Upcoming Noir DVDs

[trilobitten]

Speaking of TCM and the Film Noir Classics III set, I ordered mine on 1/25 and have yet to receive it. Everytime I check the order status there is a new ship date posted. I finally called them up and expressed my displeasure and they offered me 15% off my next purchase (!) but I told them I had just gotten a 20% off HTML email from them as all customers did and that they'd have to do better than that. She checked with her supervisor and they waived the shipping and handling fee. So if it's worth your time for anyone who hasn't yet gotten theirs, give them a holler! :-)

[Movie Memories]

Would love to comment on the set, but I STILL HAVEN'T RECEIVED IT!! Hoping to be on the list for 3/20 mail date.

[Steve-O]

I wouldn't recommend TCM's (Columbia Pictures) Film Noir Classics III to anyone. I liked the THE MOB, but that was about it. I haven't seen THE BURGLAR as that disc won't play, and I'll be waiting most likely for months before a replacement is received. The problem with this boxset for me is that the films aren't very noir, but rather police crime dramas and one film (Julia Ross) which is something completely different.

The thing is most of the good and great noirs are out on DVD. What's left is the rest. Crime films, b-movies... but nothing that's going to blow your socks off. Except for a few Alan Ladd noirs not on DVD, all future DVD releases will be minor noirs at best... (correct me if I'm wrong... unless you're like some of us that dig Poverty Row stuff then there's not much to hold your breath for.) Private Hell 36, Pitfall, Cry Danger are three that are essential.. but I can't think of any others not out on DVD in some fashion that's top shelf.

[Nighthawk]

The thing is most of the good and great noirs are out on DVD. What's left is the rest. Crime films, b-movies... but nothing that's going to blow your socks off. Except for a few Alan Ladd noirs not on DVD, all future DVD releases will be minor noirs at best... (correct me if I'm wrong... unless you're like some of us that dig Poverty Row stuff then there's not much to hold your breath for.) Private Hell 36, Pitfall, Cry Danger are three that are essential.. but I can't think of any others not out on DVD in some fashion that's top shelf.

I do like the Poverty Row stuff, and some of that is still out there, waiting to be released. I also think it's worth making a distinction between "released on DVD" and "a quality release on DVD." For instance, both Too Late for Tears and The Big Combo have been released on DVD, but neither one has ever been released in a decent transfer (especially Too Late for Tears, as both DVD versions look terrible), and in the case of The Big Combo, in its correct aspect ratio. The same quality problem plagues the Pitfall release. A couple of other unreleased noirs that are often considered "top shelf" by noir aficionados are Ride the Pink Horse and City that Never Sleeps. But you're right, Steve--it's most the B stuff (which I tend to really enjoy). Warner Archive has said that they have over 50 noirs scheduled for release this year, and seeing as only a few have been released so far, we're apparently in for a lot of lesser-known releases throughout the rest of 2012.

[Steve-O]

Ride the Pink Horse. There's one I forgot. I love City that Never Sleeps but folks would be disappointed expecting a great movie...

[dax]

It's the marketing that Sony and TCM used for lumping these not very noir films as film noir classics that bothers me the most about this boxset. They just call it noir to increase sales. This practice cheapens film noir in general.

[Adam Lounsbery]

The thing is most of the good and great noirs are out on DVD. What's left is the rest. Crime films, b-movies... but nothing that's going to blow your socks off. Except for a few Alan Ladd noirs not on DVD, all future DVD releases will be minor noirs at best... (correct me if I'm wrong... unless you're like some of us that dig Poverty Row stuff then there's not much to hold your breath for.) Private Hell 36, Pitfall, Cry Danger are three that are essential.. but I can't think of any others not out on DVD in some fashion that's top shelf.

Just because they're B movies doesn't mean there aren't quite a few I'd like to see on DVD.

With the push toward MOD, I've given up hope of a deluxe release of Columbia's Whistler series, but I still wouldn't mind seeing them in bare bones DVD releases as long as the prints looked good. I like those programmers with Richard Dix, but I've only seen substandard copies.

I also wouldn't mind seeing good prints of Columbia's Crime Doctor series with Warner Baxter released.

There are a few PI movies I've never seen a good print of, like The Brasher Doubloon and I Love Trouble, that I would also like to see on DVD.

[dax]

You are right Steve-O, most of the good and great noirs have been released on dvd. I would still like proper releases of PHANTOM LADY (1944 Alan Curtis, Ella Raines) and CRY OF THE CITY (1948 Victor Mature, Richard Conte) as well as the films mentioned in previous posts.

[Steve-O]

Just because they're B movies doesn't mean there aren't quite a few I'd like to see on DVD.

Me too. But there will be many that will buy them then state that they weren't worth buying -- thinking possibly that they'd be better than they actually are.

[Steve-O]

You are right Steve-O, most of the good and great noirs have been released on dvd. I would still like proper releases of PHANTOM LADY (1944 Alan Curtis, Ella Raines) and CRY OF THE CITY (1948 Victor Mature, Richard Conte) as well as the films mentioned in previous posts.

and there's two more that I forgot (I think they're both out on R2s). But yeah, two of my favorites and certainly top-shelf.

[Nighthawk]

and there's two more that I forgot (I think they're both out on R2s). But yeah, two of my favorites and certainly top-shelf.

They are. In fact, there's a whole list of great noirs that are only available in R2 (which we covered in an earlier thread). Many of them are very good transfers, so while it's a bit more of a hassle to get them in the States, it's still possible.

[Arthur Bannister]

The thing is most of the good and great noirs are out on DVD. What's left is the rest. Crime films, b-movies... but nothing that's going to blow your socks off. Except for a few Alan Ladd noirs not on DVD, all future DVD releases will be minor noirs at best... (correct me if I'm wrong... unless you're like some of us that dig Poverty Row stuff then there's not much to hold your breath for.) Private Hell 36, Pitfall, Cry Danger are three that are essential.. but I can't think of any others not out on DVD in some fashion that's top shelf.

IMDB is showing a bunch of titles licensed to Olive Films in 2012 for DVD & Blu-Ray release, including CRY VENGANCE and PRIVATE HELL 36.

Other 2012 Olive titles which may be of interest to noir aficionados (some previously released in R1, some not):

BEWARE MY LOVELY
BODY & SOUL
CAUGHT
CHAMPION
THE ENFORCER
FORCE OF EVIL
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
JOHNNY GUITAR
KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE
PURSUED
RUTHLESS
SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR
SLEEP, MY LOVE
THE SOUND OF FURY
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT


I would add to the list of good-to-great noirs still missing in action in R1 THE FILE ON THELMA JORDAN and CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, along with two that I never tire of mentioning, THE RECKLESS MOMENT and Losey's M. And saying that all the good noirs have already been released doesn't take into account the many, many excellent British and French noirs still unavailable in the U.S., some even unavailable in their home countries. There's plenty to look forward to as far as I'm concerned.

[Steve-O]

My point was there are only what, 10 or so noirs out there that aren't on DVD that could compare to Top-shelf noirs like Out of the Past, The Killers, DOA and so on. And none are being planned for US DVD release. Yes, there are many noirs not on DVD but don't expect to find a diamond in the rough from these titles you haven't heard of being released in "noir boxed sets" like TCM's Columbia classics. That's all I'm saying. There are no hidden gems unknown to us noir fans coming out on DVD that we don't already know about, haven't recorded off TCM, or got R2 DVDs of. That was my point. (and from the Olive films list above it seems like there's a bunch of double dip films I'll end up buying again...)

I remember buying a really nice Film Noir set from Japan a few years back. It has The Big Heat and a number of others. The packaging is quite nice too (I can't find a link online but it was in a white box with some nice details). I was so into finally seeing Tight Spot. Directed by Phil Karlson, starring Edward G. Robinson. Ginger Rogers and Brian Keith aren't favorites but they were in the excellent and Storm Warning and Nightfall. Finally got the DVDs, bought a multi-region DVD and watched it. It stinks. I mean almost unwatchable. Since then I've lowered my expectations for new releases of movies I've never seen on DVD. Since then I've seen just about all that's out there and there are plenty of decent films to discover but the great noirs have already been discovered and watched.

That's not to say I don't continue to update my collection with newer, better copies of noirs. And rewatch bad ones, and Poverty row films. It's just that there are no more Narrow Margin, Murder My Sweet gems to find....

*** EDIT: I did find the set I was talking about. Released in 2004 http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdrev...tight_spot.htm

[Nighthawk]

IMDB is showing a bunch of titles licensed to Olive Films in 2012 for DVD & Blu-Ray release, including CRY VENGANCE and PRIVATE HELL 36.

Wow, that's a great list! I can't wait for some of these titles, many of which have never seen an R1 release.

[Frankie]

Two more noirish movies from Sony's MOD program in May:

Fortune is a Woman (1957) aka. She Played with Fire
Strange Affair (1944)

[Nighthawk]

Olive Films has also licensed the 1991 documentary The Republic Pictures Story for a 2012 release, which makes me wonder if they'll include it on an upcoming release as a bonus feature.

[Arthur Bannister]

IMDB is showing a bunch of titles licensed to Olive Films in 2012 for DVD & Blu-Ray release, including CRY VENGANCE and PRIVATE HELL 36.

Correction: I meant to say that Olive has licensed CRY DANGER in addition to PRIVATE HELL 36 (in reference to Steve-0's list of essentials). They have licensed CRY VENGANCE as well, however.

[Nighthawk]

Correction: I meant to say that Olive has licensed CRY DANGER

YES. This is great news. I wonder if this is the same deal that Eddie talked about in the "Ask Eddie" thread.

[Ashirg]

Some of the title from Olive Films list missing above:
CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS
CRASHOUT
PLUNDER ROAD

[Nighthawk]

Some of the title from Olive Films list missing above:
CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS
CRASHOUT
PLUNDER ROAD

Seriously?! This is just an embarrassment of riches. None of those have ever been released on DVD, and Plunder Road probably hasn't been seen in its original aspect ratio since its original release. I can't wait to get my hands on these releases. Let's hope they come sooner rather than later.