Label: Twilight Time
MSRP: $29.95
One-Disc Set (1 BD)
Region Free
Buy at ScreenArchives.com (Limited Edition of 3,000 Units)

Movie: B-, Video: B+, Audio: B, Extras: C+

A thick air of uncertainty looms large over Ralph Nelson’s Fate Is the Hunter (1964), a patient and methodical procedural whose Blu-Ray release eerily arrives on the heels of the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. More than mirroring the current zeitgeist of escalating skepticism regarding severe aviation blunders, the contemporary through line that runs through Nelson’s film is its most admirable trait. With its curiously obscure title and disaster film label, Fate Is the Hunter is a low-key drama that more or less peaks after its opening ten minutes. Despite not being equipped with the high melodrama or moral introspection of something like Robert Zemeckis’ Flight (2012), Fate Is the Hunter remains an alluring experience despite its shortage of thrills.

The movie opens with a jet liner crash that claims the lives of more than 50 passengers and crew; even the film’s credits do not vault on screen until just after the plane crashes into a nearby pier shortly after takeoff. Ostensibly setting the stage for a grand genre excursion, Fate Is the Hunter comfortably settles into place as the rest of the film charts the investigation into the cause of the fatal crash. “Maybe it’s a lot of small things,” a character says, calling into question the seemingly mystical nature of the proceedings, weighed back-and-forth by protagonist Sam McBane (Glenn Ford), a straight-laced airline executive who refuses to believe the flight’s malfunction was the result of human error.

In an effort to pin down the true cause of the crash and to clear the name of Jack Savage (Rod Taylor), whom many believe was drunk while flying the doomed plane, Sam tracks down Jack’s past wartime acquaintances and a love interest (Nancy Kwan) in the hopes that they can vouch for the deceased pilot. The slew of extended flashbacks proves both illuminating and tedious as Sam is unable to find any discernible information that can aid his case. Meanwhile, the scenes in the present are a collection of investigative fare that is agreeable but far from compelling. Ford’s turn as a professional who “deals in vital statistics” is the glue that keeps the events stitched together.

Written by Harold Medford and adapted from a book by Ernest K. Gahn, Fate Is the Hunter all but seems to be inching toward some sort of revelation that never comes. Instead, the arousing possibility of “the acceptance of a divine operation” playing a role in the crash is cast aside for good when the investigation leads to a recreation of the flight. Assisting Sam in the simulation is sole survivor and stewardess Martha Webster (Suzanne Pleshette), who lends credible assurance to everything that took place in the cockpit before the crash. The simplicity of the final reveal is shrug-inducing at best, a “twist” that reinforces the film’s subdued lack of tension, proving for good that Fate Is the Hunter is more about the journey (however middling) than the destination.

A/V

This Twilight Time release is distinctively crisp in its 1080p transfer, capturing cinematographer Milton Krasner’s (All About Eve) gorgeous black and white clarity, which earned Fate Is the Hunter’s its only Oscar nomination. For as pedestrian as the narrative can be, the enhanced video quality really ups the ante for the film’s opening crash sequence. While the film is far from loaded with a superior sound design, with its short supply of ambient effects that pale in comparison with the crash, the audio soundtrack is clean and without noticeable error.

Extras

Standing tall amid the shortage of extras included on this disc is the 106-minute documentary To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen’s Journey, an all-encompassing biography of Nancy Kwan, one of the first major Asian-American actresses in Hollywood. This feature-length look into Hollywood history is a wonderful and worthy inclusion. Aside from the original theatrical trailer shown in 480p, Kwan appears again on a commentary track with film historian Nick Redman, wherein the actress discusses the film and her career.

Bottom Line

Though low on extras, Twilight Time’s Blu-Ray represents a solid purchase in its presentation of a 50-year-old film that is ripe for rediscovery.