Film Masters is a company releasing forgotten pieces of cinema in newly restored versions
Creature with the Blue Hand.
Cast: Klaus Kinski, Harald Leipintz Diana Kerner
Writer: Herbert Reinecker Edgar Wallace
Director: Alfred Vohrer
A young man(Kinski) has been found guilty for a series of murders he claim he did not commit. After escaping from jail, Inspector Craig (Leipintz) comes to find him and discovers clues that there may be another who is the killer.
On the very entertaining commentary track by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman. They explaned that there were many film adaptations of the book The Blue Hand by Edgar Wallace. One of them mentions that it has the same type of plot sturucture and style of the 60’s TV series, The Avengers and say that Diana Kerner’s character reminds them of Emma Peel from that show. The vibe most readers will get from Creature with the Blue Hand is of Scooby Doo, just minus the talking dog and the whole group aspect. There is this monster doing horrible things and usually there is a legend about it. The detective talks to potential subjects to decipher who the killer actually is.
If this was cut down to an hour long, this would have been enjoyable but it drags on. The disc only includes the English language dub and it would have been nice if the original German version was included on here The commentary track was a lot more interesting for explaining why it was presented that way and was genuinely more fun to listen to.
Special Features on Blu-Ray include
The Bloody Dead (An alternate version of Creature with the Blue hand with added scenes to make it more gory. Featuring commentary by director Sam Sherman)
Commentary on Creature with the Blue Hand by film historians Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
A Man of Mystery: Inside the world of Edgar Wallace
Kinski Krimis: Inside the Rialto Film Adaptations.
Original 1967 Trailer
Re-created trailer.
Web of the Spider
Cast:Anthony Franciosa, Klaus Kinski, Michele Mercier
Writers: Bruno Corbucci, Antonio Margheriti,Giovanni Addess,Giovanni Grimaldi
Director Antonio Margheriti
In this haunted house thriller. Journalist Alan Foster (Franciosa) takes a bet from Edgar Allen Poe(Kinski) and Lord Blackwood(Enrico Osterman)to spend a night at a haunted castle. While there he becomes involved with Elizabeth Blackwood only to witness her death by a jealous lover. After he kills him both bodies disappear and he learns that these are ghosts forced to repeat their demise again and again. Foster attempts to learn more about their tragedy and maybe save her.
This is a color remake of Castle of Blood also directed by Antonio Margheriti. If that name sounds familiar. It was used in Inglourious Basterds as a fake name for the one of the soldiers to attend the movie premiere to kill Hitler in Quentin Tarantino’s war picture. When watching this, one may get the vibe that Solaris could be influenced by this. In both Tarkovsky and Soderbergh’s adaptation. A man goes into a space station only to find a woman from his past who knows is dead. Since she can appear to him physically. He does what it takes to save her, no matter what.
This was a very fascinating ghost story where you become just as involved with learning about how certain characters die as you do wanting to see our lead characters’ escape. This is a very stylistic gothic fable and the original black and white version may be just as intriguing
Special Features on Blu-Ray Include
Trailer for Castle of Blood
Trailer for Web of The Spider
Commentary by film
historians Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
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