The Boston Strangler is a well done, if not methodical, crime-suspense-drama featuring a plethora of fine performances from the likes of Henry Fonda and George Kennedy, but the standout is Tony Curtis playing against type as the murderous Albert DeSalvo.
The Boston Strangler
— The Limited Edition Series —
(1968)
Genre(s): Drama, Crime, Suspense
Twilight Time | NR – 116 min. – $29.95 | November 15, 2016
Date Published: 12/23/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.0/5 |
| Richard Fleischer (10 Rillington Place) directs this 1968 adaptation of Gerold Frank’s book about the real-life case of The Boston Strangler, a serial killer who terrorized Boston, murdering many women, and defying the efforts of a special division headed by John S. Bottomly (HENRY FONDA) to catch him. Then the police zero in on Albert DeSalvo (TONY CURTIS), a “normal” family man who may be suffering from a split personality. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
| This release comes with a 6-page essay booklet.
Audio Commentary – Film Historians David Del Valle and Steven Peros Split-Screen Personality (22:21; HD) is a featurette with William Friedkin discussing the styling of Richard Fleischer’s The Boston Strangler. Real Killer, Fake Nose (31:15; HD) – This is a retrospective featurette on how regarded the film is and includes interviews various people including director of photography Richard H. Kline, Mark Fleischer (son of Richard) and actress Sally Kellerman. AMC Backstory: The Boston Strangler (21:31; SD) is another older featurette on the origin of the story from Gerold Frank’s novel to the unusual casting. Also included is Fox Movietone Newsreel (3:25; SD), the Original Theatrical Trailer (2:55; SD) and a Teaser Trailer (0:45; SD). |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Twilight Time releases The Boston Strangler onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and all things considered, is a nice looking video. There’s some respectable amount of color while detail is decent enough, though not entirely sharp in a few instances. This is probably not the best transfer I’ve come across from this era, but I can say it is clean, free of any noticeable flaws. |
AUDIO – 3.5/5 |
| This disc comes with the choice of a 3.0 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track with the former the default. As with the picture, it’s not the most robust track, in fact it’s a tad underwhelming at times, but I enjoy how, along with the style, Fleischer also played with the audio distribution, especially evident during the opening title sequence when the central audio would switch from the right to left and back depending on where the video window is at. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, The Boston Strangler is a well done, if not methodical, crime-suspense-drama featuring a plethora of fine performances from the likes of Henry Fonda and George Kennedy, but the standout is Tony Curtis playing against type as the murderous Albert DeSalvo. The Blu-ray offers up good video and audio transfers and an above average number of features compared with other Twilight Time releases. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.