West Of Zanzibar

Decent packaging of a rare film
So I actually love this movie. Tod Browning is one of my favorite filmmakers. Everyone remembers "Dracula" and "Freaks" but his work with Lon Chaney, Sr. was just as special. "The Unknown," "The Unholy Three," and "West of Zanzibar" are some of my favorites. The picture is old and it's not cleaned up to look pristine, but it's still a pretty decent picture. The product is also DVD-R so it's exactly DVD, but it'll do. There are no special features or chapter selection options. Not even a booklet. I would rate the movie 5 stars, but the DVD itself just doesn't have what you want on it. I understand why though: this is still a rather forgotten movie and not many people care, but it's really a lot of fun. Chaney gives a great performance as a crazed paraplegic witchdoctor in Africa (he moved there to get revenge on Lionel Barrymore after he was injured following a magic act he was performing). It's interesting to see Chaney bound to a wheelchair while Barrymore walks around. I got so used...

At least a 4-star movie, though
This has shown several times on TCM. It is a classic of outre cinema, and I highly recommend it. It is a real pity Warner is not releasing a real DVD of this film. A DVD-R has half the quality, and you can burn your own copy for virtually nothing and it will be just as good. Sad, really, how many great movies are suddenly being released (at high cost) in this degraded format. WB isn't the only offender, but it is the most aggressive at doing this. Shame on them.

An over the top and typically idiosyncratic collaboration (plus a bonus)
West of Zanzibar (1928) is missing some footage, but, unlike the earlier The Road to Mandalay, it is in much more viewable state. Enough of Zanzibar remains intact so as not to appear too fragmentary. Originally tilted Kongo, West of Zanzibar is the most flagrant, delightfully vile of the Browning/Chaney Oedipal absurdities.

Chaney plays Phroso. Phroso is married to Anna (Jacqueline Gadsden) and together they work in a Limehouse music hall as a magic act (in the early scenes as the magician, the protean Chaney gives a remarkable, Chaplin-like performance). Behind Phroso's back, Anna is carrying on an affair with Crane (Lionel Barrymore). When Phroso and Crane inevitably fight over Anna, Phroso falls from a great height, forever crippling himself. After a short time has passed, Phroso is told that his wife has returned to town, with a baby, and is in the local church. The dead-legged Phroso zips down to the church via scooter and crawls into the tabernacle, only to...

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