The Most Dangerous Game - Criterion Collection

Rating:
Summary: Still the best
Review: Still the best screen adaptation of one of the great short stories of all time. The theme of Richard Connell's masterpiece has been used countless times, from "Woman Hunt" to "Slavegirls from Beyond Infinity." The movie was made on the set of "King Kong," and Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Noble Johnson were in both. Total running time may be short, but it's still longer than it takes to read the story.

In the original, the only characters on the island are Zaroff, his servant, and the shipwrecked Rainsford. Naturally, though, Hollywood needed romance, so Fay Wray, no stranger to playing a damsel in distress, makes a fine heroine. Robert Armstrong, on the other hand, grossly overplays the part of the drunken American boor. But overall, it's a good, enjoyable picture.

By the way, the original story is politically incorrect from every angle and could not possibly be faithfully adapted to the screen today. (Zaroff expounds on how easy it is to hunt men of certain races.) And some otherwise intelligent people insist that "dangerous game" in the title refers to the game Zaroff plays of hunting humans. But it obviously means that, for the hunter, the most dangerous game to stalk is man.

Rating:
Summary: Still the best
Review: Still the best screen adaptation of one of the great short stories of all time. The theme of Richard Connell's masterpiece has been used countless times, from "Woman Hunt" to "Slavegirls from Beyond Infinity." The movie was made on the set of "King Kong," and Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Noble Johnson were in both. Total running time may be short, but it's still longer than it takes to read the story.

In the original, the only characters on the island are Zaroff, his servant, and the shipwrecked Rainsford. Naturally, though, Hollywood needed romance, so Fay Wray, no stranger to playing a damsel in distress, makes a fine heroine. Robert Armstrong, on the other hand, grossly overplays the part of the drunken American boor. But overall, it's a good, enjoyable picture.

By the way, the original story is politically incorrect from every angle and could not possibly be faithfully adapted to the screen today. (Zaroff expounds on how easy it is to hunt men of certain races.) And some otherwise intelligent people insist that "dangerous game" in the title refers to the game Zaroff plays of hunting humans. But it obviously means that, for the hunter, the most dangerous game to stalk is man.

Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE DVD TRANSFER OF AN ADVENTURE CLASSIC
Review: The Alpha DVD of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME gets 5 stars from this commentator. The price is nearly impossible to pass up, even with a merely acceptable transfer of the film. But what Alpha offers here is superb image and sound quality. The way this 70 year-old film looks on this disc is nothing short of astounding. The blacks are deep and rich, and the image has a silvery, film-like luster. Speckles and scratches are few and far between. This is the kind of quality we may expect from Criterion, who also has this title on DVD, with a comentary track. If you can live without the commentary, go with the Alpha. It's hard to imagine that Criterion, or anyone, could improve on this film transfer.

Other comments here can provide backgound on THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. It's an amazingly exciting, beautifully shot and scored masterpiece of adventure. The acting is mostly pretty hammy, but that only adds to the enjoyment. Was Irving Pichel a great director? Who knew?

A great addition to any DVD collection.

Rating:
Summary: The Boring Book
Review: The book of The Most Dangerous Game was about two couples that were trapped on an island far away from the Bahamas. they had a plane crash on the way to England. But they found themselves alone on an Island. they walked around the Island finding that they were the only ones. So the walked the whole Island and found a chateau with lighting fire lamps hanging on the side and found that they were not alone for long.
Before they even got there only one person was there an old soldier that had bught the land to hunt for fur and etc. so this boy Rainsford had told the General they were in a plans crash. Well awhile later in the chapter the general tried to kill the boy but they got away. As so as they got away they had illed the general themselves. but this story or book was an okay one cause it had alot to do with much crazy things.
the book I think was a star three not unless the writter tried to put more action and details to the staor at the beginning. I liked it just a little, good thing I didn't fall asleep on the book just like most boring books.

Rating:
Summary: The Boring Book
Review: The book of The Most Dangerous Game was about two couples that were trapped on an island far away from the Bahamas. they had a plane crash on the way to England. But they found themselves alone on an Island. they walked around the Island finding that they were the only ones. So the walked the whole Island and found a chateau with lighting fire lamps hanging on the side and found that they were not alone for long.
Before they even got there only one person was there an old soldier that had bught the land to hunt for fur and etc. so this boy Rainsford had told the General they were in a plans crash. Well awhile later in the chapter the general tried to kill the boy but they got away. As so as they got away they had illed the general themselves. but this story or book was an okay one cause it had alot to do with much crazy things.
the book I think was a star three not unless the writter tried to put more action and details to the staor at the beginning. I liked it just a little, good thing I didn't fall asleep on the book just like most boring books.

Rating:
Summary: EARLY B HORROR FLICK
Review: The DVD of "The Most Dangerous Game" (1932) is worth seeing for four reasons. The first reason is that it is the precursor to "King Kong" made at the same studio at the same time. The second is to see how a good story can be told with lean economy within a 60 minute running time. The third is to see how much more cinematic and fluid the camera work is compared to both Universal's "Dracula" and "Frankenstein", each made only one year earlier. The fourth is the wonderful print which belies the film's age.

I can't wait for Criterion to release "King Kong" and "Son of Kong" on DVD, both of which are long overdue.

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling game of human chess
Review: The Most Dangerous Game is a pretty familiar story, and that foreknowledge somewhat blunts this movie's shock value and effectiveness to modern audiences. Be that as it may, the film still provides a decent amount of suspense and even some comedy. Bob (Joel McCrea) is a famous hunter en route to a new expedition when he finds himself shipwrecked. He alone of the crew survives and makes it to the shore of a nearby island. He counts himself fortunate to discover that the island is in fact inhabited, especially since Count Zaraff (Leslie Banks) is a seemingly genteel yet eccentric host. Not accidentally, the reef off of the island's coast has been the cause of several shipwrecks, and Bob joins two survivors of the most recent one-Eve (Fay Wray) and her increasingly intoxicated brother Martin; the more Martin drinks, the funnier he gets. The Count speaks passionately of his one true love, hunting, and tells his guests that he hunts the most dangerous game of all on his island. It doesn't take long before Bob finds out what he means and becomes the designated prey for the evening; taking Eve with him, they struggle to live through the night and thus "win" the game. You have to give the Count some credit for being a sportsman; he provides his target with a knife, supplies and a head start. The fact that Bob is a noted hunter himself makes this particular game especially thrilling for the Count.

I'm no hunter, but some of the traps Bob sets for the Count seem pretty lame and obvious. Beyond this the hunt itself doesn't seem to provide the type of suspense found in the original story by Richard Connell. Bob and Eve are likable enough characters, but neither of them seems to shine; this may perhaps be due in part to Banks' dominating performance as the mad Count Zaraff; he basically carries this movie with his forceful presence. Wray would of course go on to star in King Kong the following year, and I swear one log in this movie looks just like a log later seen in Kong's jungle. I think that anyone with no knowledge whatsoever of the plot would be fascinated and impressed by this early classic, but as man's inhumanity to man continues to increase from year to year, modern audiences will be somewhat inured to the underlying premise. One rather philosophical note from early in the film really stands out in my mind-namely, that an animal that kills just to sustain its own life is called savage, but a man who hunts merely for sport is called civilized.

This 1932 David O. Selznick production remains both timely and enjoyable today, presenting a fascinating if somewhat macabre study of human nature. At just over an hour in length, the movie is comparatively short and could have benefited from additional scenes of the actual hunt, but all told The Most Dangerous Game holds up very well, and the fortuitous casting of a pre-King Kong Fay Wray affords the viewer a special treat.

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling game of human chess
Review: The Most Dangerous Game is a pretty familiar story, and that foreknowledge somewhat blunts this movie's shock value and effectiveness to modern audiences. Be that as it may, the film still provides a decent amount of suspense and even some comedy. Bob (Joel McCrea) is a famous hunter en route to a new expedition when he finds himself shipwrecked. He alone of the crew survives and makes it to the shore of a nearby island. He counts himself fortunate to discover that the island is in fact inhabited, especially since Count Zaraff (Leslie Banks) is a seemingly genteel yet eccentric host. Not accidentally, the reef off of the island's coast has been the cause of several shipwrecks, and Bob joins two survivors of the most recent one-Eve (Fay Wray) and her increasingly intoxicated brother Martin; the more Martin drinks, the funnier he gets. The Count speaks passionately of his one true love, hunting, and tells his guests that he hunts the most dangerous game of all on his island. It doesn't take long before Bob finds out what he means and becomes the designated prey for the evening; taking Eve with him, they struggle to live through the night and thus "win" the game. You have to give the Count some credit for being a sportsman; he provides his target with a knife, supplies and a head start. The fact that Bob is a noted hunter himself makes this particular game especially thrilling for the Count.

I'm no hunter, but some of the traps Bob sets for the Count seem pretty lame and obvious. Beyond this the hunt itself doesn't seem to provide the type of suspense found in the original story by Richard Connell. Bob and Eve are likable enough characters, but neither of them seems to shine; this may perhaps be due in part to Banks' dominating performance as the mad Count Zaraff; he basically carries this movie with his forceful presence. Wray would of course go on to star in King Kong the following year, and I swear one log in this movie looks just like a log later seen in Kong's jungle. I think that anyone with no knowledge whatsoever of the plot would be fascinated and impressed by this early classic, but as man's inhumanity to man continues to increase from year to year, modern audiences will be somewhat inured to the underlying premise. One rather philosophical note from early in the film really stands out in my mind-namely, that an animal that kills just to sustain its own life is called savage, but a man who hunts merely for sport is called civilized.

This 1932 David O. Selznick production remains both timely and enjoyable today, presenting a fascinating if somewhat macabre study of human nature. At just over an hour in length, the movie is comparatively short and could have benefited from additional scenes of the actual hunt, but all told The Most Dangerous Game holds up very well, and the fortuitous casting of a pre-King Kong Fay Wray affords the viewer a special treat.

Rating:
Summary: Creepy Horror
Review: The Most Dangerous Game is a superb early horror film. It is a really creepy, chilling film with great atmosphere. I always prefer this sort of moody horror to more modern films in the genre that depend on shocks and gore. The Most Dangerous Game can really get under your skin with its central theme of a manhunt. I had always thought, until watching the movie, that the 'Game' of the title was referring to a game like Poker or Baseball, but really it is game in the sense of big game, lions and tigers and such. It is man who is 'the most dangerous game.' For humans with their intellect are more of a threat to the hunter. This idea of a hunter matching his wits against a fellow human being is a deeply disturbing idea.

The film has a really fine cast. Leslie Banks plays the villain Zaroff and is suitably sinister without using histrionics. Joel McCrea shows why he would remain a leading man for the next thirty years and more. He had real star quality and a quiet acting ability similar to that of Gary Cooper. Fay Wray is delightful in a role which gives her more to do than just scream.

The Criterion DVD is very good indeed. The print is superb. There is some occasional damage, but it is hardly noticeable. The images are nearly always clear and sharp and show off the black and white photography very well. Best of all however is the sound quality. Many early talkies have terrible sound with indistinct dialogue and lots of background noise. This DVD has great sound and Criterion should really be congratulated. The DVD also has an audio commentary track by film historian Bruce Eder. His commentary is worth listening to as he is obviously enthusiastic and well informed about The Most Dangerous Game.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling and atmospheric classic
Review: The Most Dangerous Game was a pet project of its producer,Merian C Cooper,and he did a bang up job of translating the Richard Connell short story to the screen.
The evil genius of the movie is demented Russian aristocrat ,Count Zaroff, who has his own private unchartered island .His passion is hunting and having become bored with the usual wild game hunts ,Zaroff has turned to the hunting of human beings for his kicks.
The objects of the hunt are a group of Americans headed by the resolute and stalwart Bob ,played strikingly well by the greatly under-rated Joel MacRae ,and including Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong.
The atmosphere is genuinely menacing from the sinister decor of Zaroffs home to the misty promordial swamp through which the relentless Zaroff and his baying hounds pursue the prey.The tone is grim and the pace unrelenting-here truly is a lean and economical movie that wastes not a single frame.
In some ways this can be viewed as a warm up for King Kong which re-used many of the personnel and ingredients from this movie --Fay Wray ,Robert Armstrong ,and a stirring brass heavy score from the great Max Steiner ,not to mention the producer/director team of Scoedsack and Cooper.It also used the same oppressive ,gloomy, miasmatic sets for the jungle and swamp scenes and these help give the movie its potency and power.
It lacks the one added dimension that helped transform King Kong into a genuine cultural phenomena-the mythic dimension -but is a gripping well made movie that still holds the attention over half a century from when it first saw the light.