Samuel Fuller on Blu-ray

[oildude]

The Naked Kiss just might have the most memorable opening four minutes in the history of film:

"The Naked Kiss" Opening Titles (1964) - YouTube

Now that I have your attention (haha).......

In case you are not familiar with the late great Samuel Fuller, please allow me to start you on a path of righteous discovery. Meet the original master of pulp fiction on film. As both writer and director of most of his movies, Fuller was an outsized talent whose well-crafted stories and film style were an inspiration to his contemporaries in the French New Wave and had a strong influence on future directors such as Scorsese and Tarantino. It is this association with younger filmmakers later in his life that may be his greatest legacy.



In my years of seeking out Fuller's movies, here is what I have learned: I suggest sitting down in front of your display with a fat stogie between your teeth, a glass of whiskey in your hand, and letting the world of Sam Fuller engulf you. Scratch the surface of his awesome two-fisted dialogue, gripping action, tough guys and even tougher dames, dramatic stories often revolving around combat, crime, or human failings, and you will uncover remarkable social commentary. Few filmmakers could match Fuller for the stylistic and narrative poetry that elevated his pulp inspired stories of the evil that men do. He takes us on a journey into the heart of darkness, into the absurdity and hubris accompanying the crash and burn of modern society, shows us the bitter depths of conflict and alienation, casts his camera's eye into the lives of the lost and the damned wandering amid the wreckage...... and makes us love it all. He was ahead of his time and his filmic voice spoke from a place of authority based on his own life's experiences.

Fuller spent the 1930s and early 1940s as a crime reporter and screenplay writer. When the U.S. entered the Second World War in 1941, he enlisted as a private in the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division (the Big Red One) and fought with his unit as a combat infantryman across North Africa and Sicily before landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He fought across France and into Germany, ending the war as a corporal and winning the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and a Purple Heart. His final days of the war were spent in the liberation of Falkenau Concentration Work Camp, Czechoslovakia, where he shot film footage from a handheld camera he had picked up along the way.

Fuller was a writer first and foremost, and after returning to the U.S. he headed to Hollywood where he became a full-time screenwriter before making the jump to writer/director. His first three films were I Shot Jesse James, The Baron of Arizona (starring Vincent Price), and what would become his breakout film, The Steel Helmet, a war movie set during the then current Korean War. Fuller's years as a crime journalist and decorated soldier made their way into his stories and his movies, giving them a hard realistic edge and a sense of narrative independence that eventually made him a maverick director with a cinematic vision uniquely his own. Fuller's frequent in-your-face attitude, wickedly dark sense of humor, and carefully crafted central themes - the brutality of war, the corrosiveness of bigotry, the consequences of the abuse of power, and the tragedy of innocence lost - are like a fist slamming down on a table. He just might topple your whiskey bottle while making his point.








Region B Only





Region Free (U.K. Release, Region Free)





DVD

(Yeah, I know this is a Blu-ray thread, but this set is too good to leave off and contains Fuller's first three films as a director, including his third movie and one of his best, the classic The Steel Helmet. The picture quality for the three films ranges from very good to excellent).

[Majin Blu]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

So I just watched White Dog for the first time recently curtesy of the great British label, Masters Of Cinema (Eureka). I knew of Fuller by name, he had been mentioned a few times on various film studies modules I had taken, and I think that an excerpt from one of his films (might have been Shock Corridor going by my unreliable memory) was shown to us.

I am embarrassed to say that this is the first film of his I have fully watched. I can't believe it took me so long to check this bloke out. Very interesting guy. 3 completely different successful careers (WW2 war veteran, crime reporter and filmmaker) and seems to have a lot to say about the world.Why isn't he more popular?

I can't seem to find much stuff of his on blu ray. The ones that seem like the most interesting for me to watch would be Shock Corridor, Twisted Kimono, The Big Red One, China Gate, The Naked Kiss and The Steel Helmet. All of these sound very interesting to a film connoisseur like myself. Are there any versions of these that are on blu ray, and if they are, are there any region B or free versions that I can buy?

Anyone else rate this geezer?

One one I know that's Region B or free is "The Big Red One (German Region B Blu-ray)".
http://www.amazon.de/The-Big-Red-One...A3JWKAKR8XB7XF


I like his films. Even though the only one's I've seen are Shock Corridor, The Naked Kiss, and China Gate.

[BluLobsta]

The only exposure I have of him is from Godard's Pierrot Le Fou which has a cameo of him talking to Belmondo at a party with unreal filtering Like to see some of his stuff, though. This is a screen pic I took off of my TV...

[MTRodaba2468]

Criterion released both The Naked Kiss and Shock Corridor on Blu-Ray, however both are Region A...

[Jobla]

I believe that CHINA GATE is available on Olive Films Blu-ray, as well as DVD.

Sony's THE CRIMSON KIMONO is only available on DVD (box set) and MOD.

[Scottie]

As an actor (cameo).



As a director.

[jrsl76]

I'm a big fan. The best ones I've seen are Shock Corridor, The Naked Kiss, White Dog and Pickup On South Street.

I've also seen Baron Of Arizona, The Big Red One (both versions, extended is vastly superior), Street Of No Return, The Steel Helmet, Merill's Marauders and Run Of The Arrow.

[The Great Owl]

We need Pickup on South Street to be upgraded to Blu-ray right now.

I still need to grab the Olive Blu-ray of China Gate.

[onetet]

Originally Posted by iScottie

bluray.com/movies/covers/88113_large.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

As a director.

SHARK is probably best-labled for fans only, but all of the others are strong.

CRIMSON KIMONO, PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET, and UNDERWORLD USA are my favorites not yet on blu, and are well worth seeking out on other formats.

[Jobla]

CRIMSON KIMONO is one of my favorites.

[bigshot]

Naked Kiss reminds me a lot of David Lynch, particularly Blue Velvet.

[HotRats]

I'd really like a blu release for House Of Bamboo, its a damn good film and great looking.

[theprestige85]

Originally Posted by reelgeek

One one I know that's Region B or free is "The Big Red One (German Region B Blu-ray)".
http://www.amazon.de/The-Big-Red-One...A3JWKAKR8XB7XF


I like his films. Even though the only one's I've seen are Shock Corridor, The Naked Kiss, and China Gate.

What's the transfer like on this German release? I read the review for the yank version and the PQ is supposedly abysmal..

Very disappointing to hear that theres no region b friendly release for Shock Corridor as that's something I am dying to see out of all of his works. Although since a HD master DOES exist and it has been released by Criterion, I suspect Masters Of Cinema (Eureka) will be putting it out in the next year. Really wish Criterion wasn't region locked as their out put is substantial but they happen to release genuinely interesting films and put a lot of effort into their packing and bonus features. Their PQ is meant to be highly regarded too.

Eureka really needs to step it up in volume (and quality) of their release. Arrow came the closest last year to competing with Criterion, but they've not been great this year. MoC have been decent but they just need more and better quality transfers.

[klauswhereareyou]

When that initial list of films that Olive was going to put out on dvd/blu-ray was revealed a few years back, Fuller's Run of the Arrow and Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street were on there. Of those too I'd really like to see Run of the Arrow make it out.

Crimson Kimono and Underworld USA were released about 5 years ago on dvd in something called the Sam Fuller collection, which other than those two films was just a collection of films he wrote the screenplays for. They never got seperate releases. I'd like to see both of those films get blu-ray releases, or at least seperate dvd releases.

[RobertLuketic]

CRIMSON KIMONO is great,but THE BIG RED ONE and SHOCK CORRIDOR are his masterpieces. I just preordered the former!

[klauswhereareyou]

My Fuller top ten

1.The Naked Kiss
2.The Big Red One (Reconstruction)
3.Pickup on South Street
4.The Steel Helmet
5.Shock Corridor
6.House of Bamboo
7.Underworld U.S.A.
8.Forty Guns
9.Park Row
10.Verboten!

[BillWatkins]

Originally Posted by klauswhereareyou

Crimson Kimono and Underworld USA were released about 5 years ago on dvd in something called the Sam Fuller collection, which other than those two films was just a collection of films he wrote the screenplays for. They never got seperate releases. I'd like to see both of those films get blu-ray releases, or at least seperate dvd releases.

The Crimson Kimono got a separate release, albeit as a MOD DVD:

http://shop.warnerarchive.com/produc...e=&from=Search

I have to imagine Underworld USA will eventually be released the same way.

[klauswhereareyou]

Originally Posted by BillWatkins

The Crimson Kimono got a separate release, albeit as a MOD DVD:

http://shop.warnerarchive.com/produc...e=&from=Search

I have to imagine Underworld USA will eventually be released the same way.

I didn't know that. Too bad they aren't actually pressed discs.

[MTRodaba2468]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

What's the transfer like on this German release? I read the review for the yank version and the PQ is supposedly abysmal..

Very disappointing to hear that theres no region b friendly release for Shock Corridor as that's something I am dying to see out of all of his works. Although since a HD master DOES exist and it has been released by Criterion, I suspect Masters Of Cinema (Eureka) will be putting it out in the next year. Really wish Criterion wasn't region locked as their out put is substantial but they happen to release genuinely interesting films and put a lot of effort into their packing and bonus features. Their PQ is meant to be highly regarded too.

Eureka really needs to step it up in volume (and quality) of their release. Arrow came the closest last year to competing with Criterion, but they've not been great this year. MoC have been decent but they just need more and better quality transfers.

I would assume the German release of The Big Red One is the same as the US release. It's a Warner Bros release. WB, more often than not, holds worldwide rights to their titles, and uses the same discs in each region. I will say the majority of the complaints I've seen is that it doesn't include the Reconstruction in HD (that cut was apparently only done in SD; the SD version is included, however).

It's possible Eureka might put out Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss, since MoC and Criterion do have a lot of similar titles (Criterion has White Dog in the US, for example, although it's currently DVD only), but it's not something to count on unless they actually announce it for themselves.

Frankly, I think you should invest in a region free player. I know there's a few US releases you're interested in (Ginger Snaps being one), and a region free player will obviously facilitate that. I did a couple years ago, and haven't regretted it.

[klauswhereareyou]

So since this thread was last updated we've gotten Fixed Bayonets and House of Bamboo. Any others that I missed, or more rumored?