William Beaudine was one of the most versatile and celebrated directors in Hollywood, having directed hundreds of films in various genres over the course of 50 years. Classic movie fans probably own at least one William Beaudine film. He might be mostly known for Billy the Kid vs. Dracula and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter, but he directed a lot of good classics prior to those. Most of his films were low-budget B films, but they are as entertaining as many classic A pictures. By the 1930s, he had already directed over 40 films. In 1933, he was at the helm for a classic crime drama known as The Crime of the Century which was a unique take on the who-done-it theme with an all-star cast.
Based on Walter Maria Espe’s play The Grootman Case, The Crime of the Century has a hypno-therapist, Dr. Emil Brandt (Jean Hersholt, Mark of the Vampire, Mr. Moto in Danger Island) walking into a police station and confess to a murder. He tells his story, about how he needs money because his wife Freda Brandt (Wynne Gibson, Man of the World, The Crosby Case) spends all his money. He has hypnotized one his clients into embezzling ten thousand dollars and bringing it to him, only to be killed by Brandt. The problem with his confession is that the murder hasn’t happened yet, and thus, the police cannot arrest him. But soon after he admits to the crime that hasn’t happened, a murder does take place and soon dead bodies are showing up. Did Dr. Brandt do it, or was it someone else that has planned a scheme for his money? Reporter Dan McKee (Stuart Erwin, Hold Your Man, Son of Flubber) is on the scene to solve the crime along with the police!
The Crime of the Century is what I’d call a nifty seventy-minute murder mystery with great acting by the cast, backed by a strong story and fluid direction. The movie even has time for a love interest for Dan in Dr. Brandt’s daughter Doris (Frances Dee, Of Human Bondage, I Walked with a Zombie). The film didn’t feel like too much was crammed into the short running time and there is a lot going on.
Kino Lorber has released The Crime of the Century on Blu-ray. The film has been given a new 4K master, resulting in the video quality to look outstanding with a beautiful, clear black and white image without much in the way of print damage. The image has nice inky blacks, crisp whites and a grey scale that is balanced throughout. Scenery also looks fantastic with superb details and rich textures. The movie may never look any better than this.
For their Blu-ray, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack is perfectly clear with the dialogue and background noises sounding perfectly balanced. I did not notice any age-old issues such as hissing or drop-offs. English subtitles are offered for this release.
There is some bonus material for the Blu-ray including an audio commentary by Author and Film Historian Lee Gambin and Costume Historian Elissa Rose who give a tour-de-force covering The Crime of the Century, the director, and its performers. The other extra is several trailers including Murder!, The General Died at Dawn, Supernatural, Four Frightened People and The Mad Doctor.
The Crime of the Century has finally arrived on Blu-ray for fans to enjoy a nice, cozy old-time mystery movie. The audio and video quality for this release is top-notch, accompanied by a commentary track, making this an easy highly recommended release!
The Crime of the Century
Director- William Beaudine
Cast- Jean Hersholt, Wynne Gibson, Stuart Erwin
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date –2/10/2022