Search - Bulldog Drummond in Africa on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1938 DVD Release: 05/20/2003 Format: DVD - Black and White Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 0 hrs 58 mins Studio: Alpha Video Total Copies: 4 Genres: Action, Detective Film, Jungle Film

This typically wild-and-wooly entry in Paramount's "Bulldog Drummond" series gets under way when stiff-upper-lip Scotland Yard inspector Nielsen is kidnapped by master criminal Richard Lane (J. Carroll Naish). Ensconsed in his lavish jungle hideout somewhere in Africa, Lane wines and dines his captive as a prelude for his intended revenge against the good Inspector. As Bulldog Drummond (John Howard), his fiancee Phyllis (Heather Angel), his best friend Algy (Reginald Denny) and his valet Tenny (E. E. Clive) hack their way through the African foliage in search of Nielsen, Lane carries out his evil scheme by strapping the inspector to a pillar and preparing to release a ferocious, ill-fed pack of lions. Even if Nielsen should escape this peril, Lane has covered his bets by planting a time bomb in Drummond's private plane. Were it not for the fact that there were still three films to go in the "Drummond" series, one would be inclined to start worrying. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Howard - Capt. Hugh Drummond
Heather Angel - Phyllis Clavering
H.B. Warner - Col. Nielson
Reginald Denny - Algie Longworth

Louis King's Bulldog Drummond in Africa (1938) arrives on DVD from Alpha Video in an edition mastered off of a clean but somewhat washed out print through which the producers have pumped slightly too much light in certain shots, whiting out the faces to a certain extent, especially in the opening scene of the 58 minute movie. In other shots the focus is soft or there in little contrast or definition, and in still others the contrast and density seem to shift within the same shot, as though someone were trying to do a quick, cheap film to video transfer on the fly -- faces flash and then settle down to a dull light level, at the beginnings or, more strangely, the ends of shots. Thus, the disc at hand is hardly the definitive edition of the film -- that will happen when Janus Films issues its edition, probably through Image Entertainment. It does, however, give one the an idea of the appeal of the movie, one of the more cheerful of the John Howard/Ray Milland espionage/adventure films based on the work of Henry C. "Sapper" McNeile. Alpha Video's standard six chapters are present, surprisingly inadequate given the episodic nature of this short film, which is long on exposition (including romance) as well as action. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide