The Wolf Man appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.37:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This turned into a pretty solid image.
Overall definition seemed positive. A few wider shots appeared slightly soft, but these remained modest, as the majority of the film exhibited appealing delineation.
No signs of jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and edge haloes never appeared. With natural grain, I didn’t suspect problematic noise reduction, and print flaws didn’t mar the presentation
Blacks became a strength, as dark tones offered nice richness. Contrast felt solid, and HDR brought depth and impact to the tones. Across the board, this became a top-notch image.
In addition, the flick’s DTS-HD MA monaural audio held up well over the last 80 years. Speech consistently appeared concise and intelligible, without edginess or other issues.
Music offered reasonable clarity; the score lacked much range but those elements seemed well-reproduced for their vintage. The same went for the effects, as those seemed a little thin but gave us accurate enough information. This became a better than average track for something from 1941.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Both showed identical audio.
On the other hand, visuals offered a decided upgrade. The Blu-ray suffered from too many print flaws as well as edge haloes and noise reduction.
All those issues disappeared for this much more appealing transfer. After flawed DVDs and BD, this new rendering of Wolf Man finally made it look good.
As we go to extras, we start with an audio commentary from film historian Tom Weaver. He gives us a running, screen-specific look at historical influences and the script, story/characters, changes from the screenplay and deleted/unshot scenes, cast and crew, makeup and effects, and connections to other movies.
Though usually film historians remain pretty serious, Weaver manages a light and occasionally sarcastic tone about The Wolf Man. He's more than happy to mention the film's flaws and this semi-critical tone makes the track all the more compelling. He packs a ton of information into this piece and offers a fun, informative discussion.
A series of video programs follow. Hosted by filmmaker John Landis, Monster By Moonlight runs 32 minutes, 36 seconds and includes remarks from screenwriter Curt Siodmak, makeup artist Rick Baker, film music historian John Morgan, conductor William T. Stromburg, nd Universal Studios Archives and Collections director Jan-Christopher Horak.
“Monster” looks at the historical antecedents of werewolves, story/characters and the project’s development, makeup and effects, cast and performances, sets, music, and subsequent related efforts. “Monster” comes with a tight focus and covers a lot of territory in its relatively brief time. It turns into a solid overview of the film.
Next comes The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth. It lasts 10 minutes, seven seconds and features Landis, Baker, filmmakers Mick Garris and Joe Dante, horror historians Stephen Jones, Steve Haberman and Kim Newman, and author Jonathan Rigby.
The program gives us a mix of movie overviews as well as an appreciation for it and its genre. Some of this repeats from “Monster” but we get a decent dollop of new thoughts.
During the 36-minute, 51-second Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney Jr., we hear from Newman, Haberman, Jones, Dante, Rigby, Landis, Bsker, film historians Bob Burns and Gregory William Mank, monsterkid.com’s Kerry Gammill, filmmaker Jack Hill, producer/friend AC Lyles, and actors Janet Ann Gallo and Sid Haig.
As expected, “Heart” gives us a biography of actor Chaney. With a good allotment of clips from Chaney’s films as well as useful notes, “Heart” offers a nice summary.
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce fills 25 minutes seconds with info from Haberman, Baker, Jones, Newman, Burns, special effects makeup artists Nick Dudman, Kevin Haney, Michele Burke, Tom Savini, Thomas Burman, Bill Corso, Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger, biographer Scott Essman, and horror historian Christopher Frayling.
As expected, “Monsters” offers a look at the work of iconic makeup artist Jack Pierce. This offers a smattering of insights -–mainly in regard to the methods Pierce used – but it seems awfully praise-heavy. That factor means we get less information that I’d like.
With 100 Years of Universal: The Lot, we find a nine-minute, 27-second featurette that gives us comments from filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Peyton Reed, Ivan Reitman, Peter Berg, John Landis, Ron Howard, Michael Mann, Phil Alden Robinson, and John Carpenter, NBC Universal Archives and Collections director Jeff Pirtle, Universal Studios Hollywood tour guide Molly Orr, and actors Dan Aykroyd, Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep.
This one takes us around the Universal Studios locations and tells us a little about movies made there. What does any of this have to do with Wolf Man? Very little.
Midway through a short discussion of Universal horror, we get a quick snippet from the film but that’s it; no one discusses the flick at all. Despite the featurette’s disconnect from Wolf Man, it seems pretty fun. While it aims to promote the greatness that is Universal, it’s still light and likable.
Under The Wolf Man Archives, we locate a running montage of stills. It occupies six minutes, 44 seconds and shows movie advertising/art,
Seven ads appear in the Trailer Gallery. We get promos for Wolf Man, Werewolf of London, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and She-Wolf of London.
The package also includes a Blu-ray copy of Wolf Man. It presents the same extras as the 4K except the BD lacks the Abbott and Costello trailer.
Despite its status as a classic, 1941’s The Wolf Man seems erratic to me. While it comes with some good action, a lackluster lead performance mars it. The 4K UHD brings us solid visuals. well-preserved audio and a nice roster of supplements. Wolf Man ends up as a spotty horror tale, albeit one that finally looks good on home video.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of THE WOLF MAN
