Friendly warning -- You might not wish to watch this movie's opening scene alone! It's very realistic .... and scary.
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