Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[EVERYONE LIES]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

I recently watched The Dark Corner (1946) on Youtube. Before Lucille Ball found huge success on TV for her comedic talents, she did a few Noir films, and this is one of her best I think.

I'm a sucker for anything with William Bendix in it. I have Lured on my DVR but haven't watched it yet.

[Vlad Draculi]

Add me onto the list that though Night of the Hunter was down right amazing.

[silverlakephil]

Originally Posted by EVERYONE LIES

I'm a sucker for anything with William Bendix in it. I have Lured on my DVR but haven't watched it yet.

[Show spoiler]Loved William Bendix's (White Suit) interrogation early in the film:

Galt: "Alright, we'll play 20 questions...What's your racket?"

White Suit: "Same as yours, Private Dick"

Galt: SMACK

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by EVERYONE LIES

I'm a sucker for anything with William Bendix in it. I have Lured on my DVR but haven't watched it yet.

Here ya go...



Crashout is an underrated noir starring William Bendix.

Here's my User Review of the Blu-ray that I wrote a couple of years back...

Lewis R. Foster's 1955 prison-break film, Crashout, is a predictable, but nonetheless enthralling ensemble piece that holds up well in the "dishonor among thieves" category. I've seen enough black-and-white 1950s films to ascertain that the comparably excessive violence in this movie probably raised some eyebrows with audiences at the time, and I can imagine it being a rough equivalent of Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs in terms of pushing the envelope of acceptability. The often-duplicated concept of criminals interacting in a volatile way when working toward a common goal plays out well here, as we have the assertive leader who keeps the rest in line, the loose cannon whose murderous tendencies put the rest at risk, the talkative type who has a careless moment, the frightened man who goes along with the rest, the young convict who straddles the fence between right and wrong, and, finally, the outsider who stands in as the eyes of the audience. I've seen these story elements before, but I give credit to Crashout for utilizing them in an intense way that kept me wanting more.

Crashout literally hits the ground running with the main cast introduced one-by-one as they flee into the woods from a prison riot as others around them are picked off by the bullets of the guards. The story then segues into a character study of the six convicts as they hole up in a hidden cave to plan their strategy, take the patrons of a roadhouse hostage in a disturbing sequence, and narrowly avert capture during a series of subsequent misadventures. There are no superstars in the fold, but I enjoyed watching William Talman, whose work in City That Never Sleeps and The Hitch-Hiker lends a noir credibility to the story, Arthur Kennedy, who excelled in films like Champion, Lawrence of Arabia, and Fantastic Voyage, and William Bendix, from Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat. Female actors Beverly Michaels and Gloria Talbott bring out the humanity in two of the convicts during their respective sequences. Ultimately, Crashout is one of those old school prison escape films that I could have watched for hours because of its blend of rough-edged character motivations and relatable character vulnerabilities.

The Olive Films Blu-ray of Crashout is not a demo disc, but I have no complaints whatsoever about the picture quality or the sound quality, given the film's B-movie standing. If you enjoy movies like The Defiant Ones or White Heat, then this one should be right up your alley.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

I recently watched The Dark Corner (1946) on Youtube. Before Lucille Ball found huge success on TV for her comedic talents, she did a few Noir films, and this is one of her best I think.

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Wow, I never knew that about her. I don't think I've seen a non-comedic role from her. Will definitely have to check that one out.

Another good one from her filmography is Lured, in which she co-starred with George Sanders and Boris Karloff. Directed by Douglas Sirk. I'd love to see the 1939 French film, Pièges, that it's a remake of. It was directed by Robert Siodmak, best known for noirs like The Killers, Criss Cross, The File on Thelma Jordon, The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry, and others. Kino released the Sirk version on DVD ages ago. I've heard it's currently owned by Cohen...would love to see it released on BD from them.

A couple of other non-comedies from Lucille Ball's career that are worth hunting down include Five Came Back and Panama Lady.

[EVERYONE LIES]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Here ya go...



Crashout is an underrated noir starring William Bendix.

Here's my User Review of the Blu-ray that I wrote a couple of years back...

Lewis R. Foster's 1955 prison-break film, Crashout, is a predictable, but nonetheless enthralling ensemble piece that holds up well in the "dishonor among thieves" category. I've seen enough black-and-white 1950s films to ascertain that the comparably excessive violence in this movie probably raised some eyebrows with audiences at the time, and I can imagine it being a rough equivalent of Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs in terms of pushing the envelope of acceptability. The often-duplicated concept of criminals interacting in a volatile way when working toward a common goal plays out well here, as we have the assertive leader who keeps the rest in line, the loose cannon whose murderous tendencies put the rest at risk, the talkative type who has a careless moment, the frightened man who goes along with the rest, the young convict who straddles the fence between right and wrong, and, finally, the outsider who stands in as the eyes of the audience. I've seen these story elements before, but I give credit to Crashout for utilizing them in an intense way that kept me wanting more.

Crashout literally hits the ground running with the main cast introduced one-by-one as they flee into the woods from a prison riot as others around them are picked off by the bullets of the guards. The story then segues into a character study of the six convicts as they hole up in a hidden cave to plan their strategy, take the patrons of a roadhouse hostage in a disturbing sequence, and narrowly avert capture during a series of subsequent misadventures. There are no superstars in the fold, but I enjoyed watching William Talman, whose work in City That Never Sleeps and The Hitch-Hiker lends a noir credibility to the story, Arthur Kennedy, who excelled in films like Champion, Lawrence of Arabia, and Fantastic Voyage, and William Bendix, from Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat. Female actors Beverly Michaels and Gloria Talbott bring out the humanity in two of the convicts during their respective sequences. Ultimately, Crashout is one of those old school prison escape films that I could have watched for hours because of its blend of rough-edged character motivations and relatable character vulnerabilities.

The Olive Films Blu-ray of Crashout is not a demo disc, but I have no complaints whatsoever about the picture quality or the sound quality, given the film's B-movie standing. If you enjoy movies like The Defiant Ones or White Heat, then this one should be right up your alley.

I need to pick this up at sometime. I'm just not a big fan of Olive's prices.

[The Great Owl]

Earlier this evening, I watched my Kino Lorber Blu-ray of A Bullet for Joey.

Communist spies and mobsters team up to kidnap a nuclear scientist by way of using a woman to seduce him, while a police detective follows their trail. Edward G. Robinson is low-key and stern, but likable, as the detective, while George Raft is outstanding as a lead mobster employed by the communist infiltrators. Director Lewis Allen knows his way around film noir, and even this lesser attempt has its moments. In fact, the excellent finale is more than worth enduring the somewhat slow and fairly predictable buildup.

Noir standout Audrey Totter, who was always quite beautiful, although her facial expressions often seem as though she just ate something that she dislikes, has a good supporting role in this feature.

A Bullet for Joey is more of a police procedural as it is a film noir, and, as such, it's probably more of a "noir-stained" film than an actual noir. It's also on the lower rungs of the ladder when it comes to films noir blended with Red Scare thrillers. I enjoyed the ride nonetheless, though, and I appreciated how the film leads to a fun payoff.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray looks and sounds fairly decent.

[MifuneFan]

Figured I'd post this in here since we're about a month away from the screening. Fathom Events (presented by TCM) will be having a limited screening of The Maltese Falcon on February 21st and 24th, in honor of the film's 75th anniversary.

http://www.fathomevents.com/event/the-maltese-falcon

Date: Sunday, February 21
Time: 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (local time)
Run Time: 2 hours (approximate)
Ticketing: Tickets are available by clicking on the orange “Buy Tickets” button. If online ticketing is not available for your location, you can purchase your tickets by visiting the box office at your local participating cinema or check back often as updates are being made daily.
Special Fathom Feature: Think like a detective with specially produced commentary from Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz that celebrates the 75th anniversary of this iconic film.
The chase is on to find the jewel-encrusted Falcon! Will you be the first to discover it? Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Warner Bros. Entertainment invite you to celebrate the 75th Anniversary ofThe Maltese Falcon (1941) when it soars into select cinemas nationwide for a special two-day event on Sunday, February 21 and Wednesday, February 24.

A gallery of high-living lowlifes will stop at nothing to get their sweaty hands on a jewel-encrusted falcon. Detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) wants to find out why – and who’ll take the fall for his partner’s murder. An all-star cast including Sydney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr. joins Bogart in this crackling mystery masterwork, written for the screen from Dashiell Hammett’s novel and directed by John Huston. Nominated for three Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Greenstreet) and Best Screenplay (Huston), this classic film catapulted Bogart to stardom and launched Huston’s directorial career, all with a bird and a bang!
1941 (14th) Nominations: Actor in a Supporting Role – Sydney Greenstreet {“Kaspar Gutman”}; Outstanding Motion Picture – Warner Bros.; Writing

[ThePhantom]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Figured I'd post this in here since we're about a month away from the screening. Fathom Events (presented by TCM) will be having a limited screening of The Maltese Falcon on February 21st and 24th, in honor of the film's 75th anniversary.

I'd love to see this on the big screen, but I've heard some bad things about Fathom Events screenings regarding poor image quality due to compression issues and whatnot. This was a year ago, however, and maybe they've gotten these issues worked out by now. Has anyone been to a Fathom screening lately?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by ThePhantom

I'd love to see this on the big screen, but I've heard some bad things about Fathom Events screenings regarding poor image quality due to compression issues and whatnot. This was a year ago, however, and maybe they've gotten these issues worked out by now. Has anyone been to a Fathom screening lately?

I think it depends on the movie. I've only been to the one for The Iron Giant: Signature edition, and it was stunning. I believe The Great Owl has been to several for classic films, and his remarks have been positive.

[The Great Owl]

I've already booked my ticket for The Maltese Falcon on February 21. I cannot wait.

[EVERYONE LIES]

I might have to check out the Maltese Falcon on the big screen. I've never seen a classic on the big screen. Robert Osborne of TCM fame is coming to town and they are showing Casablanca with a Q & A next month, that might be worth checking out.

[jetthead]

Flicker Alley has set April 12th, 2016 as the release date for Too Late for Tears and Woman on the Run.

http://www.flickeralley.com/film-noi...aign=Film-Noir

[deltatauhobbit]

Originally Posted by jetthead

Flicker Alley has set April 12th, 2016 as the release date for Too Late for Tears and Woman on the Run.

[Show spoiler]http://www.flickeralley.com/film-noi...aign=Film-Noir

Damn you're fast, I was just going to post that

[silverlakephil]

Originally Posted by jetthead

Flicker Alley has set April 12th, 2016 as the release date for Too Late for Tears and Woman on the Run.

http://www.flickeralley.com/film-noi...aign=Film-Noir

Nice, I'll probably get these. A bit expensive even with 25% off, hopefully we can get a better deal at Amazon.

[lemonski]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

Nice, I'll probably get these. A bit expensive even with 25% off, hopefully we can get a better deal at Amazon.

Hopefully enough people can grab these titles at a reasonable price. It's a good way to support the Film Noir Foundation, and we might see more in the future:

The Film Noir Foundation will partner with Los Angeles-based Flicker Alley to bring several of its recent restorations to the home entertainment market. DVD editions of Woman on the Run (1950) and Too Late for Tears (1949) are expected to release before the year's end, complete with bonus extras produced by the FNF.[...]

The release of more FNF titles will depend largely on the sales numbers of these first two discs. Repeat Performance (1947), High Tide (1947), and The Guilty (1947) are likely candidates for later release, as are some of the Argentinian noir films recently resurrected by the FNF. Try and Get Me! (1950), the FNF's 2012 restoration, has reportedly been forthcoming from Olive Films for two years, but there's no word yet on an actual release date.

http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/news.html

[Thomas Veil]

Originally Posted by jetthead

Flicker Alley has set April 12th, 2016 as the release date for Too Late for Tears and Woman on the Run.

http://www.flickeralley.com/film-noi...aign=Film-Noir

Are these for sure Blu-ray? Because the other post only mentions DVD. Please don't tell me they made that big of a blunder.

[DJANGO]

If you go to the Flicker site using the top post and click on either title, they both show Blu-ray/DVD combo.

[lilboyblu]

Flicker Alley does some amazing work, so very excited to see that they'll be releasing Films Noir now as well. Will definitely be picking up these initial offerings as I'd love to see more "lost" releases from the FNF on Blu-ray.

[Thomas Veil]

Originally Posted by DJANGO

If you go to the Flicker site using the top post and click on either title, they both show Blu-ray/DVD combo.

Sweet! Thanks! I'll pick both of these up. Hope they do more.