Kino Lorber have confirmed that they are preparing a Blu-ray release of directors John English and William Witney's classic serial Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941). The release is expected to arrive on the market early next year.
Synopsis: Considered by many to be the finest serial ever made, Adventures of Captain Marvel chronicles the exploits of "The World's Mightiest Mortal" as he combats the Scorpion, a hooded villain intent on obtaining six optical lenses that turn ordinary stones into gold! Highlighting the serial were the fabulous flying sequences by Republic's ace special effects team, Howard and Theodore Lydecker. Combining a wired dummy photographed against real backgrounds in natural sunlight, with spectacular take-off leaps and landings supplied by action ace, David Sharpe, the final effects are still as fascinating today as they were in 1941.
Adventures of Captain Marvel marked the very first time a comic book superhero's exploits were transferred to the silver screen, and the resulting 12 chapters have yet to be equaled in excitement and entertainment.
We've been running THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL as part of our Matinee at the Shadowland film series. Definitely one of Republic's best with great flying effects and, of course, outstanding music cues.
S = The Wisdom of Solomon H = The Strength of Hercules A = The Stamina of Atlas Z = The Power of Zeus A = The Courage of Achilles M = The Speed of Mercury
Great stuff! My favourite (& I think the best) of those great serials that I used to see on Saturday Morning at the cinema (Saturday Morning Pictures as we used to call it). I have it on DVD, along with some other great serials like, King Of The Rocket Men, Phantom Empire, Undersea Kingdom & of course Flash Gordon & a few others. I wonder what the transfer is like?
