Tod Slaughter is one of the miracles of British cinema - an unabashed old ham whose stage performances in lurid old melodramas were perfect for translating to the screen in the quota quickie era. This 4-disc blu-ray set brings together eight of his finest in a beautiful package with loads of extras, a 120 page booklet and lovingly-restored prints.
Seeing all eight films in a short period makes you appreciate the subtleties of Slaughter's performances. Though each is a cackling, larger-than-life villain, there are nuances which make each a different character, if only slightly. The other thing that shines through in these restorations is the handsome production design. British cinema always excelled at Victoriana but it's been hard to fully appreciate the sets in the murky prints normally available. Now the sets impress and show what can be achieved on a low budget when people really know and care about what they're doing.
Each film comes with subtitles and a commentary, and there are loads of extras on each disc.
