How did I miss the fact that this film exists? I've been a fan of the Doctor Syn character since catching the Disney version of the story on the Wide World of Disney in my youth. Years later I caught up with a (bootleg) print of the Hammer take on the tale called CAPTAIN CLEGG (a.k.a. NIGHT CREATURES) and really enjoyed it. Happily both of these are available on DVD even if the prices being asked for the out of print Disney SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH is insane. Rarely have I cursed myself so much for not pre-ordering a DVD release! I may never own that set. I do own a beaten and water stained paperback of the second Dr. Syn novel 'Dr. Syn on the High Seas' but I've yet to read it. I kind of want to read the original first but the cover describes it as 'The First Adventure in the saga of Dr. Syn' so I'm a bit confused. Research is needed!
Anyway- the 1937 version of the tale is a British production directed by Roy William Neill who was later responsible for most of the Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies of the 1940s and one of my favorite Universal monster movies FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN. The film has apparently been available on cheap Public Domain DVDs for years but I've never come across it until now. I can't wait!
1 comment:
Yeah, I've had a copy of this on DVD for years. Its pretty good, but not McGoohan good. Or even Cushing good. Worth your time though.
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