Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I was just researching some noir titles and I noticed the poster above for Captive City looked pretty similar to the one for He Walked by Night (1948)

I was skimming through the thread, and you got my hopes up for a second with that poster, making me think your post was a blu-ray announcement. My hopes were dashed when I actually read what you wrote.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

I was skimming through the thread, and you got my hopes up for a second with that poster, making me think your post was a blu-ray announcement. My hopes were dashed when I actually read what you wrote.

I was afraid that might happen, sorry

[dsman71]

He Walked by Night is a great film but it still needs an HD master

[Vlad Draculi]

I was looking at the list of Neo Noirs and wouldn't this movie be one:

http://www.amazon.com/Point-Blank-Bl...NZXZH6XR5RJQEZ

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Vlad Draculi

I was looking at the list of Neo Noirs and wouldn't this movie be one:

http://www.amazon.com/Point-Blank-Bl...NZXZH6XR5RJQEZ

It's the first movie listed in the neo noir section

[PowellPressburger]

I ordered Hells Half Acre from amazon today for this weekend.

[Vlad Draculi]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

It's the first movie listed in the neo noir section

WOw I am blind.

Anyway, I watched To Live and Die in LA and I'm honestly not sure what I think of this movie. It had a lot of style to it, but it was lacking substance. The acting was great though and the music rocked. However, the plot and character development were kind of subpar and the ending was a let down. The scenery was fantastic and it does a good job to not show the glamour of LA and instead focuses on the depraved areas within the city, but there was just something missing. I'm going to give it a 7/10 because it had some great things going for it, I'm just glad I didn't spend any money on it to see it.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Studiocanal has the rights to it, and Lionsgate distributes their films here, but they really haven't done anything with the SC catalog in a long time.

Yeah I'm still pissed at that deal where they took some of the best titles from Criterion then released like 6 titles and gave up. Just dumb.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

I ordered Hells Half Acre from amazon today for this weekend.

Hell's Half Acre is one of my favorite film noir movies from the Olive Films queue, and it's also one of my favorite film noir movies across the board.

Here is the User Review that I wrote for this Blu-ray...


The 1954 John H. Auer movie, Hell's Half Acre, is one of the most pleasant surprises from the Olive Films queue, and it wins my admiration as one of the most underrated film noir titles of that decade. Evelyn Keyes plays a woman who travels to Hawaii to search for her missing husband, whom most believe died at Pearl Harbor years earlier, and gets more than she bargained for when her search takes her to "Hell's Half Acre", a dangerous Honolulu slum filled with gangsters and prostitutes. To reveal any more of the plot in a review would be a disservice to this movie's engaging storyline, but the specifics of how the conclusion plays out brought a smile to my face, and the end result hits all of the right notes when it comes to how I personally define "film noir."

The Hawaiian landscape is a character all its own in Hell's Half Acre, and I was captivated by the settings that are quite unique for the genre. The slum locale does throw a few nods to noir conventions, though, and one particular chase through a canal made me think of one of the genre classics, The Third Man. The music of the film is a pleasure all its own, and it works wondrously to immerse the viewer into the fold. Hawaii is a location best suited for color filming, but the black-and-white photography here is crucial to lend the noir aesthetic to the feature.

The high definition video and audio presentation of Hell's Half Acre may not be demo quality, but the transfer nonetheless beautifully captures the mood of this title. This Blu-ray also has the best cover art that I have seen in quite a while.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Hell's Half Acre is one of my favorite film noir movies from the Olive Films queue, and it's also one of my favorite film noir movies across the board.

Here is the User Review that I wrote for this Blu-ray...


The 1954 John H. Auer movie, Hell's Half Acre, is one of the most pleasant surprises from the Olive Films queue, and it wins my admiration as one of the most underrated film noir titles of that decade. Evelyn Keyes plays a woman who travels to Hawaii to search for her missing husband, whom most believe died at Pearl Harbor years earlier, and gets more than she bargained for when her search takes her to "Hell's Half Acre", a dangerous Honolulu slum filled with gangsters and prostitutes. To reveal any more of the plot in a review would be a disservice to this movie's engaging storyline, but the specifics of how the conclusion plays out brought a smile to my face, and the end result hits all of the right notes when it comes to how I personally define "film noir."

The Hawaiian landscape is a character all its own in Hell's Half Acre, and I was captivated by the settings that are quite unique for the genre. The slum locale does throw a few nods to noir conventions, though, and one particular chase through a canal made me think of one of the genre classics, The Third Man. The music of the film is a pleasure all its own, and it works wondrously to immerse the viewer into the fold. Hawaii is a location best suited for color filming, but the black-and-white photography here is crucial to lend the noir aesthetic to the feature.

The high definition video and audio presentation of Hell's Half Acre may not be demo quality, but the transfer nonetheless beautifully captures the mood of this title. This Blu-ray also has the best cover art that I have seen in quite a while.

Another b&w movie filmed in Hawaii in the early '50s is the HUAC themed Big Jim McLain starring John Wayne. Not a noir, but it also shows some of the, shall we say, less desirable areas that won't be in any travel brochures. It has a certain camp value with the anti-communist fervor. The pairing of Wayne and James Arness is fun if only to see Wayne having to look up to his co-star, one of the few actors taller than he was.

[Vlad Draculi]

The Killers Remake - Man, this was just terrible. The story was utterly boring beyond redemption and the characters were quite subpar. Everything that made the original movie excellent was wiped away here as if it was a plague upon mankind. The story focuses on the two killers, who, while they had fun moments, were pretty boring characters. In fact, outside of Marvin and Reagan, none of the actors even seemed to be trying, especially the girl, whose romance scenes felt forced and it appeared as if she was uncomfortable with her role. Not to mention her character was flat and was the type who needed to be saved rather than hold her own like Kitty did in the original. Overall, it was a pointless remake that did not need to exist and I'm glad Criterion put it on the same disc as the original because it would have been a waste of money to pay to see it. I give this inferior insult a 4/10 stars.

[PowellPressburger]

Hell's Half Acre didn't live up to any expectation I had of it, I felt like it was one of my least favorite of the B grade movie noirs, I'll hold onto it and see if I change my mind.

killers 1964 remake - I really love it because it doesn't harm the original film in any way and I always enjoyed the characters and I love Angie Dickinson in the role. It is a whole other film and while many hate it, I had to own the UK Arrow release. IMO it is a great color noir. Great scenes and violence I didn't expect in it at all. the original is a classic but I have a soft spot for the 1964 version Love the cast and storyline variations. it wasn't out to be a copycat of the original.

Nothing beats a great film noir slap. (forgive the bad quality I took it real quick with my iPhone)

The Killers 1964 Angie Dickinson Ronald Reagen Slap - YouTube

If you want more Angie here is a several part interview where some of the topics are The Killers, and Point Blank both where she and Lee Marvin have their moments.

Angie Dickinson Interview Pt. 1 - YouTube

[Vlad Draculi]

The problem for me is not the slap though, it is how much of a ***** Sheila accepts it. Kitty threatens Colfax if he touches her again while Sheila just starts crying.

[Vlad Draculi]

Hey is House of Bamboo supposed to be in color?

[Jobla]

Yes.

[NoirFan]

The previously-revealed BFI release of Where the Sidewalk Ends will also be part of a Preminger box with Whirlpool and Fallen Angel:

Originally Posted by Akijama

Release date: September 28, 2015

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Otto-Preming...72500&sr=1-236

OTTO PREMINGER COLLECTION (Limited Edition 3-disc Blu-ray set)

This essential collection brings together three of acclaimed director Otto Preminger's greatest films for the first time on Blu-ray, Fallen Angel, Whirlpool and Where the Sidewalk Ends

Special features

Commentaries on all three films by critic Adrian Martin
The Guardian Lecture: Otto Preminger interviewed by Joan Bakewell (audio only)
Original trailers

USA | 1945-50 | 282 minutes | Cert 12

I wish they had added the other Preminger film in the Fox Noir series, Daisy Kenyon, even though it's not really a noir, but actually a fascinating character study, but perhaps there were rights/materials issues.

[dsman71]

Id rather wait for a US edition which to me is inevitable

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by dsman71

Id rather wait for a US edition which to me is inevitable

I suppose individual releases from TT (or possibly Criterion) are possible, but you'd be paying three times as much, and would be losing the assumedly excellent Martin commentaries.

[dsman71]

Im think Fox might do the same set in the USA, maybe with different extras ?

[MifuneFan]

Rounding out their Noir announcements, BFI will also be releasing a Limited Edition release of Night and the City:

NIGHT AND THE CITY (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
A Film by Jules Dassin
Adapted from the lowlife novel of the same name, Night and the City was directed by twice Academy Award-nominated Jules Dassin and stars Richard Widmark as Harry Fabian, an ambitious American hustler who dreams of getting into the wrestling business in post-war London.
The film was at the centre of a controversy when its director, Jules Dassin, was added to the Hollywood blacklist during the production of the film, and was unable to oversee either the editing or music score.
Upon initial release the film was overlooked by critics but was re-evaluated in the 1960s when it was celebrated for its ground-breaking lack of sympathetic characters and finally recognised as a baroque masterpiece of corruption, paranoia and doom. .
Special features

• Includes both the US and the previously unseen British version of the film
• Audio commentary on the US release by Paul Duncan
• New audio commentary on the British version by film critic Adrian Martin
• The Guardian Lecture: 1981 interview with Jules Dassin by film critic Alexander Walker
• Actor Richard Widmark interviewed at the National Film Theatre in 2002 by Adrian Wootton

US | 1950 | black and white | English language | 95 minutes | Cert PG