Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[koberulz]

Annoyed by the overlap between the Columbia Noir sets and the Imprint set.

They're incredibly expensive too, even without shipping, which I assume is going to be a lot. And yet, saving 10% doesn't do much to the price either.

[Gunsnroses092789]

Originally Posted by koberulz

Annoyed by the overlap between the Columbia Noir sets and the Imprint set.

They're incredibly expensive too, even without shipping, which I assume is going to be a lot. And yet, saving 10% doesn't do much to the price either.

Well, technically, we’re only meant to buy movies from our own country, so it’s not really their fault, and it’s kind of the price we pay for importing.

[Big Jim McLain]

I wonder if after Indicator have exhausted the Columbia Noir catalogue, will they maybe move on and do Paramount noir sets?

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by Gunsnroses092789

Well, technically, we’re only meant to buy movies from our own country, so it’s not really their fault, and it’s kind of the price we pay for importing.

That argument works better for someone in the UK than someone in Australia, given how much bigger the Columbia sets are.

[Gunsnroses092789]

Originally Posted by koberulz

That argument works better for someone in the UK than someone in Australia, given how much bigger the Columbia sets are.

Well, I'm speaking from the US, so... we don't have either set here. But I'm speaking from a rights/licensing standpoint— there's a reason labels generally only license for a single region.

[usuallee]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

RAMROD is my favorite "Noir Western." What did you think of that one?

It's very good. Print is more than a little rough around the edges but it's mostly just fine. I'd rather have a rough transfer than one that has DNR-ed all the detail away. Lake's character definitely is definitely a femme fatale. She's excellent. Moral ambiguity abounds. Preston Foster is really good. McCrea is good. Don Defore is good. Some really nice outdoor scenery and brutal action scenes.

As far as the western noir subgenre, my favorite that I've seen so far is still Yellow Sky by a wide margin. Just something about that film that sticks with me.

Also picked up Rawhide so that may be next to watch. It's not on our Noir list here but it's been categorized as a noir western often.

[SeanJoyce]

^The Ox-Bow Incident, Pursued and Station West are 3 notable others.

[Lorenzol]

Originally Posted by usuallee

It's very good. Print is more than a little rough around the edges but it's mostly just fine. I'd rather have a rough transfer than one that has DNR-ed all the detail away. Lake's character definitely is definitely a femme fatale. She's excellent. Moral ambiguity abounds. Preston Foster is really good. McCrea is good. Don Defore is good. Some really nice outdoor scenery and brutal action scenes.

As far as the western noir subgenre, my favorite that I've seen so far is still Yellow Sky by a wide margin. Just something about that film that sticks with me.

Also picked up Rawhide so that may be next to watch. It's not on our Noir list here but it's been categorized as a noir western often.

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

^The Ox-Bow Incident, Pursued and Station West are 3 notable others.

The Criterion Channel had a good “Western Noir” collection that included Man of the West, The Violent Men, Blood on the Moon, Lust for Gold, Man With the Gun, Rancho Notorious, The Naked Spur, Station West, The Walking Hills, Devil’s Doorway

[noirjunkie]

Kino's "Noirvember" sale is live: https://www.kinolorber.com/list/view/code/noirvember

It's only happening for one week, which is shorter than their bigger sales, so plan accordingly. Plenty of great prices to be had.

[silverlakephil]

So what's the consensus re Hard Eight (1996) being a Modern Noir/Neo Noir film? I agree with the review here that it's fits the bill:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Hard-...273708/#Review

Excellent debut by Paul Thomas Anderson. I watched the Imprint label release last night and I enjoyed it.

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

So what's the consensus re Hard Eight (1996) being a Modern Noir/Neo Noir film?

Definitely a neo-noir.

[bonehica]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

So what's the consensus re Hard Eight (1996) being a Modern Noir/Neo Noir film? I agree with the review here that it's fits the bill:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Hard-...273708/#Review

Excellent debut by Paul Thomas Anderson. I watched the Imprint label release last night and I enjoyed it.

Watched this last weekend and almost brought up the same point about it fitting the neo-noir mold. Gets my vote.

[liveandletmarblerye]

I know I'm late to the party but I watched Kiss Me Deadly for the first time last night. Absolutely a top-tier Noir. One of those movies that just feels dangerous. From the opening credits coming at you the wrong way to the final frame it all just radiates nervous energy.

Highly recommend for those who haven't gotten to it yet.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by liveandletmarblerye

From the opening credits coming at you the wrong way to the final frame it all just radiates nervous energy.

[Show spoiler]

[latehong]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

So what's the consensus re Hard Eight (1996) being a Modern Noir/Neo Noir film? I agree with the review here that it's fits the bill:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Hard-...273708/#Review

Excellent debut by Paul Thomas Anderson. I watched the Imprint label release last night and I enjoyed it.

Definitely.

And it's a well-known fact, but for those who don't know, Hard Eight is a kind of reimagination of the great French noir Bob le flambeur (1956) directed by Jean-Pierre Melville (not unlike the relationships between Boogie Nights and Raging Bull/Goodfellas or Magnolia and Short Cuts).

[Saucerful]

I finally got around to checking out my Kino disc of Yellow Sky. It's certainly not the most original plot but it was quite enjoyable. The Death Valley location shots add a lot to the atmosphere and Richard Widmark is great as usual.

[Show spoiler]I think a fun alternate title for Yellow Sky would have been Gold Crazy. Gregory Peck utters the phrase in the film and it has a decidedly noir-ish ring to it.

All that being said, I think Yellow Sky is probably the least noir-ish of the so-called Western Noirs that I've seen so far. Pursued, Ramrod, and Blood on the Moon lean a little more noir in my opinion, with the latter being my favourite of the bunch.

[Gunsnroses092789]

Originally Posted by Saucerful

I finally got around to checking out my Kino disc of Yellow Sky. It's certainly not the most original plot but it was quite enjoyable. The Death Valley location shots add a lot to the atmosphere and Richard Widmark is great as usual.

[Show spoiler]I think a fun alternate title for Yellow Sky would have been Gold Crazy. Gregory Peck utters the phrase in the film and it has a decidedly noir-ish ring to it.

All that being said, I think Yellow Sky is probably the least noir-ish of the so-called Western Noirs that I've seen so far. Pursued, Ramrod, and Blood on the Moon lean a little more noir in my opinion, with the latter being my favourite of the bunch.

I agree it's the least noir of the 4, but it's my favorite of them I never really considered it noir. Just a straight-up Western.

[usuallee]

Originally Posted by Gunsnroses092789

I agree it's the least noir of the 4, but it's my favorite of them I never really considered it noir. Just a straight-up Western.

Yeah me too. Loooove Yellow Sky. And I just watched the other three recently. Yeah I don't know how Noir it is either but it's referred to as western noir a lot so I was happy to go along with it. I guess it's called noir due to its darker themes and the moral ambiguity and cynicism displayed by the characters. Also has some interesting, unsettling shots, etc. Somewhere, I read the ghost town they encounter is compared as a version of the urban decay of Noir. For what it's worth. Great film.

Just saw another western that seems to get categorized as noir, and I would agree - Rawhide. I've watched Ramrod, Blood on the moon, and Pursued on my western Noirvember - all good films. Rawhide is better. It's very gritty, and a genuine nail biter. It's got some pretty hardboiled dialogue. Generates considerable tension

[Show spoiler]out of a small paper note for help, that gets dropped and blown around and may or may not be discovered by the villains

There's some pretty edgy and disturbing bits of abnormal psychology in the film as well. Noir fans will lap up this movie, as I did. Very highly recommended.

[randian]

What's the best place to buy BFI, Eureka Entertainment/Masters of Cinema and Indicator/Powerhouse Films titles? Encode quality on these generally region B releases seems to be a step up from Kino and Olive, and they appear to have titles that are expensive or OOP in the US, like those in BFI's Otto Preminger Collection (Fallen Angel, Whirlpool, and Where the Sidewalk Ends).

Amazon UK's prices don't seem so hot anymore, especially with how expensive their shipping is now (used to be very reasonable not too long ago).

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by randian

What's the best place to buy BFI, Eureka Entertainment/Masters of Cinema and Indicator/Powerhouse Films titles? Encode quality on these generally region B releases seems to be a step up from Kino and Olive, and they appear to have titles that are expensive or OOP in the US, like those in BFI's Otto Preminger Collection (Fallen Angel, Whirlpool, and Where the Sidewalk Ends).

Amazon UK's prices don't seem so hot anymore, especially with how expensive their shipping is now (used to be very reasonable not too long ago).

At least for Eureka, buying directly from their store is usually best. They offer free worldwide shipping.