They Drive By Night (1940) (Warner Archive Collection)

[MifuneFan]

Warner Archive will be releasing the film They Drive By Night (1940) from Raoul Walsh on March 26th!

Coming from the Warner Archive Collection on Blu-ray this March 26th!
New 2024 HD master from a new 4K Scan of the Original Nitrate Camera Negative
THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (1940)
BD50
Running Time-95 Minutes
Aspect Ratio 16x9 1.37:1 with side mattes
Audio Format: DTS HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
SPECIAL FEATURES: Featurette: DIVIDED HIGHWAY-THE STORY OF ‘THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT’, Classic WB Short ‘SWINGTIME IN THE MOVIES. LUX RADIO THEATER BROADCAST (6/2/1941) with George Raft and Lana Turner, Original Theatrical Trailer
Cast: George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino
George Raft and Humphrey Bogart share a driving ambition in legendary director Raoul Walsh’s classic They Drive by Night, a feisty tale of brothers trying to make it as independent truckers. Ann Sheridan plays a truck-stop waitress dishing both the daily special and the patter, and Ida Lupino is a headstrong executive mixing business and romance with murder. With Bogart again riding shotgun en-route to leading-man stardom (which he would achieve the following year) and Raft at the wheel in one of his finest performances, this sterling example of Warner Bros. social-conscience filmmaking proved a study vehicle for both. It proved even more fortuitous for Miss Lupino: her courtroom breakdown scene made her an “overnight” sensation that landed her a contract with the studio.

[SeanJoyce]

This is not a film noir.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

This is not a film noir.

My mistake then. I haven't seen the film yet, but have seen it listed as film noir at various sites. Not surprising given the director, and cast involved. I'll remove the film noir label.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

My mistake then. I haven't seen the film yet, but have seen it listed as film noir at various sites. Not surprising given the director, and cast involved. I'll remove the film noir label.

You're probably good leaving it...I know a lot of people DO consider it one, just think it's one of those "technically probably not, but close enough" type deals.

[Gunsnroses092789]

I think it can be considered noir. It's often labeled as such. It's got crime, murder, Bogart, Walsh... and it's a great film.

[LT.Schaffer]

FINALLY

[BluPat]

Yay finally! Great movie!

[fred25_Ca]

That's funny, I just started last week a pre-High Sierra Humphrey Bogart marathon. I watched The petrified forest and Angels with dirty faces (I really enjoyed both) and also borrowed the Roaring twenties and They drive by night at my library and am planning to watch both in the coming week. I've only seen George Raft in one movie (Spawn of the north, Edit: Just saw that he was the gangster leader in Some like it hot also!) but I thought he was great in it. Looking forward to see the movie and if it's as good as people say, i'll probably grab the blu ray later on.

There are just too many good Warner archives coming out haha, I can't keep up!

[RiFiFi1955]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

This is not a film noir.

Maybe not but such fantastic film. Day one!!!! Walsh had The Roaring Twenties, They Drive by Night and High Sierra all in 3 years!

Oh and Ida Lupino is terrific here!!!!

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

This is not a film noir.

Yes it is.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

My mistake then. I haven't seen the film yet, but have seen it listed as film noir at various sites. Not surprising given the director, and cast involved. I'll remove the film noir label.

You can go ahead and put the film noir label back, and also add it to the Film Noir thread. It’s noir.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

Yes it is.

Despite you and everybody else wanting every B&W movie ever made to be a film noir, the fact is that either I Wake Up Screaming or The Maltese Falcon are credited with being the first official entry into the genre...this precedes both of them and is therefore excluded.

You're probably also a guy who considers all of the gangster films of the 30s to be noir when they're definitely not.

[Hammerlover]

What, no bonus cartoon? Hard pass.
Just kidding!

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

Despite you and everybody else wanting every B&W movie ever made to be a film noir, the fact is that either I Wake Up Screaming or The Maltese Falcon are credited with being the first official entry into the genre...this precedes both of them and is therefore excluded.

You're probably also a guy who considers all of the gangster films of the 30s to be noir when they're definitely not.

Nope, nothing quite so complicated, despite your fantasies. It’s just that THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT and STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR are both considered noirs that predate THE MALTESE FALCON and I WAKE UP SCREAMING, despite your insistence that they’re the first “official” noirs. You’ll get over it.

[ToonySpoonGoon]

Really good year for Walsh fans, hopefully we get They Died with their Boots On soon

[Michael24]

Awesome news! Really enjoyed this one when I did my Bogart binge a few years or so ago and saw a lot of his movies for the first time.

[Hammerlover]

Hope we can get that other proto noir (or actual noir; take your pick) from 1940, STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR, on Blu ASAP.

[drush9999]

It's part noir in my opinion.

Still great to upgrade another old Bogart DVD

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

Hope we can get that other proto noir (or actual noir; take your pick) from 1940, STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR, on Blu ASAP.

It’s an actual noir, often cited to be the first full-fledged noir even. I don’t see why people seem to get hung up on The Maltese Falcon. The style was born in 1940, not 1941. For most influential proto-noir, my vote goes to the absolutely fantastic The Sin of Nora Moran (1932). Lots of noir trappings there. And, agreed, we definitely need Stranger on Blu!

[BamaDullard]

It might be noir. It might not be. The main point is it’s pretty good.