Serial star Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Tarzan the Fearless) and the great Ida Lupino (Road House, Woman in Hiding) star in Search for Beauty, a romantic Pre-Code comedy about two amorous Olympic athletes (he a swimmer; she a diver) brought in to run a health-and-beauty magazine. Don (Crabbe) and Barbara (Lupino) are really excited about their new venture, but they are completely unaware that the owners of the magazine are con artists who have different plans for the publication’s future as a salacious “skin” rag. In the process of finding a way to resist the conspirators’ schemes, Don and Barbara must fight to keep their relationship together. Get ready for laughs, romance and extraordinary dance sequences worthy of a golden medal! Delightfully directed by Erle C. Kenton (Island of Lost Souls, You’re Telling Me) and co-starring Robert Armstrong (King Kong) and James Gleason (Here Comes Mr. Jordan).
For thoughts on Search for Beauty, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Search for Beauty makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p master from a 2K master. While the film certainly has some years under its belt, the label has done their best to deliver a presentation that allows it to look the best that it can. The black-and-white photography looks pretty nice in high definition with natural grain intact. The grain can present as a bit thick, but not to the point of being noisy. Black levels could be a bit more deep, but there is no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts.
The contrast is fairly defined, but the track experiences some signs of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. The film has a very soft look overall which appears to be consistent with the original intention. There is a semblance of fine detail present with nice textures on the outfits and within the production design. This transfer retains a reliable layer of minor nicks and scratches, but the transfer looks good considering its age. Kino Classics has delivered an admirable presentation.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a fair DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track which holds up decently considering its age. Dialogue and background noises can sound slightly thin, but they are balanced well with all competing elements. The presentation also shows its age at times when it comes to subtle instances of music. The score is not a major element, but when it shows up it does not sound awful. Other minor age related wear and tear and some humming remains, but nothing too detrimental to the experience. Kino Classics has provided the most stable track possible. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Historians Lee Gambin deliver a really engaging commentary track in which they discuss its place in the pre-Code era, the source material that inspired the feature, the background of the performers involved, the themes on display, the subtext, the public reception of the film, how this film bucked convention and more.
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for I’m No Angel, Love Me Tonight, Desire, The Bride Comes Home, Love Before Breakfast and The Good Fairy.
Final Thoughts
Search for Beauty has some truly bizarre elements within the narrative foundation, but such oddities does allow it to at least stand out a bit. This effort is a bit more daring than some Pre-Code features, which makes it feel more contemporary than is typical. The performances do not stand out as award-worthy, but they keep the track grounded and believable. While it does not completely knock things out of the park, there is enough here to recommend a viewing. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a fairly good A/V presentation and a helpful commentary track. Recommended
Search for Beauty 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.