A Shriek in the Night [DVD] [1933]

A Shriek in the Night (1933) was one of dozens of minor features that Ginger Rogers made in the time before she achieved major stardom with Fred Astaire, and is, because of her presence, somewhat better known than it otherwise would be. It comes to us from Alpha Video in an amazingly good-looking and good-sounding DVD edition -- not that there aren't some flaws in the source, including vertical scratches in some shots, but otherwise this is a better-than-decent presentation, from a source print with good contrast and detail and a loud, robust soundtrack. Even the night shots and dark-room shots in this movie offer usable picture information, and the source print, apart from a few scratches and a missing frame or two, is in fine shape. Given the age of the movie and the fact that it comes from an unauthorized source as a public-domain title, the disc is a minor miracle, especially at Alpha's budget price. The company's usual six chapters have to suffice, and as far as they go, they're more than adequate. The disc opens automatically to a simple three-selection menu with the "play" option in the default position.