In 1918, Francis Ford used his movie fortune to start an independent company and produced and starred in the five-reel feature The Craving, a drama of obsession and addiction that also concerns itself with the first World War. In the film, Ford is the inventor of a powerful explosive who is preyed on by a foreign inventor determined to get its formula from him, utilziing powers of mind-control over Ford’s character and by exploiting his alcoholism. As director, Ford creatively uses multiple-exposures to make psychologically-tormented characters face their fears and obsessions, and incorporates footage from other Universal films to craft a sharp criticism of the needless slaughter of troops in the Great War.

The three short films on the disc, When The Tables Turned (1911), The Post Telegrapher (1912), and Unmasked (made in 1913, but only surviving in a 1917 re-issue) further demonstrate Ford’s talents as an actor and director. The feature and shorts on the disc are new to home video and are presented in new digital restorations from archival film elements.

For thoughts on Francis Ford: The Craving, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

The Craving makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Undercrank Productions with an impressive restoration effort. The film is presented courtesy of a new 2K digital scan of an archival 35mm print from Eye Filmmmuseum in the Netherlands. The total runtime of the disc is less than two hours so there are no concerns about compression artifacts or anything of that sort. Some limitations come with a film that is over 100 years of age, but this restoration is stellar with very little to steal joy from the viewing experience.

The film retains its natural grain well with no wild variances in quality. This allows for a decent amount of detail and textures on the clothing and within the setting. The lovely color-tinted photography thrives in high definition with favorable saturation. Black levels present with some admirable depth with no major issues with black crush. The contrast is firmly defined with very little in the way of flicker or unexpected damage to the print. There are the expected stray vertical lines that make a quick appearance, but the level of care taken here is up to the level you expect from Undercrank Productions.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a Dolby Digital 2.0 lossy audio track that does precisely what it needs to. The original score composed by Ben Model is thematically appropriate and a treat to take in. The music is the only element to contend with in this track, and it comes through with flattering fidelity and no clipping or age-related anomalies. Silent film fans will enjoy the sound quality of the disc. A lossless audio track may have refined things a bit further, but this is a great experience.

Special Features

Short Films: Three restored short films are provided that show more of Francis Ford’s talents in front of and behind the camera (depending on the short).

- When The Tables Turned (1911) (11:35)

- The Post Telegrapher (1912) (24:40)

- Unmasked (1913/1917) (12:24)

Francis Ford – Pioneering Director and Actor of Early American Cinema: A nearly nine-minute featurette that details the career of Francis Ford which spans from his early life to his time in the movie business. There is some great information fans will definitely not want to skip over.

Screen Snapshots (1920): A three-minute glimpse at Francis Ford directing a film.

Final Thoughts

The Craving is an especially inventive silent-era feature that pushed the boundaries of what was expected thanks to techniques that are pretty mind-blowing for the time. The storyline is not particularly complex, but the way it is executed makes it one of the more thrilling silent features we have seen in some time. When coupled with the additional short films, this disc showcases the exceptional creativity of Francis Ford. Undercrank Productions has released a Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation and a nifty supplemental feature that ties everything together. Silent film fans should not sleep on this standout release curated with care. Recommended

Francis Ford: The Craving will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on July 30, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Undercrank Productions has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.