This collection features three film Noir classics. STREET OF CHANCE (1942) – From the novel The Black Curtain by the great Cornell Woolrich (Rear Window) comes this classic film noir about an amnesiac who uncovers an ugly truth. Burgess Meredith (Rocky) is Frank Thompson, who awakens in the middle of the street with nary a clue of where he is, how he got there, or why his cigarette case and hat both have the letters “D.N.” on them. Frank tries to piece together his old life while a mysterious stranger (Claire Trevor, Key Largo) seems more interested in probing his past than his wife Virginia (Louise Platt, Stagecoach). Then there’s the matter of the murder that Frank cannot remember committing. This suspense-soaked gem, with its pulpy plot and brilliant cinematography by Theodor Sparkuhl (Among the Living), established a number of conventions that helped define the noir genre. Directed by Jack Hively (The Saint’s Double Trouble).
ENTER ARSÈNE LUPIN (1944) – The charming French thief Arsène Lupin (Charles Korvin, Temptation) steals a priceless emerald from the beautiful English heiress Stacie Kanares (Ella Raines, The Web) while en route to Paris on the Orient Express. However, he becomes so infatuated with Stacie that he reroutes himself to Great Britain in order to return the jewel. Meanwhile, her cousin Bessie (Gale Sondergaard, The Spider Woman Strikes Back) schemes to murder Stacie in order to claim her inheritance. Lupin is determined to intervene to save Stacie’s life, but doing so puts him at risk of being captured by the dogged cop Ganimard (J. Carrol Naish, Beau Geste). The most lovable rogue in mystery fiction leaps to the screen in this thrilling film noir directed by action-adventure ace Ford Beebe (Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe).
TEMPTATION (1946) – In this Victorian-era film noir, the mesmerizing Merle Oberon (The Lodger) is Ruby, the new wife of wealthy archaeologist Nigel (George Brent, The Spiral Staircase). Unbeknownst to her husband, Ruby has had quite a checkered past, involving several divorces and extramarital affairs. While Nigel is out digging up an ancient mummy, Ruby takes up with Baroudi (Charles Korvin, Enter Arsène Lupin), a slick but impoverished Egyptian opportunist. When Baroudi threatens to leave Ruby unless she puts her husband out of the way, she plots to poison the unwitting Nigel, setting the stage for a spectacular revenge-and-retribution finale. Paul Lukas (The Kiss Before the Mirror) also stars in this electrifying melodrama from director Irving Pichel (O.S.S.), based on the book Bella Donna by Robert Hichens (The Paradine Case).
For thoughts on Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema VIII, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Street Of Chance, Enter Arsène Lupin and Temptation come to Blu-Ray with the three films each given their own disc. 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 three films have been given new 2K scans which represent them in a fairly solid manner. No one presentation in this set really comes close to perfection, but the quality stays in the “really good” range throughout. Every film showcases a bit of underlying print damage and other source anomalies to one degree or another, but nothing could ever be described as a disappointment.
The black-and-white photography holds up favorably across these films as they show off in high definition with natural grain intact. There are moments when the grain field seems a bit thick or coarse, but this is preferred to the transfers being managed and scrubbed of their texture. You will not find many moments where the grain appears swarmy or unnatural. Black levels could stand to be a bit deeper, but we spotted no substantial occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts. Shadow detail could be enhanced a bit more to fit in more naturally with the aesthetic. As mentioned, there is some amount of print damage found in these presentations, yet you will not spot big unsightly tears of splotches. There is a pleasing amount of detail present throughout with sumptuous textures on the costumes and in the environments and production design. The contrast is well balanced, although do not be surprised to see a level of density fluctuation in the print. While not without some issues, Kino Classics has delivered an effort that should please most fans.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray set comes with a mostly decent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track for each of these three films that presents them pretty well considering their age. These tracks do show a minor amount of age related wear and tear including 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. The classic dialogue comes through with a nice sense of clarity that aids the experience. This and the environmental noises are balanced well with all competing elements so nothing gets lost in the mix. 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
- Audio Commentary for Street Of Chance: Professor and Film Scholar Jason A. Ney delivers a very entertaining and informative commentary track in which he delves into likeness of specific narrative details of the feature, the performances in the film and the careers of the talent involved, how this adaptation compares to the source material, how this fits within the genre and more.
- Audio Commentary for Enter Arsène Lupin: Film Historian Anthony Slide delivers a sturdy and informative commentary track that is a bit more low key than the previous track but delivers great historical information about the production of the film, the talent involved, the thematic beats of the story, how this was positioned to be a series, interesting trivia about how certain performers connect to famous musicians and much more.
- Audio Commentary for Temptation: Film Historian Kelly Robinson provides a breezy and enjoyable commentary track in which she discusses the background of this film, the history of the performers in the feature, how this fits into the time period in which this was released, its place in the film noir genre, the costumes and production design, and more.
- Trailers: There is a trailer provided for Enter Arsene Lupin (1:43). There are also trailers provided for Night Has A Thousand Eyes, Calcutta, The Accused, The Web, Alias Nick Beal, The Lodger, The Price of Fear, The Spiral Staircase and O.S.S.
Final Thoughts
The Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema VIII set brings together three films that are not as closely linked as some of these sets, but remain a sensible grouping due to their twisty and suspenseful narratives which highlight some of the most engaging facets of the genre. Individually these films would likely be unfairly overlooked, but together they make for a very entertaining triple bill. There is no obvious dud within this trio, and the talent on display with the filmmaking and performances is a joy to witness. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a good A/V presentation and some informative commentary tracks. If you are a fan of the genre, this set is another easy pickup. Recommended
Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Cinema VIII [Street Of Chance/Enter Arsène Lupin/Temptation] 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.