Jingle All the Way 2 [DVD] [2014]

Detachable - 20Hz to 20kHz - Cable

For anyone who has ever suffered through the various videotape and television presentation of Arthur Lubin's Impact, Image Entertainment's DVD is going to provide a serious revelation. Released courtesy of the Wade Williams Collection -- which usually confines itself to cheap science fiction and horror titles -- this disc has been made from an archival-quality print (evidently from a UK source, to judge from the opening credits) and comes to us with the apparent imprimatur of producer Harry M. Popkin. Whatever the legal details, the image on the disc looks just millimeters short of splendid, filled with sharp detail and good contrast, and balanced throughout, so there are no shifts in texture, brightness, or clarity -- as day slides into night 20 minutes into the picture, the light levels recede ever so gradually while the contrasts stay deep and rich. What's more, the sound is good as well, and is mastered at a decent volume. The quality of the disc allows one to appreciate the subtleties in both the production design and the scoring, which are usually lost in the second- and third-rate masters that generally serve as a source for this movie. It feels so good to watch a picture like this, and not have to contend with washed out contrasts, blurred details, or frame damage, that for most viewers -- who may not have seen a decent looking version of this movie since its copyright lapsed in 1977 -- it will be like seeing it for the first time. The 16 chapters are just adequate for the 111 minute picture, which starts automatically, skipping the menu, which must be accessed manually. The tendency among cineastes is to dismiss the Wade Williams Collection as a freakish body of films, mostly of interest to enthusiasts of "psychotronic"-type science fiction, but with this release, and their issue of Edgar G. Ulmer's Detour, they've done a genuine service to serious film fans far beyond the ranks of cult enthusiasts to Edward D. Wood, Jr. et al. This disc is not to be missed by film noir, thriller, or mystery enthusiasts.