Illegal (1932/Roan Group)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C-     Film: C+

 

 

Made in England towards the end of The Prohibition Era, William C. McGann’s Illegal (1932) took on the subject of hidden speak-easies and the “sin” that came with them.  Evelyn (Isabel Elsom) opens such a place after her husband (D.A. Clarke-Smith) becomes a bankrupting alcoholic and she has nowhere else to turn.  Of course, the good times roll and her place becomes and instant hit, but only up to a point, when the law starts to interfere.

 

The film runs about an hour or so and shows its age, but for its length and that it was shot in England, the film is an interesting production as that cinema was still trying to find it own identity between Hollywood and German cinemas that were ahead of it for that time.  The acting can be stage-like, but overall, this is not bad and makes for some interesting viewing.  It is also the kind of film that has enough Pre Code Hollywood moments that it offers an additional dimension that makes sense to have it out on DVD.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is in good shape for its age, with some good Video Black and solid efforts on the part of Roan to restore the print as much as possible.  Warner Bros. made this through their British subsidiary and it has not been seen in a long time.  The work here is good, including cinematography by Willard Van Enger, who went on to do Special Effects camerawork later for a long stretch that turned into the rest of his career.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is a bit better for its age than expected as well.  Warner would have done 1.0 Mono, so I can’t imagine this sounding better than it does here.  In both picture and sound, you will encounter imperfections, but we have seen much worse in films up to the 1980s on DVD.  Extras include a trailer for a Troma release and first chapter of The Last Frontier serial from Roan, reviewed elsewhere on this site.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo