Following their noir classics This Gun for Hire, The Glass Key and The Blue Dahlia, screen legends Alan Ladd (Lucky Jordan) and Veronica Lake (The Hour Before the Dawn) team up for the fourth and final time in Saigon. After World War II, Larry (Ladd) learns that his flying buddy Mike will only live a short while longer due to shrapnel injuries. In order to finance one last wild trip for his friend, he accepts a lucrative flying job from a crooked profiteer. The plane takes off with sultry secretary Susan (Lake) on board—who, of course, falls for dashing Larry. However, danger awaits them when they’re forced to land their plane—and smuggled cargo—in Vietnam, with the police hot on their trail. Directed by Leslie Fenton (Whispering Smith), Saigon is a breathtaking, romance-laden adventure for Lake and Ladd!

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Video Quality

Saigon makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p transfer from a 2K scan of the 35mm Fine Grain that holds up very well. This film is over 70 years old yet defies its age thanks to this consistent presentation. The sumptuous black-and-white photography shot by John F. Seitz thrives in HD with natural grain intact and resolved faithfully. Black levels are in solid shape with no egregious occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is admirably defined with only intermittent instances of flicker and density fluctuation in the print.

The new transfer reveals a worthwhile amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. The various locations feel sprawling despite being filmed on a set. There is a dazzling amount of detail present with textures on the clothing and within the background. A few anomalies remain after the remastering process such as occasional stray lines and discrete marks of damage. It is not immaculate, but most will be satisfied with how much this has been spruced up. Kino Classics has brought this to life with great care.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a fine DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie well given its vintage. The track appears a bit vulnerable when it comes to the score, but things never completely fall apart in terms of fidelity. The music does not distract from the dialogue or other important information. You might notice a minor amount of age-related wear and tear and some faint crackling, but it is not a notable issue throughout. Dialogue and background elements are in tune with all complementary elements that make this world feel lived-in. The dialogue can be discerned quite easily with not much in the way of sibilance. Kino Classics delivers what you need from the experience. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historians Lee Gambin and Elissa Rose deliver a pretty great commentary track in which they discuss where this fits into the war genre, the background of the performers, the production of the film, the direction of Leslie Fenton, the details of the costumes, the themes of the story, and more.

Trailers: There is a two-minute trailer provided for Saigon. This disc also provides trailers for Lucky Jordan, China, Calcutta, O.S.S., Chicago Deadline, Thunder In The East, So Proudly We Hail, Singapore, and The Hour Before The Dawn.

Final Thoughts

Saigon is an engrossing adventure that keeps the thrills up throughout the brief runtime. Alan Ladd proves to be a charismatic leading man, but it is Veronica Lake who steals the picture with her beguiling turn. The film is a product of the time it was produced, but it still holds up as a worthwhile viewing experience by modern standards. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a strong A/V presentation and a stellar commentary track. If you are a fan of the performers or enjoy wartime pictures, add this to your list. Recommended

Saigon 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.