Plot: What’s it about?
Egbert Souse (W.C. Fields) doesn’t have a satisfying home life, to say the least. His wife nags him all the time and his family just doesn’t show him the respect he feels he deserves. Egbert is also unemployed, but in order to keep away from his wife, he spends a lot of time loafing and boozing at a local cafe, The Black Pussy Cat. His luck is about to take change though as he is hired for no apparent (legitimate) reason to fill in for a movie director, who was too drunk to fulfill his duties. As if that’s not enough, Egbert then captures a fleeing bank robber and is the toast of the town. But this is rather sudden for old Egbert, as he never meant to apprehend the criminal in the first place. As a reward for his good deed, the bank has offered him a guard position and of course, Egbert accepts. Also working at the bank is his daughter’s fiancee, who serves as a teller there. Before long, both men are involved in an embezzlement scam that could land them both in very hot water. Can Egbert hold off the bank examiner long enough for things to blow over, or will his hero’s honor be forfeit?
We all know The Criterion Collection offers a nice cross-section of world cinema, but what about comedies? You’ll find a few true comedies within the series, but not very many in proportion to the total number of titles. Well now you can add one more classic comedy to your collection, as Criterion has released W.C. Fields’ The Bank Dick. This is a very effective comedy and I can’t express enough how pleased I am to finally have this on DVD. I think W.C. Fields will be most pleased of course, but I think even newcomers to Fields will take to this film right away. I think it is safe to assume even casual film fans know of Fields, but I don’t think most of them have ever seen him in action. We’ve all seen a few snippets here and there, but The Bank Dick offers the chance to see him in full swing, with a tremendous amount of laugh momentum. Fields offers a nice balance between sight gags, physical humor, and of course witty and well delivered dialogue. This makes The Bank Dick a very smooth and fresh comedic piece, even today and warrants a look from comedy fans of all ages. This disc is lacking in supplements, but this is still the way to go if you want to look into this film. If you like The Bank Dick, be sure to check out Criterion’s release of six Fields short films also.
W.C. Fields is a unique comedic talent and though he shares a lot with the silent stars, he also adds in elements they were never able to master. When sound emerged, many of the great performers suffered greatly as their skills in “talkies” just weren’t up to their usual standards. The base slapstick that once wowed the audiences now left them flat, unless you could mix in some verbal humor also. Even the great Charlie Chaplin had problems in the transition, but one man who meshed in perfectly in this realm was Fields. He had the same physical comedy skills that worked before, but he could also deliver dialogue with no problems at all. This gave him an edge and he used it to make some fantastic pieces during his career. Some of Fields’ other works to look into include The Golf Specialist, The Dentist, It’s A Gift, The Barber Shop, Never Give A Sucker An Even Break, and many more. The supporting cast holds its own also and includes Una Merkel (The Kentuckian), Jessie Ralph (Little Lord Fauntleroy), Grady Sutton (A Star Is Born), Cora Witherspoon (Madame X), Franklin Pangborn (Mad About Music), and Shemp Howard of The Three Stooges).
Video: How does it look?
The Bank Dick is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the original aspect ratio of the film. This is a remarkable transfer in all respects, especially for a film made in 1940. Some minimal grain and debris is still seen on the print, but overall this is a very clean looking visual presentation. The contrast is also well balanced at all times, no detail seems lost and the film looks fantastic. I’ve seen a few other incarnations of The Bank Dick and this one is the finest edition, by leaps and bounds.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc utilizes the original mono track, which handles the film’s audio with no serious problems. Of course with a film from 1940 some flaws will emerge, but this track still retains a nice level of clarity and sharpness. I found very little distortion at all with the track, which is quite impressive indeed. No volume issues either, I never had to adjust the levels to keep a proper setting. The vocals come through loud and clear, no mono hiss is present, and on the whole this is a terrific audio presentation. Also found on the disc are optional English subtitles, which are always nice to have.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You’ll find the usual color bars for video adjustments, but no real bonus materials have been included on this disc.
