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Kennel Murder Case

Kennel Murder Case

UPC: 089218316691

Format: DVD

Release Date: Jul 30, 2002

Rating: Not Rated

Regular price $13.95 USD
Regular price Sale price $13.95 USD
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It was in late 2002 that the main crop of old public domain titles began showing up on low-priced DVD, and one of the very best of those is The Kennel Murder Case. A perennial favorite on public domain videocassette, this is one of the best mysteries of the 1930's, a finely woven mixture of who-done-it and comedy, set in New York's upper crust. Plot highlights include an apparent suicide that is not only really a murder, but also connected to a second killing, with more than a dozen possible suspects with motive and opportunity, all of it tied to the victims' connections to a group of show dogs and their owner. Alpha was lucky enough to get it out first on DVD, and we're fortunate that they had a decent source. Not perfect, by any means -- there are missing frames and breaks in the audio at various points, and the faces in some of the shots are almost whited out, a result of too much light being pumped through a print that would otherwise be too dark; yet, at 29 minutes into the disc, we come upon a reel that looks as good as a standard Warner Bros. TV transfer of the 1960's. As it's unlikely that Warner Bros. (which made the movie) will ever issue it on DVD, one has to take what one can get, and this isn't bad, especially for $6 list. Fans of Michael Curtiz (Casablanca etc.) will love this disc, because for all of its flaws, it does show off the grace of his direction -- this picture unfolds smoothly and in a lovingly cinematic fashion, employing such techniques as swish-pans and other filmic devices to advance the story. The glitches don't really interfere with the appreciation of the virtues, and the sound, when it isn't marred by drop-outs, is loud and full. A movie like this does deserve more than five chapter breaks, but that doesn't seem too likely to happen in the budget category.
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