Catching up: ‘Adventures of Captain Marvel’ (Blu-ray)

By Bob Bloom
In September 2017, Kino Lorber released a second Republic Pictures serial on Blu-ray.
Earlier, Kino Lorber had released a wonderful digital transfer of 1939’s “Daredevils of the Red Circle.” It featured a sharp picture and an impressive audio transfer.
The Blu-ray quality of “Adventures of Captain Marvel” is near mint, although I noticed a few lines and scratches through the opening credits on a couple of episodes.
The audio quality of this release also is well done. I did not detect any hissing or loss of sound.
“Captain Marvel,” released in 1941, was — like many of the best Republic serials — directed by the team of William Witney and John English.
The serial is considered by many to be one of the best — if not the finest — example of the genre.
What is very remarkable about the film’s 12 chapters is the special effects used to create the illusion of flight for Captain Marvel.
You must remember, this is decades before CGI, so talent had to compensate for a lack of technology.
A very professional collaboration of wire works, special effects and stunt performances — that by today’s standards look pretty primitive — were utilized to make Captain Marvel fly.
A seven-foot long papier-mâché dummy was created and flown using nearly invisible piano wiring.
The superhero’s takes offs and landings were done by stunt man extraordinaire David Sharpe.
And actor Tom Tyler, who portrayed Captain Marvel, endured hours of hanging in a harness in front of a process screen with clouds projected in the background to complete the impression of flight.
The serial’s storyline is interesting centering on a mystery villain, The Scorpion, trying to obtain five lenses that when, placed correctly in a scorpion idol, can be used as a death ray or transmute common stones into gold.
The Scorpion, of course, is one of the members of the expedition which discovered the idol, so you have to watch all 12 chapters until the great reveal at the finale to discover which of the suspects is unmasked.
Because Captain Marvel is a superhero, it was difficult creating cliffhangers around the character. Captain Marvel is involved in four of the 11 endings, with Billy Batson facing death in five and hero sidekicks in the remaining two.
Witney and English do a great job of keeping the serial moving forward, despite the handicap of not being able to utilize the specialized fight sequences for which was a studio specialty.
As noted, the Blu-ray transfer is crisp, much better than an earlier DVD release issued about a decade ago.
If this new release has a drawback, it’s in the commentary track.
Unlike “Daredevils of the Red Circle,” in which my friend Michael Schlesinger offered background on the serial, the actors and filmmakers involved over four of the 12 chapters, “Captain Marvel” utilizes 10 people over all 12 chapters.
The problem is, some of these commentaries are very dry, offering more history about the Captain Marvel comic books and the legal battles with DC over the character, than behind-the-scenes tidbits about the serial.
The most interesting commentaries are offered by film historian-authors Leonard Maltin and Jerry beck as well as J.D. Witney, the son of the chapterplay’s co-director.
Still, the joy of the Blu-ray is the serial itself, with its gee-whiz earnest Frank Coghlan Jr. as young Billy Batson, though he is about 10 years older than the Billy in the comic books; the no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners Tom Tyler’s Captain Marvel; the stunt work of David Sharpe; and the special effects by Howard and Theodore Lydecker.
If you ever had a hankering to check out a serial or begin to collect them, than “Adventures of Captain Marvel” is the place to start.

I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. My movie reviews also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL
Released: 1941, Republic Pictures
12 chapters

Chapter titles.

1. Curse of the Scorpion
2. The Guillotine
3. Time Bomb
4. Death Takes the Wheel
5. The Scorpion Strikes
6. Lens of Death
7. Human Targets
8. Boomerang
9. Dead Man’s Trip
10. Doom Ship
11. Valley of Death
12. Captain Marvel’s Secret