Two Films By Douglas Sirk (A Scandal in Paris/Lured)

[pro-bassoonist]

Two Films By Douglas Sirk Blu-ray PRE-ORDER



NEWS
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=19617

U.S. label Cohen Media will bring to Blu-ray two films from director Douglas Sirk: A Scandal in Pairs (1946), starring George Sanders, Signe Hasso, and Carole Landis, and Lured (1947), starring George Sanders, Lucille Ball, and Charles Coburn. The two-disc Blu-ray set will be available for purchase on September 27.

A Scandal in Paris

Before the dazzling colors, forbidden romances, and unavoidably tragic ends of Douglas Sirk's better-known melodramas, there was A Scandal in Paris . Taking place in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this period piece recalls the life of actual con man and womanizer Eugène François Vidocq from his birth in a dingy prison cell to his rise as France's Chief of Police and his life as a criminal in between. After escaping yet another stint in jail, Vidocq and his right-hand man, Emile, make it to Paris, where they end up lodging with a friendly (and wealthy) family whose patriarchal head happens to be the Minister of Police. With dollar signs in their eyes, Vidocq and Emile see plenty of thievish opportunity. But what Vidocq doesn't see is the moral battle he'll have to engage in when he falls in love with the Minister's daughter. George Sanders acts the part of this criminal Casanova with perfect droll charisma and the driest of wit, while Akim Tamiroff emphasizes blundering comic relief as his money-hungry sidekick. A Scandal in Paris is equal parts a whodunit comedy and a romance—but not, of course, without flourishes of Sirkian melodrama, ending with murder and a final fight on a spinning carousel. (SIFF screening of Cohen's NEW 2K RESTORATION).

Lured

Sandra Carpenter (Lucille Ball) is a London-based dancer who is distraught to learn that her friend has disappeared. Soon after the disappearance, she's approached by Harley Temple (Charles Coburn), a police investigator who believes her friend has been murdered by a serial killer who uses personal ads to find his victims. Temple hatches a plan to catch the killer using Sandra as bait, and Sandra agrees to help. But complications arise when Sandra becomes engaged to a nightclub owner. NEW 2K RESTORATION.

Pro-B

[John_Drake]

Marvelous---more classics from Cohen!

[pro-bassoonist]

It would be very interesting to see what the new digital restoration of A Scandal in Paris, John. There is a lot of room for improvement there. The DVD release now looks very, very problematic.

Cohen have a DCP of it in circulation as well

Pro-B

[John_Drake]

I happened to rewatch the DVD only last week and know what you mean.

Haven't caught the DCP projection (stuck in the hinterlands now, I'm afraid) but would very much like to.

This is a potentially exciting release.

[senseabove]

Trailers for both films, and an announcement that they'll each have a commentary track:
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=19723

[mike6001]

Why $55.99 price tag though? Sheesh

[The Great Owl]

Two Films by Douglas Sirk is available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble right now for $34.60.

I pulled the trigger, since I have free shipping from B&N, so my total price after taxes came to $36.68.

This is the cheapest price that I've seen for this set so far, so the rest of you should jump on it.

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching my Cohen Media Blu-ray of A Scandal in Paris.

George Sandars, who is known well for his smug characters in films like All About Eve and Rebecca, plays the famous French historical figure, François Eugène Vidocq, a criminal who reformed and became a noted police detective. Sanders's Vidocq is quite comical to watch throughout the film, even when the story takes a turn for tragedy for a couple of characters toward the end. Akim Tamiroff plays Vidocq's sidekick, while the gorgeous actresses, Carole Landis and Signe Hasso play love interests. I was not expecting much from A Scandal in Paris, but I quickly found myself immersed in its mostly lighthearted vibe as Vidocq gets himself in and out of tight situations in a way that would put most Looney Tunes characters to shame. Director Douglas Sirk would go on to helm melodramatic cinema classics like All That Heaven Allows and Imitation of Life, so this early black-and-white movie is an interesting moment in his evolution as a filmmaker.

This Blu-ray looks marvelous and sounds decent for the source material. The audio commentary, which I'm listening to now, gives some informative background on all of the actors involved.

Onward to Lured...

[BobbyMcGee]

Currently $23.30 on Amazon: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Two-F...lu-ray/161798/

Just ordered it myself.

[The Great Owl]

Last night, I watched my Cohen Media Blu-ray of Lured.

Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy television series) stars in this film noir as a dancer who believes that her friend has fallen prey to a serial killer who lures female victims with newspaper personal ads while sending cryptic poems about each victim to the police department. After being recruited by the police to work undercover as "bait" for the killer, she encounters an assortment of odd suspects while simultaneously falling in love with a wealthy stage producer, who is played by George Sanders (All About Eve, Rebecca, A Scandal in Paris). After becoming engaged to her new boyfriend, though, she discovers some alarming secrets about him. Lured was directed by Douglas Sirk, who would later become known for his melodrama movies, so this noir is an odd standout, but it's also my personal favorite Sirk film that I have seen so far. It's somewhat surreal to see Lucille Ball as a beautiful lead in a serious mystery thriller, and, although the film does have a few touches of lighthearted comedy, her role here shines a light on her talents as an actress for any genre across the board. Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) has an awesome supporting role as a dress designer (!) whom Ball's character meets while answering the personal ads while under police protection. Actor George Zucco, who is known for villainous roles in horror films, has a great part in Lured as the policeman assigned to shadow Lucille Ball while she responds to the newspaper ads to find the killer.

As with the disc of A Scandal in Paris, this Blu-ray sports a beautiful video presentation, along with an audio presentation that, despite some source flaws, gets the job done.

I plan to listen to the audio commentary tonight.

I've noticed that people in this forum aren't exactly knocking down the gates to get this Cohen Media Blu-ray set of A Scandal in Paris and Lured, but both of these movies are great fun, and the set has my enthusiastic recommendation.

[morg999]

Originally Posted by BobbyMcGee

Currently $23.30 on Amazon: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Two-F...lu-ray/161798/

Just ordered it myself.

WOOT..! $19.99 Me too....

[Areyakiddin]

Any chance of this going back in-print?

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Areyakiddin

Any chance of this going back in-print?

Seems unlikely, Jamaica Inn, also from Cohen, has been OOP for ages.