Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[GeoffOliver]

Originally Posted by Noir Black Schwarz

Most definitely. It is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen.



Are you talking about the Kino three movie sets? Because if so, I don't see how. We're getting three movies for less than $10 a movie at $25 a piece and so far all but one of the ones I have watched were great.

My ranking for those I have watched:

1. The Midnight Story
2. Six Bridges to Cross
3. The Lady Gambles
4. Abandoned
5. An Act of Murder
6. Calcutta

Calcutta may be one of the worst noirs I have ever watched. It started out really interesting but then it lost all of its luster by the halfway point with the final 40 minutes feeling like it was two hours long.

The Midnight Story, on the other hand, was fantastic. In fact, Tony Curtis was outstanding in both this and Six Bridges, which made it hard to pick one over the other initially. I really felt for his character in both stories, however, Six Bridges felt a little bit like a rehash of Angels with Dirty Faces, which is why I give the edge to Midnight Story.

Now I will say the video and audio quality is something to be desired in a few of these. There was major film print damage in An Act of Murder towards the end while the audio in both Six Bridges and Abandoned was awful. I had to blast my receiver to hear them and it was still quite low.

BTW, what does Kino stand for?

I only think the price should be a bit lower because the films are mostly lesser-tier noirs (all the notable ones Kino gets get individual releases). Some are good, others are just fun, a few are simply bad. It's a mixed bag. Really, I think they should be closer to Mill Creek's Noir Archive sets, but I won't try to pretend to know more about the business than the pros.

And Kino doesn't stand for anything. It's a type of light used in cinematography, but I'm not sure if that's what their name is referencing. They may not even know at this point (they're the oldest boutique label, having been around since 1977).

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by Noir Black Schwarz

BTW, what does Kino stand for?

It's German for "cinema."

[filmlover22]

fwiw-I am also really enjoying the commentaries these film noir sets. Especially when they have 2 commentators talking together.. I have never really been a general fan of commentaries, so pleasantly surprised on how much I have enjoyed these.

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

Hopefully Imprint releases those films individually so I can pick up the ones that Kino doesn’t get without importing that entire boxset.

Imprint has yet to do individual releases for anything that came in a box set.

[Noir Black Schwarz]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

I only think the price should be a bit lower because the films are mostly lesser-tier noirs (all the notable ones Kino gets get individual releases). Some are good, others are just fun, a few are simply bad. It's a mixed bag. Really, I think they should be closer to Mill Creek's Noir Archive sets, but I won't try to pretend to know more about the business than the pros.

I didn't even know Mill Creek was releasing anything.

And Kino doesn't stand for anything. It's a type of light used in cinematography, but I'm not sure if that's what their name is referencing. They may not even know at this point (they're the oldest boutique label, having been around since 1977).

Really? I have never heard of them until like 2 years ago when I received Scarlet Street as a gift.

[filmlover22]

I cannot believe anyone is comparing Kino to Mill Creek. Mill Creek noirs are bare-bones cramming 3 films per disk! Kino has 1 film per disk with commentaries.

After what Mill Creek did to I Dream of Jeannie and Laurel and Hardy 4k restorations, I am floored that anybody could even recommend anything by Mill Creek or use them in the same sentence as Kino.

[gbm82]

Mill Creek has plenty of good releases... and lets not pretend that Kino hasn't botched a fair amount of releases too.

[filmlover22]

Yes, there are always exceptions to everything. However, Mill Creek's business model is to cram as much video as is technically possible onto one disk and sell cheaply. I humbly submit that is not a business model I would want Kino, or any other company, to emulate.

and nothing, nothing, that any other studio has done has reached the depths of video depravity as the I Dream of Jeannie and Laurel and Hardy restoration fiascos.

[crazednoir]

Originally Posted by filmlover22

Yes, there are always exceptions to everything. However, Mill Creek's business model is to cram as much video as is technically possible onto one disk and sell cheaply. I humbly submit that is not a business model I would want Kino, or any other company, to emulate.

and nothing, nothing, that any other studio has done has reached the depths of video depravity as the I Dream of Jeannie and Laurel and Hardy restoration fiascos.

Just curious, what did they do to their restorations? I've been tempted to buy the Laurel & Hardy restoration

[filmlover22]

oh dear. where to begin. first, there IS value to the set. you do get Battle of the Century. which was thought lost, and there are tons of fan supplements.
The problem? Evidently, at least the way I understand it, is that Mill Creek/Kit Parker got pristine 4k/2k transfers and then - at the 11th hour before pressing someone decided to apply the most aggressive DNR in the history of Bluray releases. The use of DNR is not consistent, but on at least disc 3 the grain is 100% removed. not a a drop of grain was left. Stan and Ollie literally look like wax dummies. I literally cannot watch that disc ever again. At least 25% to 50% of the set is unwatchable, imho. Supposedly, the people who provided the restorations were absolutely livid and said that it was definitely not what was provided.

It is doubtful L&H fans will ever get to see what was originally provided to Mill Creek/Kit Parker. I can only hope that another company will release all of their shorts in the future.

For now, we are stuck with this release. To me, this is the disappointment of the year.

[Paul Fulci 001]

I bought a cracking film noir off Amazon recently called They Won't Believe Me, about a chap on trial for murder. And is told in flashback as to how it all happened.
No major stars. But I did recognise Jane Greer from Out of The Past.
Great transfer as well

[Noir Black Schwarz]

Originally Posted by filmlover22

After what Mill Creek did to I Dream of Jeannie and Laurel and Hardy 4k restorations, I am floored that anybody could even recommend anything by Mill Creek or use them in the same sentence as Kino.

What is wrong with I Dream of Jeannie?

Originally Posted by gbm82

Mill Creek has plenty of good releases... and lets not pretend that Kino hasn't botched a fair amount of releases too.

What has Kino messed up?

And let's be real, EVERY company has a screw up here or there. It's the nature of business.

Originally Posted by filmlover22

Yes, there are always exceptions to everything. However, Mill Creek's business model is to cram as much video as is technically possible onto one disk and sell cheaply.

I can tell you that Magnum PI set I bought was not cheap.

Are you sure you aren't thinking of those Echo Bridge guys? I mean, yeah, Mill Creek's DVDs are usually crap, but I have never seen anything wrong with their BDs and that Magnum PI set was a thing of beauty.

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by Noir Black Schwarz

Are you sure you aren't thinking of those Echo Bridge guys? I mean, yeah, Mill Creek's DVDs are usually crap, but I have never seen anything wrong with their BDs and that Magnum PI set was a thing of beauty.

Mill Creek's blu-ray record is definitely spotty. A few recent examples of sub-par transfers:

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by Noir Black Schwarz

What has Kino messed up?

Blackmail is stretched horizontally on one disc and vertically on the other, Silence of the Lambs is partially in the wrong color space, Rich and Strange repeats the audio from one scene over the video of a different scene, Bitter Moon is the wrong pitch, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and Kind Hearts and Coronets were both released from older masters than what was advertised...

[FantasticMrFox]

Indicator UK September release:

https://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk/co...rsal-noir-1-le

THE WEB (Michael Gordon, 1947)
LARCENY (George Sherman, 1948)
KISS THE BLOOD OFF MY HANDS (Norman Foster, 1948)
ABANDONED (Joseph M Newman, 1949)
DEPORTED (Robert Siodmak, 1950)
NAKED ALIBI (Jerry Hopper, 1954)

Release date: 19 September 2022
Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set (6 x UK Blu-ray premieres)

A new series of box sets – following Indicator's acclaimed Columbia Noir series – focusing on the film noir output of another of the major Hollywood studios, Universal Pictures.

Starring such high-profile talents as Burt Lancaster, Joan Fontaine, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Vincent Price, Edmond O’Brien, Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame and Jeff Chandler, the six films in this volume feature embezzlement and murder (The Web), confidence tricksters (Larceny), lovers on the lam (Kiss the Blood Off My Hands), an adoption racket (Abandoned), transatlantic criminals (Deported), and police brutality (Naked Alibi).

This stunning collection marks the UK Blu-ray premiere of all six films, and also features an array of fascinating contextualising extras, including newly recorded commentaries for each film, critical appreciations, archival short films, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

High Definition presentations of The Web, Larceny, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, Abandoned, Deported and Naked Alibi
Original mono audio
Audio commentary with film historian David Del Valle on The Web (2022)
Audio commentary with academic and curator Eloise Ross on Larceny (2022)
Audio commentary with film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson on Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (2022)
Audio commentary with writers and film experts Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman on Abandoned (2022)
Audio commentary with filmmaker and film scholar Daniel Kremer on Deported (2022)
Audio commentary with film historian Nathaniel Thompson on Naked Alibi (2022)
The John Player Lecture with Joan Fontaine (1978): archival audio recording of the star of Kiss the Blood Off My Hands in conversation with film critic Martin Shawcross at London’s National Film Theatre
Archival Interview with Victoria Price (2018): the daughter of Vincent Price in conversation with the Film Noir Foundation’s Alan K Rode following a screening of The Web at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival
Lucy Bolton on Gloria Grahame (2022): the academic discusses one of the great femme fatales of film noir
Christina Newland on Robert Siodmak (2022): the critic and writer looks at the Deported director’s extensive work in film noir
Nick Pinkerton on Dan Duryea (2022): the author and critic assesses the life and career of the big-screen tough guy
Lux Radio Theatre: ‘The Web’ (1947): radio adaptation featuring Ella Raines, Edmond O’Brien and Vincent Price reprising their roles from the film
United Action Means Victory (1939): documentary short about the 1938-39 General Motors strike, with narration written by Kiss the Blood Off My Hands screenwriter Ben Maddow
Men of the Lightship (1941): British World War II documentary short, co-written by Kiss the Blood Off My Hands screenwriter Hugh Gray and narrated by Kiss the Blood Off My Hands actor Robert Newton
Skirmish on the Home Front (1944): WWII propaganda short starring film noir mainstays Alan Ladd and William Bendix
Easy to Get (1947): documentary short directed by Abandoned filmmaker Joseph M Newman as part of the US Army’s ‘Easy to Get’ campaign on venereal disease
Theatrical trailer for Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
Image galleries: publicity and promotional materials
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Iris Veysey, Jill Blake, Karen Hannsberry, Sabina Stent, Sergio Angelini and Walter Chaw, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and film credits
UK premieres on Blu-ray
Limited edition box set of 6,000 numbered units

Also, Standard editions for the Columbia Noir #1 box set:

Further to the selling out of our COLUMBIA NOIR #1 box set, all six films from that volume will be released as individual Standard Editions on 19 September: ESCAPE IN THE FOG, THE UNDERCOVER MAN, DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD, 5 AGAINST THE HOUSE, THE GARMENT JUNGLE, and THE LINEUP.

[revgen]

Good news for European customers. All of these films have already been released on blu-ray by Kino Lorber, so I'll probably skip this set.

[filmlover22]

well, you get each film stacked with supplements and a 120 page book - none of which are on the Kinos. Also takes up less shelf space, and it is about (or even cheaper) than buying Kino's individually- even on sale.
More importantly, this is opening up an entire line of Universal Noirs from Indicator. Who knows what they will release in the future?
Very exciting news.

[mdanderson]

Very nice to see Indicator's new Universal noir box set. I wish I didn't already have 5 of the 6 titles. I may go ahead and get this anyway because of the great extras and picture quality.

[MifuneFan]

Eureka's release of No Way Out (1950) is now OOP, so if you're interested, don't wait to pick this one up. It's already OOS directly from Eureka, but still available at Zavvi, and other places.


https://www.zavvi.com/blu-ray/no-way...6937ad540b98d2

[Gunsnroses092789]

Great looking set from Indicator, but I too will skip it as I have all 6 from Kino, and these are the same transfers. I would like to see the profile on Siodmak though