Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[lhslancers]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

OMG!!
Pitfall is amazing!
unbelievable news!
Lizabeth Scott is the sh^t.

A slightly better looking Lauren Bacall.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Le Samourai

Same. WHERE IS THE BLU RAY? wish someone would release it.

It's in the Warner black hole.

[The Great Owl]

"And then I saw her, coming out of the sun, and I knew why Whit didn't care about that 40 grand."

Here's a toast to my all-time favorite movie being featured in today's Daily Dose.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by jayembee

It's in the Warner black hole.

It's a shame that's true because the master is there and ready.
I posted this last week or so, but TCM aired it in HD and it looks terrific.

[The Great Owl]

I still have quite a few still-unwatched film noir movies on DVD from when I decided to buy as many region A DVDs in the genre as I could while they were still available a couple of years or so ago, but I've been spacing the viewings apart and watching the movies sporadically in order to avoid "genre burnout", so to speak.

Last night, I returned to my DVD stack and watched Fritz Lang's 1956 film noir, While the City Sleeps, which is currently only available by the DVD-R-on-demand from Warner Archive.



While the City Sleeps has its share of naysayers in the noir community, but, while I agree that this film was a sign of Fritz Lang winding down, I was still wondrously engaged by the storyline and by the superb cast of veteran noir actors.

After the brutal murder of a woman by a killer who subsequently uses a tube of lipstick to write a message on the wall, a race between high-ranking employees of a major media corporation ensues to see who can rise up to a coveted executive director position by being the first to pin the "lipstick killer." Dana Andrews (Laura, Where the Sidewalk Ends) plays a straight-laced, but flawed television reporter who interacts with the newspaper editor, played by Thomas Mitchell (It's a Wonderful Life, Stagecoach). The wire chief, played wonderfully by George Sanders (Rebecca, All About Eve), works with a cunning writer, played by the lovely Ida Lupino (On Dangerous Ground, Private Hell 36, High Sierra), to get an edge on the competition, while another conniver, played by James Craig, plans right underneath the nose of the media company heir, played by Vincent Price (Laura, and a million other movies that I love), while sleeping with the heir's gorgeous wife, played by Rhonda Fleming (Inferno, Out of the Past, Cry Danger). Howard Duff (Brute Force, The Naked City, Private Hell 36) plays a lawman tasked with finding the killer.

Fritz Lang's signature talent for brilliant shadowy images may not be as apparent, at first glance, until an amazing subway tunnel chase late in the movie, but the film nonetheless shines as a one of the lesser works from a director who could not really do any wrong.

I believe that While the City Sleeps is on the TCM schedule this month, if it hasn't already played, so catch it if you can.

I would love to see this film rescued and made available in a good high definition presentation.

[tallrichard]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I still have quite a few still-unwatched film noir movies on DVD from when I decided to buy as many region A DVDs in the genre as I could while they were still available a couple of years or so ago, but I've been spacing the viewings apart and watching the movies sporadically in order to avoid "genre burnout", so to speak.

Last night, I returned to my DVD stack and watched Fritz Lang's 1956 film noir, While the City Sleeps, which is currently only available by the DVD-R-on-demand from Warner Archive.



While the City Sleeps has its share of naysayers in the noir community, but, while I agree that this film was a sign of Fritz Lang winding down, I was still wondrously engaged by the storyline and by the superb cast of veteran noir actors.

After the brutal murder of a woman by a killer who subsequently uses a tube of lipstick to write a message on the wall, a race between high-ranking employees of a major media corporation ensues to see who can rise up to a coveted executive director position by being the first to pin the "lipstick killer." Dana Andrews (Laura, Where the Sidewalk Ends) plays a straight-laced, but flawed television reporter who interacts with the newspaper editor, played by Thomas Mitchell (It's a Wonderful Life, Stagecoach). The wire chief, played wonderfully by George Sanders (Rebecca, All About Eve), works with a cunning writer, played by the lovely Ida Lupino (On Dangerous Ground, Private Hell 36, High Sierra), to get an edge on the competition, while another conniver, played by James Craig, plans right underneath the nose of the media company heir, played by Vincent Price (Laura, and a million other movies that I love), while sleeping with the heir's gorgeous wife, played by Rhonda Fleming (Inferno, Out of the Past, Cry Danger). Howard Duff (Brute Force, The Naked City, Private Hell 36) plays a lawman tasked with finding the killer.

Fritz Lang's signature talent for brilliant shadowy images may not be as apparent, at first glance, until an amazing subway tunnel chase late in the movie, but the film nonetheless shines as a one of the lesser works from a director who could not really do any wrong.

I believe that While the City Sleeps is on the TCM schedule this month, if it hasn't already played, so catch it if you can.

I would love to see this film rescued and made available in a good high definition presentation.

The biggest problem with While The City Sleeps and other Dana Andrews films in the late 50s and early 60s was that he was an alcoholic with all the problems associated with it.

Some studios would no longer work with him due to the problems. The troubles even showed in his appearance as he became older looking and the makeup man could no longer cover up the problems....

One of my favorite actors around the Laura time of his life...he became less reliable in this part of his career.

I will admit that I love Curse of the Demon and a few of his films during this segment of his career...it is a pity that he went through his issues and that it affected how people view his career as a whole.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by tallrichard

The biggest problem with While The City Sleeps and other Dana Andrews films in the late 50s and early 60s was that he was an alcoholic with all the problems associated with it.

Some studios would no longer work with him due to the problems. The troubles even showed in his appearance as he became older looking and the makeup man could no longer cover up the problems....

One of my favorite actors around the Laura time of his life...he became less reliable in this part of his career.

I will admit that I love Curse of the Demon and a few of his films during this segment of his career...it is a pity that he went through his issues and that it affected how people view his career as a whole.

Ultimately, the good thing about these situations is that those of us who became movie fans long after such actors were past their prime are probably more likely to overlook how their personal lives intersected with their careers.

Take Gloria Grahame, for instance. I've read about the rather icky scandal from her personal life, but I still adore her whenever I see her in a film.

Incidentally, Night of the Demon (Curse of the Demon) is one of my absolute favorite horror films, and I'm glad that Dana Andrews pulled his role off in style.

[tallrichard]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Ultimately, the good thing about these situations is that those of us who became movie fans long after such actors were past their prime are probably more likely to overlook how their personal lives intersected with their careers.

Take Gloria Grahame, for instance. I've read about the rather icky scandal from her personal life, but I still adore her whenever I see her in a film.

Incidentally, Night of the Demon (Curse of the Demon) is one of my absolute favorite horror films, and I'm glad that Dana Andrews pulled his role off in style.

Gloria Grahame and Veronica Lake both had their issues...

Night or Curse Of the Demon is one of my favs too...

[chidecki]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

"And then I saw her, coming out of the sun, and I knew why Whit didn't care about that 40 grand."

Here's a toast to my all-time favorite movie being featured in today's Daily Dose.

It's not my favorite film, but it is my favorite film noir by far.

[chidecki]

Originally Posted by tallrichard

One of my favorite actors around the Laura time of his life...he became less reliable in this part of his career.

Dana Andrews is one of my favs also during the 1940's, with The Best Days of Our Lives being my personnel favorite. The scene where he is confronted by Fredrick March's character in the bar and the close-up ranks one of my favorite close-up scenes ever. That expression....breaks my heart every time.

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by tallrichard

Gloria Grahame and Veronica Lake both had their issues...

But I wouldnt kick them out of bed for eating crackers

Night or Curse Of the Demon is one of my favs too...

This is a great film, 100% agree

[tallrichard]

Originally Posted by dsman71

This is a great film, 100% agree

Crackers? No way! Well, if one kept me uhhhh busy, I'd be ok with it...

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by tallrichard

Crackers? No way! Well, if one kept me uhhhh busy, I'd be ok with it...

basically messing the bed. I wanted to go with passing gas but I went with eating crackers

[The Great Owl]

I returned to my DVD stack last night, and watched the Warner Archive DVD of Fritz Lang's Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.



Beyond a Reasonable Doubt was Fritz Lang's last American film, and, while it is nowhere near in the same league as his earlier highlights, it still ends his time on these shores on a great note. This one has more of the trademark noir cynicism than Lang's previous film, While the City Sleeps, and I like how everything comes together.

Dana Andrews is decent enough in his lead role here as a novelist who deliberately frames himself for a murder with the intent of penning a future story about the possibility of an innocent person being placed on death row. Chaos and tension ensue when the writer's only collaborator, his father-in-law, played by Sidney Blackmer, is unexpectedly killed in a car accident as the writer is sent to prison. The writer's fiancee, played by Joan Fontaine in a somewhat subdued role, must come to his aid.

The final result is somewhat more wooden than the earlier Lang films, but Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is still an awesome addition to anyone's noir collection, especially because of plot developments late in the film.

[The Great Owl]

I finally got around to watching Elia Kazan's Boomerang!, which is included in the Blu-ray box set, Kazan at Fox: Volume 1.

Boomerang! is a superb "docu-noir" with impressive acting from Dana Andrews, Lee J. Cobb, Arthur Kennedy, Ed Begley, and many others. For me, this is a good follow-up to Fritz Lang's While the City Sleeps and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, because of the noir plot developments concerning corruption among political officials and authority figures.

Whether or not one chooses to think of Boomerang! as a film noir in the strictest sense, it's still an incredibly engaging movie with regard to the courtroom drama sequences from a cast of actors who were working at their peak. Kazan's trademark vibe of one man against a corrupt system is quite evident here.

[jayj15]

http://www.amazon.ca/British-Noir-Co...s=british+noir




Kino is releasing a DVD set called "British Noir" in August. I haven't heard of any of these titles before. They have Trevor Howard and James Mason in them. Anyone know if these are any good?

[Vlad Draculi]

The Lady from Shanghai - It started out really slow and there were areas that dragged on, but the last bit of the movie was worth it. The stuff in the fun house had a great payoff and was really unique. I loved Michael's comparison to them being sharks towards the beginning because it seems quite true. I can't say it is going to be one of my top favorites, but I'm sure it is one that I will start to notice more with with each viewing. I give it 7/10 stars.

[Vlad Draculi]

Sweet Smell of Success - I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this movie. The cinematography was absolutely fantastic but the characters were just total *******s and not in a likable way. They were just giant jerk monkeys, but sadly, their punishment was not enough. It is either a 6 or a 7/10.

[Texan]

Originally Posted by Vlad Draculi

Sweet Smell of Success - I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this movie. The cinematography was absolutely fantastic but the characters were just total *******s and not in a likable way. They were just giant jerk monkeys, but sadly, their punishment was not enough. It is either a 6 or a 7/10.

I'd hate to take a bite outta you. You're a cookie full of arsenic.

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by Texan

I'd hate to take a bite outta you. You're a cookie full of arsenic.

One of my favorite movie quotes of all time. I find Sweet Smell of Success to be a beautiful-looking film with a great script and wonderful acting. It ranks up pretty high on my favorite films list.