Directed by pioneering actress/filmmaker Ida Lupino (The Hitch-Hiker, The Bigamist), the controversial classic Outrage was one of the first Hollywood films of its era to deal with the subject of rape. Mala Powers (Cyrano de Bergerac, City That Never Sleeps) stars as Ann Walton, a young bookkeeper freshly engaged to her boyfriend, Jim Owens (Robert Clarke, The Man from Planet X). But her promising life unravels completely when, on her way home from work one evening, she is raped. The trauma of the attack shatters her sense of identity and forces her to flee from home in shame. Praised by Martin Scorsese as “a subdued behavioral study that captures the banality of evil in an ordinary small town,” Outrage is a unique and vital film noir that addresses the widespread and unquestioned violence that women face with remarkable sensitivity. In 2020, Lupino’s landmark achievement was deemed a “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” work of art and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

For thoughts on Outrage, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/17tejdPYFEY?si=4wGvbfuBlNuCmG32&t=1236]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Outrage with a spectacular Blu-Ray in 1.37:1 from a new 4K scan of the 35mm fine grain conducted by Paramount Pictures. The presentation is a beauty from beginning to end with image stability and delineation being handled flawlessly. Black levels hold up admirably with next to nothing in the way of crush. Instances of print damage such as nicks and lines have been eliminated with overall clarity and detail remaining strong. This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation with no moments ever seeming clumpy or swarming. The brilliant black-and-white photography has a firm grasp on the gradients with no unexpected softness. Kino Classics has delivered a top notch disc for this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that handles the material without issue. The Paul Sawtell score maintains a strong fidelity as it buoys the atmosphere of the narrative. Despite the strength of this element, nothing ever overwhelms the dialogue or other pertinent information. The sound effects and music appear to be faithful to the intent of the creative team. This track shows no unacceptable signs of age related wear and tear such as dropouts, hissing or popping. Dialogue and background noises are balanced impeccably with all complementary elements. You could not ask for better from Kino Classics. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian Imogen Sara Smith provides a very engaging commentary track in which she discusses the work of Ida Lupino, how this fits into the Hays Code era, the background of the ensemble players, the themes and motifs of the picture and much more.

Trailers: There are trailers provided for Force Of Evil, Human Desire, Naked Alibi, Touch of Evil and The Tattered Dress.

Final Thoughts

Outrage is a true stunner from the great Ida Lupino, who pretty consistently made features that blew her contemporaries out of the water. The material is just as visceral today, but it puts a necessary spotlight on the topic of sexual assault and our response to the women who experience it as a country. The lead performance from Mala Powers is captivating and heartbreaking in equal measure. Kino Classics has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and an informative commentary track. If you want a progressive old-school drama, this one is well worth your time. Recommended

Outrage 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.