Tormented

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Bert I. Gordon's Tormented (1960) has been issued in many different forms on DVD -- it has even turned up on Mystery Science Theater 3000 with their usual snide and sly presentatio n -- and Alpha Video's version isn't significantly better than any other, except perhaps in sound quality. The print may have white speckles all over and a vertical line just off the center of the frame (it all looks like a good transfer off of a fair-quality 16 mm print), but Albert Glasser's score sounds pretty good here, and that's kind of important, as the central character of the movie is a jazz musician, played by Richard Carlson. Actually, the makers have pulled some decent contrast out of the source print, but its overall softness constitutes a practical limit on what even the best transfer could accomplish. At least the sound is full -- so when Carlson's character starts hallucinating, the reflection of his nuttiness in the score just pours right out of the speakers. It might not be great cinema, but it is fun to watch and the Alpha budget pricing is sure right, especially as the makers have included the original trailer, a scratched but entertaining artifact that is so overheated in its narration that it's delightful on its own terms. The usual six Alpha chapters apply, with the simple opening menu that pops up automatically on start-up. Show more