Plot: What’s it about?
In The Strange Woman, we follow the life of Jenny Hager (Hedy Lamarr) and that life just became a little more open. You see, her controlling father has past on and that means she is a free woman, so she sets out to marry a man with some cash. She manages to do just that and of course, she sometimes acts as if money is no issue, just to keep her new husband off her true intentions. This new influx of funds means lots of good things for herself, but she also uses some for good ends, although not as often as she should. In addition, she also loves to greet the various other man in the area, even with her wedding ring on showcase. In this story, we follow the paths of three of her men and of course, discover what happens in the end. In Moon Over Harlem, the focus is on a widow with a lot of cash, who marries a shady fellow and has a daughter she bickers with often. She seems to think her daughter has tried to seduce her new husband, even though her daughter denies it at all costs. Whether the tension is in her household or in the streets due to the crime rates, this one always seems to be loaded with suspense and tense moments.
This disc was the first release in All Day’s Edgar J. Ulmer Collection, with a double dose of Ulmer to start off the series. I mean, talk about value, this disc touts two restored feature films, plus a couple extras tacked on as well. I had never seen either of these movies before, but I had a lot of positive reviews, so I was looking forward to giving them a spin. I knew these were low budget movies (Moon Over Harlem was made for $8,000), but I was very impressed, as the lack of funds never seems to hinder the picture much. In The Strange Woman, we find a superb cast and a more supple budget, both of which prove to be evident. But both films are well made and offer a lot to the viewer, even if at different ends of the cinema spectrum on most counts. I was very impressed by The Strange Woman though, as it was a delicious thriller and out of the two, I was more taken with it. But Moon Over Harlem also held my interest and then some, also well worth a look. This double feature release is value packed with two terrific movies and as such, this one is an easy recommendation.
Although he worked with much different budgets and casts in these two flicks, Edgar J. Ulmer delivered solid films in both cases, which is a testament to his skills. He shows he can handle a larger scale production with ease, but also work with limited resources just as well, which impresses me to no end. You find a lot of directors who work well under one of those conditions, but then crumbles within the other, though Ulmer was able to thrive no matter what the circumstances. He isn’t given much in terms of name status, but I think Ulmer deserves to be better known, as he directed some terrific motion pictures. Other films directed by Ulmer include Girls In Chains, Jive Junction, The Naked Venus, The Man From Planet X, Bluebeard, The Pirates of Capri, and Daughter of Dr. Jekyll. If you want to see other films by Ulmer on this beloved format, be sure to look for the other volumes in All Day Entertainment’s Edgar J. Ulmer Collection, all of which are worth a look as well.
Video: How does it look?
The Strange Woman is presented full frame, as it was intended to be shown. The print used here shows some wear and debris, but to an extreme degree and the film looks sharp in the end. You’ll notice the nicks, dirt, and marks to be sure, but they’re not serious enough to distract much, I don’t think. The black & white image looks terrific in most scenes, with well balanced contrast, although a few scenes come off as too dark. But even with those few flaws, I find this to be a good visual presentation, which gives the film a just treatment. Moon Over Harlem is also shown full frame, which is again the original aspect ratio. This film was made for $8,000 and the prints still around were damaged, so this presentation is a little rough and then some. Some of the scenes show minimal print wear, but some look very bad and that could lessen the experience for some viewers. But when you take in the troubled past of this one, I have to think some slack should be cut, as this release uses the finest elements in existence. Aside from the print problems, this transfer is good though, with well replicated black levels and solid detail. The overall score for video in this review comes from a balance between the two transfers. The score may seem low, but this is about as good as these films can look, although the scale judges them against the normal DVD standards.
Audio: How does it sound?
Both films use a mono track, which is not that impressive, but given the very low budget origins of Moon Over Harlem, that one is a little easier to swallow. I found both tracks to be decent enough and of course, The Strange Woman sounds cleaner and shows less problems, due to both budget and age advantages. There is a brief dropout in audio here though, but since the case warns of this, I can overlook it. I don’t think either will be good for demo disc reasons, but as far as this kind of material goes, I wouldn’t think anyone will be let down. The music in Moon Over Harlem sounds better than I expected, while dialogue is well presented in both cases. The track for Moon Over Harlem shows a lot of problems, but given the history of the film and the existing materials, you can’t complain too much. As I said, these tracks aren’t pristine, but when you consider the age and nature involved, I think these work well enough in the end. The final score for the audio in this review comes from a balance between the two mixes. The score is rather low, but the scale is based on the usual DVD standards, which doesn’t benefit these mixes much.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a nice selection of production photos, as well as a brief behind the scenes featurette, which has some informative interview moments with Mrs. Shirley Castle Ulmer, Edgar’s wife and screenwriter.
