This collection features five film Noir classics. BIG HOUSE, U.S.A. (1955) – Broderick Crawford, Ralph Meeker, Charles Bronson, Lon Chaney Jr. and William Talman star in this tough and realistic crime drama about a gang of ruthless convicts who execute a successful prison break to secure a $200,000 loot hidden in Colorado’s Royal Gorge National Park. Directed by Howard W. Koch (Shield for Murder).
A BULLET FOR JOEY (1955) –When a Canadian police inspector (Edward G. Robinson) investigates a murder, he is hurtled into an adventure involving foreign spies, American gangsters and an explosive high-tech secret that could change the world. Co-starring George Raft, Audrey Totter and Peter van Eyck with top-notch direction by Lewis Allen (So Evil My Love).
HE RAN ALL THE WAY (1951) – John Garfield plays a dim-witted thug who survives a shootout with the police after a payroll robbery. Seeking cover, he meets Peggy, a lonely young girl (Shelley Winters) who takes him to her family’s apartment, while there the paranoid thief decides to take the family hostage until he can escape. Directed by John Berry (Tension).
STORM FEAR (1955) – Cornel Wilde plays a wounded bank robber, on the run from the law, he and his gang decide to hide out at his brother (Dan Duryea) and sister-in-law’s (Jean Wallace) farmhouse during a snowstorm. Co-starring Lee Grant, Dennis Weaver and Steven Hill, with stupendous direction by Cornel Wilde (Beach Red).
WITNESS TO MURDER (1954) – Screen legend Barbara Stanwyck, plays a woman whose sanity comes into question as she fights to convince the police that she witnessed a murder from her apartment window. Co-starring George Sanders, Gary Merrill and Jesse White, with wonderful direction by Roy Rowland (Rogue Cop).
For thoughts on Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema I, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Witness To Murder, He Ran All The Way, Storm Fear, Big House, USA and A Bullet For Joey come to Blu-Ray with the five films each given their own disc. This first volume from The Dark Side Of Cinema series was first released back in 2016 which gathered these five individual releases into a box set. The first volume had been out of print for a little while before it was just recently released again. The discs are the same as the initial release, which are not quite to the level of quality we have grown to expect from the series (with Volume 10 just recently released). These films are not of terrible visual quality, but they could use a refresh with the advances in technology since this first volume.
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. All five films seem to be sporting an older master, although we could be convinced that Storm Fear and Big House, USA were from newer scans at the time of release. These two are the MVPs of the set, but all of them brought to life in a fairly solid manner. No one presentation in this set really hits a home run, but the quality stays in the “mostly good” range throughout. Every film showcases a fair amount of print damage and other source anomalies to one degree or another, but A Bullet For Joey would have to be our least favorite of the bunch
The black-and-white photography holds up well enough across these films with some natural grain which can be a bit splotchy or unsightly. There are moments when the grain field seems a bit thick or coarse, which might indicate that the elements available were less than ideal. Black levels could be a bit deeper, but we spotted no substantial occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts. Shadow detail could be more firmly defined to fit in more naturally with the aesthetic. Print damage can be found in these presentations, yet it is rare to have anything too off-putting. There is some amount of detail present throughout with textures on the costumes and in the environments and production design. The contrast is passable, although it is not uncommon to see density fluctuation in the print. Kino Classics should be commended for getting this set back on the market, but a freshening up of these titles would have been ideal.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray set comes with a passable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track for each of these five films which show their age but get the job done. The classic dialogue comes through with a fine bit of clarity that is favorable. This and the environmental noises are balanced well with all competing elements so nothing gets lost in the mix. The age-related wear and tear portions of the track include some faint hissing, humming and crackles that likely date back to the source elements. The thematically appropriate music never really overpowers the dialogue or other important information, but it does sound a little frail at its highest peaks. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for all feature films. Kino Classics has once again done the best that they could with these titles.
Special Features
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for Witness To Murder (2:08), He Ran All The Way (2:13) and A Bullet For Joey (2:07).
Final Thoughts
The Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema I set brings together five films which are classics of the genre. There is not a film in this set we would choose to skip out on if given the option. The more star-driven fare with the likes of Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson results in some thrilling developments, but the more under-the-radar choices are just as worthy of your eyeballs. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a fine A/V presentation but next to nothing in the way of special features. If you are a fan of the genre and missed this set the first time around, it is worth a pickup to fill in your gaps. Recommended
Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema I 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.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics 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.