Search - Boston Strangler on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children Movie Release: 1968 DVD Release: 09/07/2004 Format: DVD Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 56 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 2 Genres: Crime, Docudrama, Crime Drama

The Boston Strangler adopts the split-screen technique then in vogue (see also The Thomas Crown Affair) to relate the true story of self-confessed mass murderer Albert DeSalvo. Adapted by Edward Anhalt from the book by Gerold Frank, the film covers the years 1962 to 1964, during which time a dozen women were raped and murdered in the Boston area. State-appointed officer John Bottomly (Henry Fonda) arrests as many known sex offenders as he can get his hands on in hopes of finding a clue as to the Boston Strangler's identity. As these things often happen, the police come across the necessary evidence through pure luck. Well-played by Tony Curtis (whose makeup is startling), DeSalvo himself does not appear until an hour into the film. When caught, the schizophrenic DeSalvo insists that he knows nothing of the murders. Under interrogation and hypnosis, his homicidal impulses are exposed. Meticulously cast, The Boston Strangler offers excellent vignettes by Sally Kellerman as the Strangler's only surviving victim and by Hurd Hatfield as an erudite sex pervert. When Boston Strangler was first shown on TV in 1974, a voice-over coda was added, noting that Albert DeSalvo was stabbed to death in prison on November 26, 1973, and that many experts were convinced that he was not the killer but that his confessions were the product of a delusional mind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tony Curtis - Albert De Salvo
Henry Fonda - John S. Bottomly
George Kennedy - Phil Di Natale
Mike Kellin - Julian Soshnick
Hurd Hatfield - Terence Huntley

For a midline-price title, The Boston Strangler has received a surprisingly nice remastering and packaging job from 20th Century Fox. The anamorphically enhanced transfer is positively gorgeous, effectively conveying the richness of Richard Kline's moody, noir-ish cinematography and also making it possible to appreciate the film's complex multi-panel split-screen effects (which make viewing the film in widescreen format a necessity). The audio sticks to the film's original mono soundtrack but it is well-preserved and presents a potent mix of dialogue and sound effects. A few nice extras are thrown on the side -- there are teaser and theatrical trailers, a period newsreel about the real Boston Strangler killings, and more recent episode of Backstory from American Movie Classics that documents the making of the film. In short, this disc offers a great transfer of The Boston Strangler and the nice extras add some icing on the cake. It's well worth the time for anyone interested in this film. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide