Ace in the Hole (1951)

[Akijama]

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray PRE-ORDER

Restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary by film scholar Neil Sinyard
Portrait of a “60% Perfect Man”: Billy Wilder, a 1980 documentary featuring interviews with Wilder by film critic Michel Ciment
Interview with actor Kirk Douglas from 1984
Excerpts from a 1986 appearance by Wilder at the American Film Institute
Excerpts from an audio interview with Wilder’s coscreenwriter Walter Newman
Video afterword by filmmaker Spike Lee
Stills gallery
Trailer
PLUS: Essays by critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin

Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole is one of the most scathing indictments of American culture ever produced by a Hollywood filmmaker. Kirk Douglas gives the fiercest performance of his career as Chuck Tatum, an amoral newspaper reporter who washes up in dead-end Albuquerque, happens upon the scoop of a lifetime, and will do anything to keep getting the lurid headlines. Wilder’s follow-up to Sunset Boulevard is an even darker vision, a no-holds-barred exposé of the American media’s appetite for sensation that has gotten only more relevant with time.

[Show spoiler]It seems that Criterion May lineup has leaked on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Ace-Hole-Blu-r...ion+collection


Other May releases include:

Red River
Like Someone in Love
Overlord
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

[14728]

Originally Posted by Akijama

It seems that Criterion May lineup has leaked on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Ace-Hole-Blu-r...ion+collection

Other May releases includes:

Red River
Like Someone in Love
Overlord
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

finally, Life Aquatic is here

[oildude]

Never seen Ace in the Hole, but it's Billy Wilder and that is all I need to know. Pre-ordered. Not waiting on the B&N sale for this one.

[The Great Owl]

Ace in the Hole is such a tremendous film noir, and it's one of the great Kirk Douglas roles. It's tough to rank the Billy Wilder films, except to say that Double Indemnity is my favorite, but this is a strong entry from the director.

Ace in the Hole would make a fine double feature with Sweet Smell of Success, in terms of both providing cynical takes on media sensationalism in the classic noir era.

I owned the Criterion DVD of Ace in the Hole, but sold it last year on the assumption that it was only a matter of time until a Blu-ray release. I'm glad that the time is now.

[CBHampson]

An absolute must own for me. Only 'Double Indemnity' is definitely ahead of it, among Wilder's films.

[Rich65]

Red River for me, another John Wayne classic for my collection.

[bdmartin134]

Oh man, I just watched Ace In The Hole on DVD,, have had the Criterion DVD for a year, will absolutely double dip.

[lhslancers]

I thought Ace In The Hole was a pretty good movie. Not among the greatest noir but Top 25 for sure.

[Mad Dad]

Originally Posted by oildude

Never seen Ace in the Hole, but it's Billy Wilder and that is all I need to know. Pre-ordered. Not waiting on the B&N sale for this one.

It's an underrated classic with multiple viewings required. You won't be disappointed.

[peterraes]

[QUOTE=bdmartin134;8803801]Oh man, I just watched Ace In The Hole on DVD,, have had the Criterion DVD for a year, will absolutely double dip.[/QUOTE
glad to see this coming out,great movie.
It shows what man can do when fame and fortune lurk around the corner,in this case it's sacrifycing a man stuck in a hole.

[Unfrozen]

I've had the dvd for the last 5/6 years but I'll definitely upgrade here.

At least I can scratch this one off the criterion bluray upgrade list. I'm still waiting for Le Samourai, Youth of the Beast and the Sirk films.

I don't know if 'Eddie Coyle' and The Naked Prey will receive upgrades.

[jayj15]

Originally Posted by lhslancers

I thought Ace In The Hole was a pretty good movie. Not among the greatest noir but Top 25 for sure.

Is there really a "greatest noir"? Everyone's tastes are just so subjective. I remember my film studies professor saying that "Double Indemnity" was the greatest noir, and then I was a little let down when I finally saw it.
Anyway I'm looking forward to watching "Ace in the Hole" again!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by jayj15

Is there really a "greatest noir"? Everyone's tastes are just so subjective. I remember my film studies professor saying that "Double Indemnity" was the greatest noir, and then I was a little let down when I finally saw it.

Double Indemnity is basically Film Noir 101, and it's the film that I advise people to watch first if they want to understand the basic parameters that most people use to define the genre.
The following Double Indemnity quote is film noir in a nutshell...
"I killed him for money - and a woman - and I didn't get the money and I didn't get the woman."

My personal favorite film noir, however, is Jacques Tourneur's Out of the Past, hence my current avatar. Sadly, Out of the Past is only available on DVD. One of the great travesties of Blu-ray is that there are still no Jacques Tourner films available in the format.

Ace in the Hole is a brilliant film noir, but it falls into a special subgroup of film noirs that brilliantly shed a cynical light on media and/or ambition, along with movies like Sweet Smell of Success and Ruthless.

[JJJ225]

I've never seen this, but many people whom I respect say it's brilliant. This will be a blind buy for me.

[Akijama]

Restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary by film scholar Neil Sinyard
Portrait of a “60% Perfect Man”: Billy Wilder, a 1980 documentary featuring interviews with Wilder by film critic Michel Ciment
Interview with actor Kirk Douglas from 1984
Excerpts from a 1986 appearance by Wilder at the American Film Institute
Excerpts from an audio interview with Wilder’s coscreenwriter Walter Newman
Video afterword by filmmaker Spike Lee
Stills gallery
Trailer
PLUS: Essays by critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin

[the sordid sentinel]

Wilder wrote such amazing, snappy and memorable dialogue. Hard to believe English is not his primary language and he barely spoke a word of when arriving here from Europe. Will definitely pick up this classic at one of the Criterion sales down the road.

[ShellOilJunior]

Tremendous film. I wrote a review of the film several years ago. Here's a selection from it (I won't plug my site!) :

The legendary “Wilder touch” is a combination of wit, sarcasm, ironic dialogue, perfect timing, an easily comprehensible plot and a dash of cynicism. Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole possesses the latter in spades. If most Wilder films can be described as being “sweet and sour” – a delicate balance of ribaldry and compassion – then Ace in the Hole is a sour, make that a pungent film -- dark, deeply cynical, uncompromising and prescient in its depiction of the mass media as a sensationalist-crazed entity capable of elevating a singular human interest story to the level of an out-of-control media carnival community complete with tents, trailers, buses, trucks, cars, a Ferris wheel, a train, concession and souvenir stands and a couple of cow folk singing a catchy tune urging Leo Minosa (Richard Benedict) who is trapped in the cave to “not despair, we’re coming Leo.”

[pro-bassoonist]

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray REVIEW



Pro-B

[Iamspartacus]

Digi or traditional case?

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Ace in the Hole Blu-ray REVIEW



Pro-B

Hi pro-B! Do you know when you'll be reviewing the MoC release?