Four Frightened People is a pre-code film from 1934 directed by the legendary Cecile B. DeMille. This is another one of his exotic adventure films taking place in the jungle where dangers await his characters. The movie stars the great Claudette Colbert, who I have never seen before with her hair going down to her waist, along with screen veterans Herbert Marshall, William Gargan and Mary Boland.
The story is basic – a deadly bubonic plague breaks out on ship and four passengers, Judy Jones (Claudette Colbert, Arise, My Love), Arnold Ainger (Herbert Marshall, The Letter), Mrs. Mardick(Mary Boland, Stingaree) and Stewart Corder (William Gargan, Rain) steal a lifeboat and sail off. They drift off and eventually land on a remote Malayan Island and soon find themselves in trouble with Malayan tribes and the dangers of the jungle. Not only that but there is a love triangle between Judy, Arnold and Stewart thrown into the mix.
Cecile B. DeMille’s Four Frightened People mix of jungle love and jungle adventure is not an all-time classic by any stretch of the imagination, but nevertheless it is a lot of fun and there were some intriguing, startling moments and action in the pre-code era style. The film would probably be subpar if it wasn’t for the over-the-top incredible performance of Claudette Colbert. This was clearly her film to shine and was building on her already legendary status. She certainly does not disappoint in her role in the movie. Herbert Marshall was once again the same type of character he plays in every movie he’s in. I think he is a great actor but every role seems like is the exact same type of person he was in a previous picture. I guess what I am saying is that he was more on the one dimensional side despite his greatness and line delivery. The cinematography by Karl Struss is spectacular capturing great scenery of the jungle settings.
Four Frightened People arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The 1080p transfer is a mixed bag, with some of the scenes looking remarkably crisp and clear, with other sequences the picture looks a bit soft with minor print damage. Scenery does look good overall, with a balanced grey scale for the most part. I would call this release serviceable.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack is crisp and clear with spoke dialog and other jungle noises coming in perfectly fine. The animals’ growls and screams often are more aggressive during the audio presentation. The music provided by Karl Hajos, John Leipold, Milan Order and Heinz Roemheld is also clear without any distortions. No hissing or drop-offs have been detected which for an obscure movie like this is surprising.
A detailed commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton and a trailer for Four Frightened People consist of the extras for this Kino Lorber release.
I enjoyed Four Frightened People and if you haven’t had a chance to watch it, I most definitely would recommend giving it a spin. No, it is not a perfect film, but it does pack a good punch. With solid audio and video quality along with a commentary track to listen to, this is a worthwhile release! Recommended!
Four Frightened People
Director- Cecile B. DeMille
Cast- Claudette Colbert, Herbert Marshall
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date- 8/8/21