ROPE OF SAND (1949) – After a two-year hiatus, Mike Davis (Burt Lancaster) returns to the same African city where he was tortured and left for dead at the hands of a sadistic Police Commandant (Paul Henreid). Originally innocent of all charges, Mike is back to claim the diamonds he had supposedly stolen two years ago. He enlists the help of an alcoholic stranger (Peter Lorre) and the doctor (Sam Jaffe), who had helped him back to health. The diamond syndicate head (Claude Rains) recruits a nightclub temptress Suzanne Renaud (Corinne Calvet) to seduce and betray Mike as an alternative to brute force.
APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (1950) – Postal Inspector Al Goddard (Alan Ladd) is assigned to investigate the murder of a fellow officer. The only witness to the crime is Sister Augustine (Phyllis Calvert), who identifies the photograph of one of the assailants. This leads Goddard to a seedy hotel where he learns that the assailant is a member of a gang headed by Earl Boettiger (Paul Stewart), and he soon discovers that the gang is planning a million dollar mail robbery. This classic film noir also features the stars of Dragnet, Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, as Stewart’s Henchmen.
THE ENFORCER (1951) – Humphrey Bogart (The Maltese Falcon) is in fine form as a crusading District Attorney out to convict the head of a vicious murder-for-hire ring. But when his star witness is killed, Bogart must race against time to find the evidence he needs to bring down the mob boss. Told in a series of flashbacks, this tense, tough-as-nails crime thriller on the cutting edge of film noir was based on actual Murder, Inc. Trials.
BEWARE, MY LOVELY (1952) – Helen Gordon (Ida Lupino) hires Howard Wilton (Robert Ryan) as a handyman to do chores around her house. She doesn’t know what she’s let herself in for. Insecure and paranoid, Wilton thinks everyone, including Helen, is against him. He suffers from memory lapses and extreme mood swings. She’s soon a prisoner in her own house after Wilton locks the doors and tears out the telephone. His mood swings from violence to complacency but after Helen gets a message to the police via a telephone repairman, she finds he is still in the house. …Beware, My Lovely.
JENNIFER (1953) – Agnes Langsley (Ida Lupino) gets a job, through Jim Hollis (Howard Duff), as caretaker of an old and vacated estate. The owner’s cousin, Jennifer, was the last occupant and mysteriously disappeared. Agnes soon begins to believe that Jennifer was murdered and that Jim, whom she has fallen in love with, is responsible.
For thoughts on Essential Film Noir: Collection 4, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Essential Film Noir: Collection 4 comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Imprint Films with five films spread across four discs. This label is based out of Australia, but these discs will play in all Blu-Ray players including those in the United States. Rope of Sand, Appointment with Danger and The Enforcer are each given their own disc. Each of these films were released individually by Olive Films in 2013 and 2014 from older masters. Beware, My Love and Jennifer are making their worldwide debut on a shared disc. All five films are derived from new 4K scans that were conducted in 2021.
These films share a lot of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them as a group while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. We do not have any of the previous Olive Films releases to compare directly, but we have little doubt in our mind that these releases blow those out of the water in nearly every respect. The quality amongst these five range from the “really good” to “excellent” range with the occasional ebb and flow in quality. Most of the films show off a very small bit of underlying print damage and other source anomalies to one degree or another, but by and large these transfers are a beauty.
The natural grain field thankfully remains intact and resolved well. There are a handful of moments that briefly spike, but nothing has been managed or scrubbed of its texture. Print damage has been cleaned up significantly, but a few small specks and scratches have made it through. There is a substantial amount of detail present throughout with subtle textures on the outfits and in the environments and production design. The contrast is steady with only a minor level of density fluctuation in the print, most noticeably in Appointment with Danger. Black levels are pretty solid but could be given a bit more depth. There are no substantial occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts across the five films. The black-and-white photography holds up well across every film as they make the most of their high definition presentation with natural grain intact. Imprint Films has done really well with these.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray set comes with a pretty solid LPCM 2.0 track for each of these five films that presents them well even with some years under their belt. Dialogue comes through clearly without sounding gauzy or weak. It is balanced well with the environmental elements so important elements stay prominent in the mix. The scores that accompany these films never overpower the dialogue and other important information, but some moments can sound a little weak or shrill at the highest peaks. The only other deficits come in the form of some faint hissing, humming and crackles that more than likely date back to the source elements. Imprint Films has provided a good audio experience for these. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for all feature films.
Special Features
Rope Of Sand
- Audio Commentary: Film Historian Samm Deighan provides a very illuminating commentary track in which she discusses the film as a response to Casablanca, work of filmmaker William Dieterle, where this fits into various subgenres, the careers of the talent involved, the legacy of the film and more.
- Film Professor Jose Arroyo on Rope Of Sand: A terrific 34-minute discussion in which Arroyo delves into how the film has not had a rich afterlife, where this falls into the career of Hal Wallis, how the film relates to other films from the creatives, the themes of the film, the political climate of the time, the stylistic flourishes of the filmmaking and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: There is a three-minute trailer provided for Rope of Sand.
Appointment With Danger
- Audio Commentary: Film Scholar Jason Ney provides a great commentary track in which he discusses the trend of biographical crime films, the careers of the talent involved, the narrative shortcuts taken throughout the film, the locations shown in the narrative, the corrupt studio system of the time, the legacy of the film and more.
- Hollywood Everyman – The Films Of Lewis Allen: A really enlightening new 31-minute featurette on the director which traces his career from his earliest opportunities through his work with the studios, the impact he left on cinema, juicy details about the production of various features he helmed and more.
- Film Noir Specialist Frank Krutnik on Appointment With Danger: A great 18-minute discussion in which Krutnik delves into the reason for the documentary-like opening, where this falls into the career of Alan Ladd and Lewis Allan, the stylistic flourishes of the filmmaking, the themes of the film and more.
- Lux Hollywood Radio Theatre – Appointment With Danger: A 56-minute radio show from 1953 starring William Holden and Coleen Gray is provided here.
- Theatrical Trailer: There is a nearly two-and-a-half minute trailer provided for this one.
The Enforcer
- Audio Commentary: Noir Expert / Film Noir Foundation board member Alan K. Rode provides an educational commentary track in which he discusses the career of Humphrey Bogart, the careers of the other talent involved, the real-life inspiration for the central crimes depicted, the drama on set, the legacy of the film and more. Rode has some sustained stretches of silence here, but when he is speaking it is worth listening to.
- Film Noir Specialist Frank Krutnik on The Enforcer: A 19-minute discussion in which Krutnik delves into the real-life history of Murder Inc., the real-life counterparts of some of the characters in the film, the subgenre of organized crime films of the time, where this falls into the career of Humphrey Bogart, the use of flashbacks and more.
Beware, My Lovely
- Audio Commentary: Film Scholar Jason Ney provides a helpful commentary track in which he discusses the history of this story in entertainment, the careers of the talent involved, the history of the sets shown in the narrative, motifs and themes, the legacy of the film and more.
- Author/Film Historian Pamela Hutchinson On Ida Lupino: A terrific 25-minute discussion in which Hutchinson delves into the life and career of Ida Lupino, her early precociousness and car accident, her move to Hollywood, her work as a filmmaker, her relationship to film noir and more that is very worthwhile.
Final Thoughts
Essential Film Noir: Collection 4 collects five really engaging films into a single box set which offers a variety of different types of thrills from desert adventures to home invasion to psychological drama. There is not a weak film in the bunch, but there are at least one or two that stand as some of our favorites we have discovered from the genre in recent times. There are some big names strewn about here, and every single performer lives up to their expected level of talent. This is an impeccably curated set. Imprint Films has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a great A/V presentation and some terrific special features. If you are a film noir fan, this series will not lead you astray. Recommended
Essential Film Noir: Collection 4 is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Note #2: This release is an Australian import which can be played in Blu-Ray players worldwide.
Disclaimer: Imprint Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
