Jacques Tourneur on Blu-ray

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Master of macabre suspense who hit his peak in the 1940s with such atmospheric gems as the Val Lewton-produced horror classic "Cat People" (1942), the quietly absorbing psychodrama "Experiment Perilous" (1944) and one of the masterworks of film noir, "Out of the Past" (1947). Tourneur worked on the films of his father, the gifted visual stylist Maurice Tourneur, in the US and then in Paris, where he made his directorial debut in 1931. He returned to America in 1935, making shorts and B features at MGM before hitting his stride with several brilliantly understated features for producer Val Lewton at RKO: "Cat People," "I Walked With a Zombie" (1942), and "The Leopard Man" (1943).Tourneur inherited his father's gift for atmospheric, evocative compositions and put it to good use in westerns ("Canyon Passage" 1946), films noirs ("Out of the Past" 1947) and thrillers ("Berlin Express" 1948). His films from the mid-1950s, for various studios, were less effective, though the British-made "Curse of the Demon" (1957) marked a notable return to his earlier form. - Turner Classic Movies



Cat People
Criterion | 1942


Out of the Past
Warner Bros. | 1947


War-Gods of the Deep
Kino Lorber | 1965


The Comedy of Terrors (Vincent Price Collection II)
Shout Factory | 1963


Night of the Demon/Curse of the Demon
Powerhouse Films | 1957


I Walked with a Zombie
IVC | 1943


Way of a Gaucho
Sidonis | 1952


Canyon Passage
Panamint | 1946


Night Call (Twilight Zone Season 5)
Paramount | 1963-1964

[caiman]

Indicator's Night of the Demon release is probably the best single-film Blu-ray I've ever purchased. Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR cuts of the film, plus an absolute goldmine of features and wonderful packaging.

Also, we really need a Val Lewton set on Blu-ray.

[The Great Owl]

A tip of the hat to the man who directed my all-time favorite movie.

(Refer to my avatar.)

[MJD64]

Still waiting for a domestic blu-ray release of the wonderfully atmospheric I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (Scream? WAC? Criterion?), but I do think it'll eventually happen...and Tourneur's THE LEOPARD MAN needs a release as well (not as highly regarded as CAT PEOPLE and I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, but still a terrific suspense thriller). I'd have loved a Val Lewton set like the one done for DVD, but with CAT PEOPLE distributed by Criterion, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE distributed by Scream and a question mark hanging over the remaining films, it seems unlikely. The TWILIGHT ZONE episode "Night Call" really creeped me out as a kid, especially with that eerie payoff...

[John_Drake]

Thanks for a long overdue thread, OP.

There is a German BD of Canyon Passage as well. Does anyone know how the PQ fares with the Panamint version?

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Originally Posted by caiman

Indicator's Night of the Demon release is probably the best single-film Blu-ray I've ever purchased. Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR cuts of the film, plus an absolute goldmine of features and wonderful packaging.

Also, we really need a Val Lewton set on Blu-ray.

I haven't opened my set yet. I ordered from Amazon and it didn't look like they were going to ship, so I ordered from Powerhouse. Anyway, Amazon ended up shipping my order. I'll choose the one with the more interesting edition number.

And, yes, let's see a Val Lewton set!

Originally Posted by John_Drake

Thanks for a long overdue thread, OP.

There is a German BD of Canyon Passage as well. Does anyone know how the PQ fares with the Panamint version?

The German one is supposed to be derived from Panamint's source. It's half the price of the UK title, too.

[silverlakephil]

DVDBeaver's review of this release indicates that Jacques Tourneur directed the pilot episode of Cool and Lam (1958).

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Telev...lu-ray/205623/

[lemonski]

Originally Posted by Jar Jar Stinks

And, yes, let's see a Val Lewton set!

My dream is that Indicator get the rights to all the Lewton films and put out one of their box sets packed with extras.

A big raspberry to Criterion and Shout for fumbling the ball on movies that have been so influential. Pffft!

[latehong]

I have the Panamint Blu-ray, but really wish someone could properly restore Canyon Passage. The current Blu-ray is a bit too dark and greenish that ruins the splendor of its three-strip technicolor photography. I prefer the old Universal DVD (which, of course, has its own flaws) because of that.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-r...ge_blu-ray.htm

[Gerby]

I wish Tourneur's western Witchita (1955) was available on blu ray, it's a great one.