X the Unknown [Blu-ray]

This review is for the Blu-Ray edition of 'X The Unknown' released by Shout! Factory in February, 2020.BLU-RAY: The picture is good but not perfect. There are imperfections throughout such as lines, specks, etc. Still, it's an improvement over previous editions. This is probably as good as it's going to get for this movie for quite some time. I'd give the picture a 7/10. The movie is shown in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio.EXTRA'S:-The inside sleeve features a large black and white picture of most of the cast.-Audio commentary with film historian Ted Newsom. Ted Newsom is one of my favorite commentators for old movies. He is usually very well informed and adds a touch of humor to his commentaries. He is never dry, though he does ramble a bit here and there. Overall it is a good commentary.-Documentary: "The Men Who Made Hammer: Jimmy Sangster" - This documentary covers the life of Jimmy Sangster and is told by film historian Richard Klemensen. This is 17 minutes long.-World of Hammer episode - Sci-Fi - This is one of the World of Hammer episodes that were narrated by Oliver Reed.-Theatrical Trailer-SubtitlesPRODUCTION: 'X the Unknown' was filmed in 1956 by Hammer Film Productions. It was distributed by Warner Brothers in the U.S. It was shown as part of a double bill with 'The Curse of Frankenstein'.-'X' was directed by Leslie Norman. Norman replaced Joseph Losey who was either ill or replaced because he was on Hollywood's blacklist.-'X' was written by Jimmy Sangster. This would be Jimmy Sangster's first screenplay for Hammer in what would be a long and illustrious career.-Michael Ripper is in a supporting role as the Sargeant. Ripper would go on to be Hammer's most prolific actor.-Supposedly half of the budget for this movie was used on Dean Jagger's pay ($60,000).WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE A QUATERMASS MOVIE? Yes, Indeed it was intended to be a Quatermass movie. Afterthe success of 'The Quatermass Xperiment', Hammer wanted to make 'X the Unknown' a sequel. Nigel Kneale,Quatermass' creator refused to give permission. As a result we ended up with Dr. Adam Royston taking the place of Bernard Quatermass. The script was penned by Hammer legend, Jimmy Sangster. Ultimately, Hammer would make two more Quatermass movies. They were 'Quatermass 2' and 'Quatermass and the Pit'.WHO WAS DEAN JAGGER?: Dean Jagger was 53 when he played Dr. Royston in 'X the Unknown'. He had a long and successful career and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 'Twelve O'Clock High' (1949). He became well known for his stage performance in Tobacco Road in 1933. Up until he won the Academy Award, his best known role was as Brigham Young in 'Brigham Young' (1940). Jagger continued acting into his 80's. He took his last role in 1985 on the television show 'St. Elsewhere'. He died in 1991 at the age of 87.*****WARNING - LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT*****PLOT/SUMMARY: The movie opens in Scotland near Glasgow in a muddy field. Some soldiers are practicing using Geiger counter's in the field. When they are nearly finished for the day, a large crack opens up in the ground. Nobody can tell how deep the crevice is. Dr. Royston (Dean Jagger) is called in to investigate. Royston works for the Atomic Energy Laboratory. Several people have been burned and died as a result of radiation that is coming from the area.Shortly thereafter, a boy gets radiation burns while out on a dare in the woods near an old tower. Dr. Royston finds a canister of radioactive material that has been drained inside of the tower. Mr. McGill, is called in after the young boy dies. He works security for the Atomic Energy Commission. After Royston and McGill leave the hospital, a doctor is burned and melted by something in the hospital.Out at the field with the crevice, two soldiers are attacked and killed by an unknown creature. Dr. Royston comes up with a theory that there are creatures below the Earth's crust that are being forced to the surface as the Earth cools. He believes they feed off of radiation. Dr. Royston sends someone down into the fissure. The dead soldiers are found. The geiger counter registers dramatically and the volunteer is quickly brought back to the surface. The military has decided to torch the crevice, bomb it and fill it with concrete. Dr. Royston is skeptical. He wonders how something that can travel through the Earth's surface can be stopped by concrete.Royston has been working on neutralizing radiaion using radio waves in his laboratory. With McGill getting to head back to Glasgow, four people are burned to death on a road. McGill heads to the site and calls Royston. They figure out that the creature is heading toward the Atomic Energy Laboratory where a large body of cobalt is being used in an experiment. Royston also figures out that the creature is travelling to sources of radiation and then returns to the crevice. They track the creature with a helicopter. Dr. Royston partially succeeds with his laboratory test. He neutralizes radiation but an explosion occurs. The creature will head to a nuclear power plant if it is not stopped. The decision is made to attempt to neutralize the creature despite the danger. The plan works and the creature is neutralized. However, there is a second explosion from an unknown source in the fissure after the creature itself explodes.COMMENTS: WAS 'X THE UNKNOWN' INFLUENCED BY 'THE BLOB'?: Actually, 'X the Unknown' came first. So if anything, 'The Blob' was influenced by 'X the Unknown'. It would be hard to believe that the producers of 'The Blob' were not influenced by 'X'. The similarities would be obvious to anybody who has seen the two movies.'The Blob' came out less than two years after 'X'. OTHER COMMENTS:-Despite the cheap sets, this movie is quite atmospheric. The movie has a very creepy feel to it.-The doctor's face melting away was pretty risque for the time period.-I think that the special effects are pretty good, especially when you factor in the budget. X looks pretty good. The one poor effect was the scene in which electricity shoots out from the power line and tower.-The script is intelligent even though it is far-fetched. At least they use real science to come up with the plot.-The score by James Bernard is excellent.-The director, Leslie Norman, was not liked on set and never directed another Hammer movie. This despite the fact that the movie was very well made. Norman complained a lot and was not happy directing a movie in which he made no casting decisions.CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: I consider this to be one of the 'Quatermass' movies even if it isn't one. The Quatermass movies are my favorite science fiction movies from the 1950's. This particular movie will probably be a bit on the dull side for most but I still like it. This movie was obviously an influence on the very successful 'The Blob'.The picture was pretty good but it wasn't completely cleaned up. The scan is pretty nice. The extra's are decent but not the best I've seen from these Hammer releases.This movie is recommended for any science fiction fan for fans of any era, not just the 50's.RATINGS:Plot: 7/10 or 3 1/2 stars - It's an intelligent script if a bit on the dull side.SFX: 6/10 or 3 stars - Pretty good for such a low budget.Picture: 7/10 or 3 1/2 starsExtra's: 7/10 - You get an audio commentary, a documentary and a World of Hammer episode.Overall: 8/10 - 4 stars

I mostly enjoyed watching this creepy 1957 British sci-fi film, but it isn't exactly a cinematic classic. Instead, it is a very deliberate and somewhat slow-paced suspense feature about a mysterious entity that is radioactively burning people to death. It's good, but not wonderful.Of course, it's always a pleasure to see Dean Jagger command the screen with his fine acting. And it's fun to see Michael Ripper and Leo McKern, even if their roles are quite small. And the screenplay by Hammer Studios powerhouse Jimmy Sangster adds a lot of class to the proceedings. On the other hand, the low budget of the film, and the minimal production values, are quite apparent, and even the solid acting can't really make up for that.I also remember seeing this movie on Saturday afternoon TV as a kid, and even then I thought it was slow, and a tad boring. That hasn't changed, to be honest -- this is still a slightly monotonous film. It marches along, neither fast nor ponderous, but very deliberately in a step-by-step fashion. I have to say that Millenial viewers, raised on the Fast And Furious franchise, will be sound asleep after about fifteen minutes. They may even be bored to death.Still, the film does present some stimulating ideas, such as the creature that rises from deep within the mantle of the earth. It is not just another alien munching on screaming crowds. It is, instead, an entity that has existed within the earth for many thousands of years. In that respect, this film is almost a hybrid of Quatermass and H.P. Lovecraft. It is the story of an age-old menace that is hugely different, in form and substance, from human beings. That being said, this movie still does not quite reach the caliber of a Quatermass film. No offense, but I would much rather spend the evening watching Quatermass And The Pit (1967) than view this film again.It is also noteworthy that this is an early Hammer production, which is certainly a feather in its cap. But this movie is still not in the ranks of the amazingly stylish Hammer films of the late 1950's and 1960's. It is almost a Hammer "prototype".... an early experiment. The special effects here, for example, are effective but very minimal. A lot of it comes down to suggestion, and things being hinted at, rather than truly impressive visuals, such as the huge "alien incubators" in Quatermass II (1958).As mentioned, I got some solid enjoyment out of seeing this movie again. It does keep you in suspense, and the "flesh dissolving" scene in the laboratory is skillfully done, and pretty scary. But the film, as a whole, is a little flat and dull. And some of the mechanical and electrical props are surprisingly crude and primitive.I should also mention that the end, with everyone taking refuge in the village church, reminded me quite a bit of Island Of Terror (1966), where the villagers barricade themselves in the town hall, to escape the "bone-sucking creatures". Of course, X...The Unknown came first.I can safely recommend this movie, but I suspect that only older viewers, such as myself, will truly enjoy it. I liked the steady build-up of tension, as well as the occasional startling visual, and I have a soft spot for any film that I grew up with as a kid, or saw on Creature Features. But the blob-like threat is probably way too subtle, simplistic, and stodgy for younger viewers.This is a pretty good four star film overall -- but it is also a product of a simpler, and slower-paced, era. It may very well leave some viewers distracted, and disappointed.

Heeding what others here have said, with regard to the quality of the Icon release, I chose to buy a second hand copy of the 2003 DD (ASIN: B00008WQ6J) DVD. Thankfully, it arrived in near-mint condition and, due to the picture quality and included extras (both of which I’ll mention later), if possible, I’d strongly recommend others do the same.The film itself, Hammer’s second attempt at sci-fi—following their adaptation of The Quatermass Xperiment, the previous year—is a well-rounded and entertaining yarn, set on a remote Scottish moor. During radiation-detection exercises, a group of soldiers discover a strange level of radioactivity emanating from the ground. Following a fatality, an atomic radiation expert (Oscar-winning US actor Dean Jagger) is called in to investigate and comes to realise there is something sinister oozing beneath the ground.Though not quite up to the standard of Hammer’s Quatermass films, this works well in its own right if you’re into this sort of affair. Jagger carries the film effortlessly and the supporting cast are all good.It owes more to fifties sci-fi and cold war paranoia than the later, “Universal”-inspired, Hammer films. That said, though, there are fleeting glimpses of what would later become their trademark style (some very gothic trees and an old tower, melting faces etc.). The set designs and special effects are minimal but effective, whilst overall the cinematography (stark settings, good contrast) is appropriate to the era and works well.The picture, of this release, throughout is generally high to excellent. Other than a brief (milliseconds) blurring here and there, it is as good as could be expected from a relatively low interest film from this era. There are also occasional specks, and split-second lines, but nothing that will distract you (you will barely notice them). Upscaled on a blu-ray player, there is a good level of detail (hairs on heads are clearly visible and you can also see the herringbone stitches in their tweed outfits etc.).Also included, with this edition, is a well-presented 24-page booklet of “viewing notes”. This gives a good background to the film, as well as some nice stills and promotional material, and is written by Marcus Hearn and Jonathon Rigby.Extras:Interview with Hammer writer Jimmy Sangster.Audio commentary with Jimmy Sangster and Marcus Hearn.Trailer.Hammer documentary.

I saw this film originally at the Regal Cinema in Northampton, as a 15year old schoolboy in 1956 - smoking of course to show that I was old enough to see an X rated film! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and certainly didn't find it frightening.Recently I decided to buy the DVD, invite a few mates over and have a nostalgia evening. I enjoyed it as much as I did originally, and so did they. For the date, a very decent story line, well acted and the 'special effects' used well within their capacity, so even now they don't look silly. The film quality visually I found acceptable, as for the sound, I use hearing aids but I could hear the dialogue with little problem.If you like early well crafted British SiFi/Horror, you will certainly enjoy this.

This review refers to the Icon Home Entertainment release of 2011.My copy has arrived, and I hope it's not an indicator of the rest of Icon's classic Hammer output. The good news is that the X certificate screen is presented at the start. The bad news, and it is very bad news is that it's a dirty, scratched print and is covered in random colour noise. It's normally a clue that an older, composite analogue master has been used. Worst of all is ghosting reminiscent of either a NTSC to PAL conversion, or a dodgy interlaced one. Iffy sound tops it all off. It's noisy, full of clicks and pops and sometimes has a high pitched whine to it that'll set your dog off howling. Some dialogue in the second half of the film becomes inaudible through the sheer level of loud pops.The disclaimer at the start about the quality and age of the material is surely a joke. The age or otherwise of a film is not an excuse to release a substandard DVD when better source materials do exist. It's criminal that such outstanding films from the history of British cinema are presented this way in 2011.

PRINT: Not good but tolerable for me. SOUND: reasonable. NO SUBTITLES(I wasn't too worried about the print because of the bargain price but others may disagree.)Marvellous chiller, with the X-factor that only Hammer Studios could create. However, what I loved most about the movie was the wonderful line-up of top notch character actors, particularly American, Dean Jagger, best known for White Christmas and Bad Day at Black Rock. He reminds me in some ways of Henry Fonda, packing a powerful punch, despite a central stillness and understated approach to his roles. Then we have Leo McKern, who many viewers may remember as the tetchy Rumpole of the Bailey in the seminal TV series. Edward Chapman appears in a serious role, and plays his part very well, but he will probably be best remembered as Norman's Wisdom's boss, Mr Grimsdale, in several comedy films the pair did together. Even the small parts are well acted, including a young Anthony Newley as a cheeky-chap soldier and a very young Kenneth Cope as a frightened soldier (with good cause as it turns out!), The 'radiation' attacks are truly scary, and the tension mounts nicely, culminating a nail biting ending, which leaves the door open for further films or a TV series (probably never made - too much like Quatermass).On a trivial note, I think Hammer used large warehouses or something similar as studios in those days, and I'm sure I could see vapour coming out of the mouths of actors in the 'hospital' sequence, perhaps due to lack of heating. By the way, one of the most scary events takes place in the seemingly safe environment of the hospital.

A caption card before the movie reveals that the best surviving elements of this movie were used for this DVD. Well, Icon, I suggest you take a look at the restored 720p version freely available on Youtube!! This DVD is a disgrace. It looks like a print that was buried in the radioactive mud from the film itself. The picture is littered with print damage and the sound was recorded through a piece of (frayed) stringAVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! What a terrible disc.