Plot: What’s it about?
In the Chinatown area of San Francisco, there are some hidden agendas that are about to unfold, ones that could have serious impact. A woman has devised a plot that would allow her to control all the cash that flows through, but she will need some help in order to bring those plans to fruition. As such, she enlists the services of Victor Poten (Bela Lugosi) and if anyone can manage such a massive task, Poten is the man to do so. His task is to do whatever is needed to control the financial transactions in the area, which of course will allow his boss to rake in all sorts of income and power. This will not be an easy assignment by any means and it take extensive work, but Poten is a skilled worker and as such, he is the best man to tackle the matters. As he secures more and more merchants as his victims, Poten uses whatever he has to, from brute force to even more underhanded tactics. Can anyone hold off Poten’s attack on the merchants in the area, or will he deliver on his promises to his boss?
Whirlwind Media has released this classic serial in a two disc edition, which spreads all fifteen episodes out in fine fashion. I love these compilation releases, as we can view all the episodes at our leisure, as opposed to waiting for further installments. I’ve liked several of the serials released around this time and Shadow of Chinatown is no exception, as it packs a good punch and delivers solid entertainment value. The series runs a total of two hundred-eighty minutes and you might have to spread the episodes out, but I think it is all worth the time and effort involved. As usual with these serials, the whole cliffhanger angle gets a little tiresome, but I suppose it helps to recreate the mood from the original presentations. I always like to see Bela Lugosi (Dracula (1931), Island of Lost Souls) in action and he is fine form here, as a shady and underhanded businessman. His trademark mannerisms can all be seen here and of course, fans of his will not want to miss his performance in the series. I recommend this release to all fans of Lugosi and these classic serials, as this one is certainly well worth a look.
Video: How does it look?
Shadow of Chinatown is presented in a full frame transfer, which is the serial’s intended aspect ratio. The image here looks pretty rough indeed, but with a film of this age, restoration is almost always needed. I liken this transfer to a brand new VHS edition, as it looks like the VHS version I’ve seen, but doesn’t show tracking errors and the like, of course. The print shows blurriness at all times and that obscures detail, which is not good at all. The print also shows grain and some damage at times, but the blurriness is the main issue that lessens the visuals here. I’d love to see a restored edition of this serial, but with such a limited audience, I doubt we’ll ever see that kind of release, which is a let down.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included mono track shows some signs of age, but still gets across the basics in decent enough form. This film was made in 1936 and as such, the audio has some pops, hisses, and other age related problems. But I think if you take the age and condition of the materials into consideration, this audio mix is pretty good, if not as clean as I would like. You won’t be overly impressed with the track here, but it isn’t too bad either and as such, I don’t think fans will be let down.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains no bonus materials.
