Open Secret

John Reinhardt's Open Secret (1948) never even made it to VHS tape, much less to laserdisc; its arrival on DVD is, thus, a complete and delightful surprise, especially in a bargain-priced edition. Alpha Video's release is mastered in full-frame (1.33:1) off of what can best be called a serviceable 16 mm print -- there's some slight frame-jitter and noise on the soundtrack, but the contrast is good and there's a lot of detail, even in the night shots and scenes set in darkened rooms in which a lot of the action takes place. The movie is a little more complicated (in terms of a plot that involves social strife as well as a mystery and two murders) than the requisite Alpha six chapters can break down easily or adequately, but just having this release in a watchable edition is kind of a treat. And the soundtrack -- which includes a score by Herschel Burke Gilbert that was later re-orchestrated for television use (including The Adventures of Superman) -- is mastered at a nice full volume level, which overcomes some of the noise in the playback of the print.