Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[MalteseCrow]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

I know it might take some time, but you should read back through the thread. Variations on your question have been asked and answered multiple times, so you'll find a lot of relevant suggestions in the previous pages.

Thanks for the help, guys! I'll probably prioritize Scarlet Street and In A Lonely Place and will continue to hunt through past posts to get some other recommendations.

[drb124]

Is there any indication that Arrow may be releasing Criss Cross later this year? Or is that just speculation?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by jetthead

Yeah they charge $8.49 ($6.45 U.S.) per item.

I was considering adding The Day of the Jackal and Fletch Lives to take advantage of the B2G1 deal but the shipping brought the total to around $40 U.S. so I decided to just get Criss Cross.

Their shipping rates don't even make sense. Like if you have three copies of Criss Cross, your total for shipping is $12. I don't see why it should make such big difference in shipping if you have 2 other movies in place of the extra copies of Criss Cross.

[drb124]

Originally Posted by jetthead

Yeah they charge $8.49 ($6.45 U.S.) per item.

I was considering adding The Day of the Jackal and Fletch Lives to take advantage of the B2G1 deal but the shipping brought the total to around $40 U.S. so I decided to just get Criss Cross.

I am considering the same order, but I can't decide whether or not to pull the trigger.

Also, just FYI, it appears that you can add up to 5 copies of one title and the shipping will be remain $12 AUS. For 6 it jumps up to $20. It looks like to 20% sale ends pretty soon.

[MifuneFan]

Some really good deals on some Kino noir titles at Amazon currently

99 River Street - $11.41
Cop - $11.41
Hidden Fear - $11.41
I, The Jury - $12.06
I Wake Up Screaming - $12.97
The Long Goodbye - $12.49
Shield for Murder - $11.41

[jetthead]

I received Mildred Pierce from the Criterion sale and I Want to Live! from that TT sale today. Both films whose leading actress won the Best Actress Oscar for their performance. Looking forward to viewing them.

[The Great Owl]

This weekend, I watched three Joan Crawford films noir, Mildred Pierce, Sudden Fear, and Daisy Kenyon.

Mildred Pierce and Sudden Fear were both upgrades of old DVDs in my collection, but today's viewing of Daisy Kenyon was my first time seeing that film.

Daisy Kenyon, available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, is a rather unlikely entry in the film noir genre, but I'd say that it falls pretty squarely into noir territory given the fate of one of the male characters and given the plot elements of infidelity and postwar trauma. The cinematography is also quite incredible.

Sudden Fear, available on Blu-ray from Cohen Media, is my favorite of the three, and it is the most "conventionally noir" of the three. Gloria Grahame, whom I love seeing in movies, has a great supporting role. The final sequence, on the streets of San Francisco, is quite nail-biting.

Mildred Pierce, available on Blu-ray from Criterion, looks so incredible in high definition. The first five minutes of this film are the stuff of classic film noir, with regard to visuals, themes, and everything else. Pretty amazing.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by MalteseCrow

Hello all, my name is MalteseCrow and I have a problem: I'm addicted to film noir. Seriously. It's consuming me.

I fell into it after obsessively reading the entire works of Hammett and Chandler (and gritting my teeth through some Spillane) and now here I am, looking for your help to pick my next flick.

My available options are currently limited to the following list. If you had to pick ONE of these to watch first, which would it be?
-In A Lonely Place
-Gilda
-Murder My Sweet
-The Big Heat
-Scarlet Street
-Mildred Pierce
-Sweet Smell of Success

I realize that's a loaded question that immediately deserves a follow-up question: "Well, what do you LIKE?" So, for the record, my favorite noir films (so far) are:
-Out of the Past
-Double Indemnity
-The Killers (1946)
-Killer's Kiss (call me crazy, but I prefer it over The Killing)
-Sunset Boulevard
-Vertigo
-Kiss Me Deadly
-The Asphalt Jungle
-Cape Fear (1962)

I love films that push boundaries, that are cinematically daring and visually experimental. Although I ADORE Chandler and Hammett, I'm actually less interested in an exposition laden story that could be told just as effectively as a stage play (crucify me if you must, but that's my problem with Maltese Falcon as a film, and to a lesser extent The Big Sleep).

I need less Drawing Room Mystery and more Psychological Thriller. A novel is the place I go for language and dialogue; in a film, I want mood, attitude, shock and "chutzpah." That said, these things don't have to be mutually exclusive. If there's a total package on this list, by all means, I'm game. (And honestly, I'm going to end up watching all these films anyway... it's just about where do I start?)

If I haven't already made enemies of this entire board, I'll humbly and patiently await any insight or advice you could provide. Cheers!

In A Lonely Place.

I'm assuming you've seen DETOUR (1945). If not, watch it immediately.

[javy]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

In A Lonely Place.

I'm assuming you've seen DETOUR (1945). If not, watch it immediately.

Which release for Detour is better, image entertainment or film chest?

[tallguy58]

Image for sure.

[javy]

Originally Posted by tallguy58

Image for sure.

Thanks

[jetthead]

JB HiFi shipped my copy of Criss Cross yesterday. Now comes the agonizing 2 week wait.

[MifuneFan]

Finally got around to watching the Chinese film Black Coal, Thin Ice. I quite liked it, but it certainly has a strange and off-beat structure to it that may be off-putting to some. The story definitely has many of the same kinds of elements that I like about film noir. The downtrodden detective, a mysterious femme fatale character, the intrigue, etc..More than the plot itself though, which isn't particularly memorable, I loved the cinematography. The tight angles, lighting and colors used gives the whole film a very moody and seedy feel, that's almost otherworldly at times. The film has a few violent outbursts scattered throughout, which I thought were captured with a rawness that made them feel very realistic (and thus unnerving). Overall, I think it's worth seeing, but it's definitely the kind of film that would benefit from a repeated viewing in my opinion.

Besides the Blu-ray, the movie is also currently streaming on Netflix for those that have it, and want to check it out.

Trailer (not in English, but better than the English one I could find)

Black Coal, Thin Ice | Official Trailer - YouTube

[MeMynonsense]

^ Never heard of it, sounds interesting.

Anyway, I also got lucky with a pretty decent noir starring the glorious Simone Signoret.
A thrilling modernisation of the eponymous Emile Zola novel, Thérèse Raquin chronicles the adulterous affair between a burly truck-driver and the badgered wife of his feeble colleague that leads to murder and blackmail.
There are conspicuous nods to Double Indemnity & The Postman Always Rings Twice and uncanny similarities with Park Chan-Wook's Thirst (which in retrospect makes perfect sense as Park also reportedly borrowed significantly from the Zola novel.)
Simone Signoret is phenomenal as the titular lead and her transformation from a browbeaten wife trapped in a loveless marriage to a sympathetic femme-fatale is superbly handled. Her restrained turn might seem too stoic at first but she emotes volumes through her apathetic facade. Raf Vallone (reminiscent of a brooding Burt Lancaster) is convincing as the impulsive truck driver, determined on unshackling Thérèse from her wretched existence. The film also benefits hugely from its stunning yet very naturalistic B&W photography. It should please most of the noir-hounds on here.

Thérèse Raquin is out on blu in France via StudioCanal and the US rights seem to be with Kino. Here’s hoping for an eng-friendly release.

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching Detour on Turner Classic Movies. I love this film to death, and it's one of my favorite classic noir titles.

The presentation of Detour on TCM was comparable to that on my Image DVD. I'm hoping that this movie can see the light of day in high definition at some point, but my guess is that we fans of the film shouldn't expect miracles.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

it's one of my favorite classic noir titles.

My favorite noir, and possibly my favorite movie (I had a link to a streaming copy in my sig at DVDTalk). I'd recommend checking out the BFI monograph (there are many other noirs covered in other 'BFI Film Classics' books worth investigating as well). This Ulmer retrospective has some excellent writing on the film (as well as, of course, many of the director's other works), though it is a bit pricey.

[MifuneFan]

Carl Reiner's Noir parody/homage Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) is getting a BD release in the UK on April 17th. I really hope Universal releases it here in the states one day.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dead-...lu-ray/175003/

As the private eye of private eyes, Steve Martin is Rigby Reardon. He’s tough, rough and ready to take anything when Juliet Forrest (Rachel Ward) appears on the scene with a case: her father, a noted scientist, philanthropist and cheese-maker has died mysteriously. Reardon immediately smells a rat and follows a complex maze of clues that lead to the “Carlotta Lists’. With a little help from his “friends”, Alan Ladd, Barbara Stanwyck, Ray Milland, Burt Lancaster, Humphrey Bogart, Charles Laughton, etc, Reardon gets his man. An exciting, action-packed film the way 40s’ films used to be!.

[SeanJoyce]

Detour is perhaps THE film noir. Nothing else really needs said.

And I check in this thread regularly just to get the rumpus on The Letter, and I gotta say I'm tired of getting the high hat.

[Le Samourai]

Haven't seen these mentioned? French Noir 'Le Trou' and 'Touchez pas au grisbi' are getting U.K. Blu rays from Studio Canal in June and May. Very happy To see Touchez pas au grisbi (hands off the loot!)

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Le Samourai

Haven't seen these mentioned? French Noir 'Le Trou' and 'Touchez pas au grisbi' are getting U.K. Blu rays from Studio Canal in June and May. Very happy To see Touchez pas au grisbi (hands off the loot!)

I own Touchez Pas Au Grisbi and Le Trou on DVD, and I love both of them. They're both films noir through and through.

I'm hoping that region A Blu-ray releases of these movies hit our shores at some point.