Glass Web, The (Blu-ray 3D Review)
- Review Date: Apr 01, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray 3D
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Director
Jack ArnoldRelease Date(s)
1953 (March 25, 2025)Studio(s)
Universal-International (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: A-
Review
In the midst of the 3D boom of 1953, of which 31 stereoscopic films were released in the United States (the most ever released during 3D’s “golden era”), Jack Arnold’s second 3D feature, The Glass Web, had a troubled release as most theaters chose to show the film in standard flat presentations rather than go to the trouble or expense of dealing with new 3D technology. Based upon Max Ehrlich’s 1952 novel Spin the Glass Web, the film features John Forsythe as Don, a television writer who’s been set up for murder. Both he and crime researcher Henry (Edward G. Robinson) were involved with the deceased beautiful young woman in question, Paula (Kathleen Hughes), but since she was a devious person who blackmailed her lovers, it’s a mystery as to whom did her in. Not only is Don a married man, he’s forced by his producer Dave (Richard Denning) to write a screenplay for their Crime of the Week television program based upon Paula’s still unsolved crime, and at Henry’s insistence. Also among the cast is Marcia Henderson, Hugh Sanders, and Harry Tyler, with uncredited appearances by Kathleen Freeman, Beverly Garland, Lance Fuller, and Brett Halsey.
Director Jack Arnold was certainly no stranger to 3D, having helmed It Came from Outer Space several months prior, and would go on to make Creature from the Black Lagoon, as well as its sequel. It’s worth noting that his science fiction horror bent could also be found in two dimensions, with classics like Tarantula and, what many consider to be his finest hour, The Incredible Shrinking Man. (I’m also fond of his later work in Monster on the Campus and The Space Children, but I realize that’s a small club to be in.) His cinematographer, Maury Gertsman, lensed many war films and musicals throughout his career, including To Hell and Back, Meet Me at the Fair, and Red Ball Express, and would go on to shoot The Creature Walks Among Us without Jack Arnold at the helm, as well as another behind-the-movie-magic thriller, How to Make a Monster.
The Glass Web also has quite a capable cast, headed up by Edward G Robinson, who had been working steadily since the 1930s and was in two other films that same year, but had just been dealt a blow by the House Un-American Activities Committee who questioned him about his ties to communism. Although his name was cleared, his career was unsteady. John Forsythe, who appeared in several films but is mostly known for his television work, starred alongside Robinson, as well as Richard Denning, who was in a number of science fiction films, including The Black Scorpion, Day the World Ended, and Creature with the Atom Brain, among others. He would also go on to work again with Jack Arnold on Creature from the Black Lagoon. Kathleen Hughes, who had worked with Arnold on It Came from Outer Space and later appeared in Where the Sidewalk Ends and Cult of the Cobra, was used to the sell the film due to her burgeoning sex appeal. She even ends a scene by putting on a pair of stockings, if the point wasn’t underlined enough by the film’s theatrical poster artwork.
As for the film itself, it wasn’t received all that well upon release. Today, the most appealing aspects of it, outside of its notable cast and crew, are its three dimensional qualities, and seeing a working television studio being included as part of the plot of the film. It’s certainly more unique than most film noirs, but unfortunately, the story leans into mediocre territory. It acts more as whodunit, but in all honesty, whodidit is blatantly obvious from the get-go. Matters aren’t helped that we’re meant to sympathize with Don who knowingly cheated on his wife and will do just about anything to keep her from finding out about it. A red herring is thrown in by a phone call to Paula from her former husband, which takes some heat off of Don when the husband shows up and is immediately arrested under suspicion, but you’d have to be a total nitwit not to figure things out quickly.
Some of author Max Ehrlich’s other works would later be adapted for the George C. Scott-directed version of The Savage Is Loose in 1974 and J. Lee Thompson’s version of The Reincarnation of Peter Proud in 1975, but his first, The Glass Web, has mostly been missing from home video for quite some time, and has never really been seen in 3D outside of a theater. That is, if you were among the lucky few in 1953 who went to a theater where the exhibitor actually chose to screen it that way. Without the television studio elements or the 3D, The Glass Web would certainly be far less interesting. When the film’s use of 3D is aiming more for depth than visual gimmicks, it draws you in. A sequence in which Don is nearly killed by a passing truck, nearly sprayed in the face by a water hose, or nearly toppled by falling rocks is about as gimmicky as it gets. In truth, the stunt involving John Forsythe missing the truck at the very last second stands as an impressive moment in and of itself, never mind the 3D. It’s also worth noting that this sequence of events was added at the last minute, but even without that knowledge, it feels tacked on. Overall, The Glass Web is predictable, but worth a watch, especially in 3D.
The Glass Web was shot by cinematographer Maury Gertsman on on dual-strip 35mm film, finished photochemically for both standard flat and 3D presentations, and presented in 1.85:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics brings 3-D Film Archive’s new restoration of the film to Blu-ray for the first time, offering three presentations on a single BD-50 disc: polarized 3D, anaglyphic 3D, and standard 2D.
Restorationist Greg Kintz explains in the audio commentary that 3-D Film Archive was provided with clean and relatively problem-free film elements that didn’t require additional clean-up. Only 3D misalignment issues, and possibly picture stability adjustments, were addressed. The results are stunning, providing a beautiful, depthful 3D presentation, exemplified by the opening sequence in which two characters walk towards the camera, surrounded by desert with bushes and the wooden frame of a well in the foreground. Minor phasing can be seen in a couple of scenes, but the majority of the main 3D presentation is tightly-aligned.
The standard flat presentation uses one side of the film elements, which is soft, but organic in appearance with heavy grain that sometimes clumps during transitions. Bitrates mostly sit between 20 and 30Mbps, occasionally dipping during darker or less detailed moments. Lovely gradations are observed, which the 3D only further enhances. The image is clean and stable, and according to Greg Kintz, it’s completely free of Digital Noise Removal, artificial sharpening, or other digital enhancements or alterations.
As per usual with any release from 3-D Film Archive, the anaglyphic presentation has been created using their exclusive Adaptive Multi-Band Anaglyphic Encoding process. It provides a lovely alternative for those without Blu-ray 3D capabilities. It, too, is a stunner in its own right.
Audio is included in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. It’s obviously limited by its single-channel capabilities, but it’s a solid mono track with good support for score and dialogue. It’s also very clean, never showcasing issues with hiss, crackle, sibilance, or dropouts. According to where you read up on the information, the film was held up from being released on home video for years due to music clearance issues, but I haven’t found anywhere reliable to verify that.
The Blu-ray 3D presentation of The Glass Web sits in a blue Amaray case alongside a pair of anaglyphic 3D glasses and a double-sided insert, featuring artwork from one of the film’s US theatrical release posters (also used for the slipcover) on one side, and artwork from the Belgian theatrical release poster on the reverse. The following HD extras are included:
- Audio Commentary with Jason A. Ney, Mike Ballew, and Greg Kintz
- TV Spot (:23)
- Trailer (2:08)
The major extra for this release is an excellent audio commentary with professor and film scholar Dr. Jason A. Ney, who extensively delves into the film’s production and release history, as well as its place within the “golden age” of the 3D era as it dwindled in popularity and lacked support from theaters and Hollywood studios. He also provides a brief piece of audio from a 2012 on-stage interview with Kathleen Hughes, conducted by film scholar Alan K. Rode, who amusingly details breaking through at Universal and working with Edward G. Robinson. We also hear from 3D expert Mike Ballew and 3D restorationist Greg Kintz. Ballew delves into the history of stereoscopic cinematography and the technicians behind its creation. Greg Kintz details the inner workings of television studios from his own perspective, and the 3D restoration of the film. Ney closes the commentary by discussing director Jack Arnold and Edward G. Robinson, going into detail about each man’s career, Arnold’s reputation as a “sexual predator,” and the impact that McCarthyism had on Robinson’s life and career. It’s a well-researched, interesting, and entertaining track, as good as any documentary. Last among the extras is a TV spot and a trailer for the film. It’s worth noting that Alan K. Rode’s entire interview with Kathleen Hughes can be viewed on Youtube, if you’re so inclined.
Fans of 3D will surely rejoice when setting their eyeballs on The Glass Web, a 3D film that’s been [legally] missing from most film libraries for the majority of home video’s existence. It’s another exemplary release with more amazing work from 3-D Film Archive who just keeps the 3D train a-rolling with one great title after the other. Highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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