Joan CrawfordStrait-Jacket [Blu-ray]

Buying the DVD of Joan Crawford's STRAIT JACKET was a gamble on my part since I've never seen it and I've only seen three of her previous films The Women (Keepcase), Mildred Pierce (Keepcase), and my favorite What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Two-Disc Special Edition), so I didn't really know what to expect from this film.As you can tell by my rating I really enjoyed this movie! STRAIT JACKET was written by Robert Bloch who wrote the novel "Psycho," which was then turned into the classic horror film by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, and according to IMDB, Bloch was also a writer for many of the episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" so the movie has a strong whodunnit type storyline that will keep you guessing.In the film, Crawford plays "Lucy Harbin," a woman who is just getting out of a mental asylum after spending 20-years there for hacking up her cheating husband (played by a young Lee "Six Million Dollar Man" Majors) and his girlfriend with an ax. Lucy comes to stay with her brother and his wife, and the young daughter she left behind so many years before. Suddenly, the bodies start piling up again and it seems that Lucy is coming apart at the seams.Although the movie is campy at times, particularly when Crawford is playing her character as an older woman trying to reclaim her youth, she and the rest of the cast take the storyline and their respective roles seriously, so it never comes off as a farce. In fact, you'll get to see Crawford's range as an actress as she goes from a bawdy broad to a vulnerable, recluse wall-flower to a murderess psychopath, and it's really amazing. One can only wonder how Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte would have turned out had Crawford stayed on and if the roles were reversed...Surprisingly, to me anyway, Crawford is just as good playing the crazed bully as she is playing the helpless victim.Anyway, the film is great if you like suspenseful type movies and Crawford and the rest of the cast keep this movie on the razor's edge, between camp and cult. Quality of the picture is good on the DVD, nice and sharp with no noise or dust/scratches, and the audio is fine too.***** EXTRAS ****** "Battle Ax: The Making of Strait-Jacket" - 14:41-minute FeaturetteBehind the scenes footage including costume tests, and interviews conducted in 2002 with actress Diane Baker, who plays "Carol" Crawford's daughter in the movie, and film historians Don Glut, Michael Schleisinger(?), David Del Valle (?) -- I might have spelled their names wrong -- on how the movie came about.* "Costume & Make-up Tests" - 3:29-minutesJoan Crawford's costume and makeup tests. No sound; just the film's score playing over Joan as she poses in different outfits and expressions.* "Ax-Swinging Screen Test" - :39-secondsCrawford swinging the ax for a closeup.* Trailers - 3 trailers including STRAIT JACKET. Normally I don't watch the trailers or describe them in my review but these were really good! 1. Strait Jacket - :23-secondsCrawford's voice over explaining why you should see the movie. 2. Mr. Sardonicus - 03:36Producer and Director William Castle provides an introduction to this movie and touts it as the first film where the audience has a say in the ending of the movie. There was a way for movie goers to vote on which outcome they wanted when this film was in theaters way back then, which sounds like great fun. 3. 13 Ghosts - 02:28Another Castle film and Castle introduces it. This turns out to be another interactive movie and Castle explains that patrons will get special "ghost viewer" glasses in the theater to see the ghosts in the movie. It probably sounds better than it actually was but for that time I'm sure it was a big draw.Anyway, if you enjoy black & white suspense movies that have cult/camp status or a fan of Joan Crawford, I would say buy the DVD.

I received my Scream Factory copy yesterday and it’s great to have this Camp Classic upgraded to Bluray at last. In case you’re not familiar, it’s a B&W William Castle vehicle that stars THE Miss Joan Crawford as Lucy Harbin—who’s just been released from an asylum (“IT WAS 20 YEARS OF PURE HELL!) after brutally beheading her philandering husband (a very young, uncredited Lee Majors) and his mistress while they sleep post-coitus. This movie is right up there with VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, MOMMIE DEAREST, REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS and all the John Waters movies when it comes to pure guilty pleasures. It’s one you can watch over and over and never tire of it. The climax is so blissfully looney—the first time I saw it my jaw dropped!I bought the Sony DVD back in 2002 and am happy to report that the “Battle-Axe” featurette that was included on that disc is indeed here. It is chock full of tidbits and behind-the-scenes info and is still way better than any of the Bonus Features that are new to this Bluray. **WARNING** Do NOT watch Battle Axe unless you have seen the movie first because it gives away a very important plot point! The new extras are so-so. There is an interview with actress Anne Helm called JOAN CRAWFORD HAD ME FIRED that FINALLY reveals whom it was that Diane Baker famously was called in to replace. Helm gives an honest account of how things started off rosy but quickly deteriorated once rehearsals began. Can you believe MISS Crawford actually forbade her to drink Coca-Cola on the set?? Anne was disappointed in losing out on the picture, but it didn’t cost her a career since she worked very steadily in TV for the next 20 years. ON THE ROAD WITH JOAN CRAWFORD just explains how the star went on a bus tour to promote the movie with a few anecdotes about Joan’s fastidiousness (Big Surprise!) Thankfully, the screen tests are carried over from the DVD as is the “axe swinging” footage. Joan looks drunk, but this is still fascinating stuff. Lastly, the commentary is dry and boring. The guys literally read Wikipedia entries and I would not recommend listening to it unless you have 90 minutes to kill. They should have asked Diane Baker to do it and had John Waters bounce off her! Even with the lousy commentary, this is a juicy release that will surely please fans of Joan and/or Trash Cinema. Scream Factory...bring on HOMIDICAL!!

Strait-Jacket (1964) stars Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, George Kennedy, and Lee Majors. Basically the movie is about a woman who spent 20 years in an insane asylum for axe murdering her cheating husband and his lover. Does she resume her murderous ways? Watch to find out.This movie was written by Robert Bloch, the guy who wrote "Psycho", which was made into the classic movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Strait-Jacket was directed by William Castle. This black and white cult classic is creepy, campy, and humorous all in one. It's a B horror movie, but entertaining nonetheless. This is Joan Crawford late in her career. She was doing horror movies in the 1960s, accepting parts she wouldn't have accepted earlier in her career. She was one of the scream queens of the 1960s. The special effects are cheap, but what can one expect from a B horror movie? Crawford plays her role extremely well, giving a great (and scary) performance. She's a little over the top, but this was the character she played. Watch her light a cigarette by striking a match on a moving record on a record player. Watch her seduce a guy half her age. Diane Baker (Marnie, Silence Of The Lambs) also gives a great performance as Crawford's daughter. Lee Majors plays Crawford's victim husband.As far as the musical score, the Strait Jacket theme during the opening credits is quite catchy and memorable. The music is good throughout the movie as well.If you're in the mood for some Joan Crawford horror, then I recommend seeing Strait-Jacket. This horror movie is highly recommended.

This is one of my favorite Joan Crawford movies, honestly one of her most underrated performances. If you are a Joan Crawford fan highly recommend watching this movie !!

Joan Crawford delivering as always! Great product overall, a piece I wanted in my collection.

La Meurtrière diabolique (1964) appartient à cette catégorie de petites productions réalisées entre les années 40 et 60 mêlant polar, effroi et parfois humour. Pour le film qui nous intéresse, il s'agit d'un thriller psychologique, très légèrement horrifique, qui est sans doute le plus abouti du producteur et réalisateur américain William Castle, donc son meilleur.Deux films demeurent associés au nom de William Castle : La Nuit de tous les mystères comme réalisateur (1959), Rosemary's Baby comme producteur (1968). Pour le reste, Castle a tourné plusieurs petits films à la charnière des années 50 et 60, pour la plupart tombés dans l'oubli, et seule la présence d'une vedette permettait à ses films d'avoir une meilleure audience. Ainsi, Vincent Price (La Nuit de tous les mystères et Le Désosseur de cadavres) et Joan Crawford (La Meurtrière diabolique, Tuer n'est pas jouer) ont assuré la renommée de certaines productions de William Castle.Le film chroniqué ici est intéressant car il s'inscrit dans une série de films du début des années 60 qui relancent les carrières de deux grandes actrices : Joan Crawford et Bette Davis. Après leur terrible confrontation dans Qu'est-il arrivé à Baby Jane ? (1962), chacune va accepter de jouer dans des thrillers, parfois de seconde zone, mais où leur talent demeure intact. Tandis que Bette Davis tourne Chut ... chut, chère Charlotte et Confession à un cadavre, respectivement en 1964 et 1965, Joan Crawford est présente dans deux œuvres mineures mais non dépourvues d'intérêt de William Castle, La Meurtrière diabolique (Strait-Jacket) et Tuer n'est pas jouer.Le film est bien construit, le scénario tient la route et l'ensemble est fort honorable, en particulier grâce à la prestation de Crawford. Les thèmes abordés - folie, réinsertion dans la société, regard des autres, pression familiale - confirment que Strait-Jacket est supérieur aux réalisations précédentes de son auteur et se regarde sans problème plus d'un demi-siècle après sa création.Un petit thriller injustement oublié et qui mérite d'être redécouvert.

An "Strait-Jacket", oder im Deutschen "Die Zwangsjacke", wurde ja schon viel herumgezupft. Manche finden ihn widerwertig und abstoßen andere einfach nur dumm. ich jedoch betrachte ihn als Frühwerk des 80er-Slasherfilms, denn der Film weist einige Paralelen zu den 80er-Horrorstreifen auf. Ich glaube, dass William Castle genau das wollte - "Psycho" schlug 1960 bei den Kinobesuchern so ein, weil es vorher noch nie soetwas gegeben hat. Nun wollte William Castle einen Schritt weiter gehen und hielt die Kamera bei jeden Mord noch eine Sekunde länger drauf (Man sieht hier, wie einem Mann ein Kopf abgetrennt wurde und, wie das Blut aus dem hals spritzt.Ich kann diesen Klassiker nur jeden empfehlen und Joan Crawford ist wirklich eine klasse Schauspielerin

very happy with purchase