WB Film Noir, Volume 4 (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

Other possiblities besides The Big Steal are When Strangers Marry or The Locket.



Crawdaddy

 

[Jim Bur]

I think "When Strangers Marry" goes by the alternative title "Betrayed". All three are interesting films. However, "The Big Steal" reteams Mitchum with Jane Greer from "Out of the Past". I think "The Big Steal" is a minor classic and quite a bit better than the other two films. Let's hope "The Big Steal" is the one being included. A set with "The Big Steal" and "Where Danger Lives" included would be a home run.

Last night I watched "Angel Face" from the Mitchum box set I recently purchased. Warners' did a fabulous job on that DVD. The picture was stunning, and Muller's commentary was interesting and infomative.

As far as future Mitchum releases, I really hope that sometime soon Warners gets around to issuing Mitchum's great RKO westerns, "Blood on the Moon", and "The Lusty Men" These are not only two of Mitchum's best films, they are two of the best films that Warners has in it's catalog that remained unreleased on DVD. Another Mitchum RKO western "Rachel and the Stranger" is also quite good.

c Jim Bur

 

[Robert Crawford]

IMO, I think When Strangers Marry is on par with The Big Steal and offers an early clue to the type of characters that Mitchum could play in future roles. This is no slight towards the latter film, but I don't want When Strangers Marry to get shortchanged because I think it's a good film.



Crawdaddy

 

[Craig Beam]

Make that "had" when it comes to Fox, since they've apparently decided to drop their noir series. Still pissed about that, personally.

 

[Thomas T]

Not a noir title but another underrated Mitchum entry that I hope will see the light of day in the Mitchum Vol. 2 set is the 1953 thriller Second Chance directed by Rudolph Mate. Originally filmed in 3D, Linda Darnell is on the lam from the mob in Mexico with hitman Jack Palance in hot pursuit. Mitchum is the boxer who comes to her rescue and there's a pretty exciting finale on a cable car stuck over an abyss.

It's an RKO film, so Warners has the rights.

 

[Corey]

Why did they decide this??

 

[Craig Beam]

No idea, mate. There was supposed to be another wave, which would have included "The Brasher Doubloon" (an Eddie Muller commentary had already been recorded), plus they still hadn't reissued the previously-pulled "Boomerang." I don't believe there's been an actual announcement that the line has been cancelled, but that's the word on the street.

 

[Craig Beam]

Mob? Mexico? Hitman? Boxer? Palance and Mitchum? Are you sure this ISN'T a noir?

 

[TravisR]

You mean Boomerang, right?

It's not cool that Fox cancelled the series but I'm glad that I have 21 of the 24 titles that they planned. It's better than if they cancelled it after the first three.

 

[Corey]

The plot seems very interesting.

 

[ted:r]

A lot of studios (with the obvious exceptions of Warners and Criterion) never announce anything has ended. They are there and then they are not for whatever reason they decide. The only reason people actually believe that they have ended a series is that there was a followable pattern of releases and then they stopped. Why they are so close mouthed to people who would rush to support their releases (and, to be fair, criticize their lapses...see the flack WB is getting for one missing line in "Performance") is beyond me.

 

[Thomas T]

Craig, I don't honestly think it can be called film noir. Thriller pretty much sums it up.

It's in color, not B&W. Darnell is a damsel in distress not a femme fatale. The most noirish thing about it is how the hitman (Palance) is in love with or at least attracted to the woman (Darnell) he's supposed to kill.

 

[Craig Beam]

Yeah.... my bad. Post edited.

 

[serenapowell]

"Imagine all the pre-codes... on DVD todaaaay..." Oh yeah! I wish. I'm very excited about this larger film noir boxset, I've seen & liked about half of them and am eager to see the others. Especially happy that "Tension" is included and some films that never made it to VHS, so I never expected DVDs... what a nice surprise!

 

[AlexNoir]

Any news on a date for this? I haven't bought either Volumes 2 or 3, but Volume 1 was stellar and I'll probably pick up 3 this week when I get paid.

 

[Corey]

It'll most likely come in July like past sets. If so, we should have an announcement next month.

 

[oscar_merkx]

I will have tocatch upbuying the first 3 volumes then.

can't wait

 

[Corey]

I hate playing catch up with these sets. I just bought the first Errol Flynn set and now I have to buy the first Doris Day Collection, Bette Davis Vol 2, and Classic Musicals Vol 3 and I shall be finished playing catch up.