The Invisible Man (1933)

What would you do if you were invisible?

Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know what’s going on in that sick little head of yours...

H.G. Wells, amongst other writers, has thought about this very question, as has probably everyone at some point in their lives. Most recently, Paul Verhoeven tried to answer the question, but instead got so wrapped up in playing with CG apes and seeing Kevin Bacon’s tacklebox, that he botched the whole film and made a pile of unwatchable rubbish.

Taking a punt at the question way back in 1933, James Whale and Universal Pictures created The Invisible Man and thrilled audiences with what were then cutting edge special effects and made an American star of Brit Claude Rains.

It was no easy job for Rains. Swathed in bandages for nearly the entire film, save for a few seconds at the very end, it was left up to his distinctive voice to create the character of “The Invisible One� (as he’s credited) and make audiences believe. It’s a good thing for Rains that Boris Karloff didn’t get the role, even if though he was earmarked for it (as revealed in the commentary), because his future in Hollywood was made on the success of this film, and it may have turned out a very different film with Karloff moping about.

As good as he is, all the applause can’t just go to the stars. The effects of Rains unwrapping the bandages over his face and revealing nothing were elaborate to create and exciting for audiences of the time, and still hold a certain charm today, especially in light of the dependency on CGI to make anything we can think of possible. Remember, this was nearly 70 years ago, and computers were a long way off in the future.

As part of Universal Studio’s Classic Monster Collection, The Invisible Man can sit proudly amongst the veritable smorgasbord of black and white ghouls and nasties that have entertained us over the years and that have had a unique hold over fans. Pop this disc in your player, settle in, and see how the story of an invisible loony should be done. Then take your Hollow Man DVD and stick it where it belongs – up Verhoeven’s clacker.

70 years is a long time. A long, long time. I’d bet the number of people reading this review who actually saw the film in its original release could be counted on one hand (which has had four fingers and a thumb amputated). Giving it a run through, I’m sure they’d be pretty happy with it still. The grain and other numerous marks and damage on the print could be enough to deter some less tolerant onlookers, but it’s probably the best the film has looked in yonks. It doesn’t look like a finger has been lifted to clear up the picture, but through it all sometimes there’s the odd bit of nice clarity and detail to be enjoyed.

Compared to another film in this series which I’ve viewed, Creature from the Black Lagoon, it doesn’t look half as good, but then that film was made in 1954, and this is one from 1933, so we can allow a little latitude. But remember that the flaws are in the print, the actual transfer to DVD is fine.

After 70 years and a so-so picture, you'd expect that the audio is going to fall into the same basket. Even though it can sound a little congested at times, clarity is actually quite good. But what I appreciated and noticed the most was the lack of background hiss that I expected to make this a fatiguing experience. That’s no mean feat for a DVD of such an old film and goes a long way to help the viewing experience, I’d say easily making up for the less than stellar picture.

A nice surprise is to be found here. Frankly, I’d have been happy with just the film to view, and not expecting that any effort would have gone into creating added value or viewing. This made listening to a commentary and watching a good documentary all the sweeter.

Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed It would have been so easy to short change fans by slapping on a quickie feature of little substance and quality. Instead, we are privy to a feature which has lots of information from film historians who have a wealth of knowledge and love of the film.

Feature Commentary with Film Historian Rudy Behlmer This is a scripted commentary by Behlmer, with the occasional reference taking in scene specifics. Absolutely chock-a-block full of information about many different aspects of the film and original story, this commentary is like having a book read to you. It could just as easily be played with the picture turned off, and you’d still learn a million things. Interesting and educational.

Production Photographs Self-running for four and a half minutes, this covers film posters and advertising, stills, and a few production shots with background music playing.

A must-buy if this style of film is your bag, or if you just want to own the whole Universal Studio’s Classic Monster Collection. It probably ranks as the poorest of the DVDs in picture quality due to a rough looking print, but it still has its moments in the sun and the film itself is great.