Night Of The Lepus (DVD)

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The movie moseys along like an old cowpoke and has all the earmarks of an old television horse opera, not surprising considering that the director, William F. Claxton, had done most of his previous work in old TV Westerns. All the locations look like the next--open range and more open range, interspersed with a couple of interior shots. The film seems to have had a budget about the size of a "Gunsmoke" episode, and its special effects look left over from an early "Hopalong Cassidy."

Every action by every character is a groaner, one of those "Oh, no, why is it doing that?" kind of things. Case in point: When Bennett and Hillman determine that gigantic killer rabbits are on the loose, what does Bennett decide to do? Walk with Hillman into an old mine shaft where they know the rabbits are breeding and try to bring one out alive for study. With one gun between them. Think about it.

Moreover, any time a little action does break out (which is seldom, by the way, and probably by accident), it's underlined by the corniest possible "action" music, almost like an old-time silent film; then, when the action stops, the music abruptly turns tranquil and serene. That's one of the few hoots in the picture right there.

You'll find a lot of empty chatter and a lot of walking around in the film, such filler being a sure sign that not much is happening in the way of motivation or plot. The only thing more lifeless than the corpses in "Night of the Lepus" is the movie itself.

Video:
Warner Bros. do their part to bring the film to DVD in the best manner possible, but you can't beat a dead rabbit. The transfer is widescreen, measuring about 1.75:1 across my television; it's anamorphic; and it's done up at a high bit rate. Nothing helps. Although the colors are bright and deep, they are most often too dark, causing flesh tones to appear orange or purplish. Additionally, almost every outdoor scene is accompanied by a faint but noticeable grain. Object delineation is good, but inner detailing is murky at best.

Audio:
The sound quality is no better than the video, despite a remastering in Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural. The good thing about it is that it's reasonably clear and clean, with almost no background noise. The bad things are that its midrange is slightly pinched and nasal and its dynamic range constricted. There's not much else to be said. The soundtrack functions adequately, if barely.

Extras:
You get twenty-two scene selections, but, as usual with WB, no chapter insert; and a widescreen theatrical trailer. I thought the trailer was the best part of the package. The announcer is a kick, proclaiming in stentorian tones the importance of the story and its possible impact on society. I love this stuff. Can't say it's worth the price of a whole disc, though.

Parting Shots:
Rabbits have always held a curious position in the world. We either keep them as pets or we eat them. Can you think of any other animal that is so loved for so opposite reasons? What's more, rabbits are a lot more intelligent than most people give them credit, and I think it's about time we got a really good film treatment of these peculiar creatures. (Sorry, Tim; Bugs Bunny doesn't count, nor does Harvey, even though both of these rabbits are about a hundred times smarter than the humans in "Lepus.")

In the meantime, we do have "Night of the Lepus," which is not so much a horror movie as it is a horror of a movie. Oh, well....

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