‘Man-Eater Of Kumaon’ Blu-Ray Review – Byron Haskin Crafts A Confident Action-Drama

Sabu (Arabian Nights), Wendell Corey (I Walk Alone), and Joanne Page (Casablanca) head the cast of this roaring adventure tale, Man-Eater of Kumaon. In the jungles of northern India, American doctor-turned-hunter John Collins (Corey) shoots at a tiger, but manages only to injure its paw. When his bearer warns him that they must find and kill the tiger before it wreaks havoc, Collins ignores his pleas. Now, with a local village decimated by the titular man-eating tiger, and with the help of a tragedy-stricken couple, Narain (Sabu) and Lali (Page), the doctor gains a new perspective on his fellow man, and hunts for the ultimate prey. Based on the bestselling novel by hunter-naturalist Jim Corbett and rousingly directed by sci-fi / adventure great Byron Haskin (The War of the Worlds, The Naked Jungle, September Storm).

For thoughts on Man-Eater of Kumaon, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/T7jBM3kHH9s?si=PI2AU4RHa-iitqVs&t=2763]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Man-Eater of Kumaon with a fairly impressive Blu-Ray in 1.66:1 from a 2019 remaster conducted by Paramount Pictures. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation which resolves consistently with no clumping or swarming. The black-and-white photography has an even hand on the gradients with no unexpected softness. The presentation is quite fetching from the earliest moments with image stability and delineation being handled carefully. There is some archival nature footage included for some of the animal work that does not hold up as well due to source elements. Black levels hold up decently with little in the way of crush. Instances of print damage such as nicks and lines have mostly been eradicated with overall clarity and detail showing up. Kino Classics has treated this well. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a nice DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that brings this to life without fail. Dialogue and background noises are balanced respectfully with all complementary elements. The score maintains a good fidelity as it enhances the tone of the narrative. Despite its strong showing, nothing ever overshadows the dialogue or other pivotal information. The sound effects and music appear to be natural to the intent of the creative team. This track shows no egregious signs of age-related wear and tear such as dropouts, hissing, or popping. There is nothing to worry about for this one. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Film Historian David Del Valle and Film Historian/Producer Dan Marino (son of NFL legend) provide an informative commentary track in which they discuss why this film was developed, how it tosses aside the source material, the work of Byron Haskin, the background of the ensemble players, the reduced budgets, the themes of the picture and much more. 

• Trailers: There are trailers provided for Arabian Nights, Cobra Woman, Tangier, Desert Fury, The Accused, I Walk Alone, The Boss, and September Storm. 

Final Thoughts

Man-Eater of Kumaon is a somewhat rote action-drama that is uplifted by some impressive production value and confident direction. The performers do a nice job of bringing this story to life even if the script is slightly underwhelming. The film uses the tiger enough to satisfy on that basic level of thrilling nature run amok. Kino Classics has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a really good A/V presentation and an informative commentary track. If you have been waiting for this to be released on Blu-Ray, you should be pleased by the results Recommended 

Man-Eater of Kumaon is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

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

Disclaimer: Kino Classics 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.