‘Rocketeer,’ Cliffhangers Revisited

The filmmakers who devised cliffhanger serials 50 years ago didn’t have much to work with and little money or time to create their 12-to 15-episode chapter plays. But they knew one thing: Keep the action moving and don’t waste a lot of time with exposition and character development.

Too bad director Joe Johnston didn’t learn that lesson before making “The Rocketeer” (Walt Disney Home Video/Image Entertainment, 109 minutes; CLV, $40; CAV, $50).

On laser, you can watch “The Rocketeer” the way you couldn’t in a theater: Skip right past the belabored plot and cut right to the chases. The disc is a satisfying transfer, made in its original theatrical aspect ratio of about 2:35:1 with a digital Dolby Surround soundtrack. The highlight of the 16 chapter stops might well be the last: the original theatrical trailer with snippets of the best scenes.

Inspiration for “The Rocketeer” was a not-so-hot 1949 chapter play called “King of the Rocket Men” (Republic Pictures Home Video-Image, 12 chapters, 166 minutes, 1949, $40). This last gasp of the golden age of serials was made just as the market for cliffhangers was declining, and is not 24-karat.

But special-effects wizards Howard and Theodore Lydecker carry out some impressive feats in black-and-white. The most memorable sequences come from other films, including a tidal wave sweeping over New York skyscrapers that was lifted from an early ‘30s film. The digitally processed soundtrack is crisp and clear.