Warner's Film Noir Classic Collection Vol.2

Brent Avery · 06-24-2005, 07:25 PM

I actually tried getting an early copy of Point Blank but failing that found the Vol.2 Film Noir. At this point I am about to check over the 5 titles but if anyone would like me to get some thoughts (video quality etc.) on a particular film in the set post your request and I will do what I can. It will take some time but for now I'll start with Crossfire and report back tonight.

Roger Rollins · 06-24-2005, 07:36 PM

They're all excellent titles, but NARROW MARGIN and BORN TO KILL should be your next stops. Both will astound you, and show you why RKO was THE NOIR STUDIO .

Brent Avery · 06-25-2005, 12:18 AM

Thankyou for the suggestion Roger - I'll be sure to watch them next. Crossfire must have seen a lot of use over the years or the negative is no longer around as there was alot of speckling at times and definite signs of damage in the form of the odd tear etc. Certainly the image suffers with some softness as well but it also managed to look quite good on occassion.Black levels were not that great overall either but given its age the passage of time obviously has not been too kind. On the other hand the audio was clean and free from any distractions. Still, I did enjoy it but when you get spoiled by say White Heat as an example of a beautiful transfer it is a bit of a letdown but Warners must have tried as best they could and you cannot really argue with the price. A 10 minute Featurette entitled "Crossfire:Hate Is Like A Gun" was informative and a nice addition.

Also watched Dillinger and found the transfer to be an improvement in comparison to Crossfire in that there was minor speckling but otherwise not outstanding - but I am not complaining because just getting them released in reasonable condition is worth it and lets face it - some of these films have not been very well preserved over the years and in that sense it is unfortunate that it took so long for them to be truly appreciated as even modern technology can only do so much if your dealing with less than perfect elements.Some may find them better than described but I try to be objective and hope it will give others a general idea of what to expect. Still a must have addition.

Roger Rollins · 06-25-2005, 01:47 AM

I haven't seen any of the new WB Film Noir 2 yet, but I know WB, and I know they are the best DVD label when it comes to classics. A magazine-reviewer pal of mine has the set, and says all the transfers all quite amazing, compared to anything he's seen before.

Lest we forget that the RKO library was the worst-maintained of any studio's assets (although United Artists likely runs equal until the late '60s). With General Tire and Rubber being the "owner" until Ted Turner bought the library outright, stories have lingered for years about how in the 1980s, yes, only 20+ years ago, they sold nitrate o-negs off to get the money out of the silver content.

I'm sure WB gave their all to these, and I can't wait for he box AND Point Blank, which is one of my favorite films.
It's a testament to Warner's intelligence that they didn't package a COLOR film like POINT BLANK in a film noir boxed set, as a COLOR film really can't be considered FILM NOIR.
Films like CHINATOWN or even POINT BLANK can be considered Noir-inspired, but not NOIR. Tell that to the people at Fox who sold the DeLuxe Color/ CinemaScope HOUSE OF BAMBOO as a noir. No knock against Fuller or the great film, but it ain't Film Noir.

Robert Crawford · 06-25-2005, 04:21 AM

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Tell that to the people at Fox who sold the DeLuxe Color/ CinemaScope HOUSE OF BAMBOO as a noir. No knock against Fuller or the great film, but it ain't Film Noir.

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Simon Howson · 06-25-2005, 04:26 AM

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No knock against Fuller or the great film, but it ain't Film Noir.

Not another one of these debates :-)

I think the fact film noir can at least partially be defined as a style means that it can transcend generic conventions. To me in House of Bamboo Fuller seems to be interested at mixing different styles, thus in parts he opts for documentary realism (as in many 40's film noir) yet he acheives them within colour and CinemaScope. The commentary track refers to this a lot, how the film is a walking contradiction, I think the example used is the long jacket the protagonist wears is rather anachronistic as it look slike a jacket from a 40's film noir, not a film set in post war Japan.

Fuller seems continually interested in mixing film genres, for example to me Forty Guns feels more like a gangster or film noir than a Western, and of course it too features a stylistic contradiction in that it was photographed in black and white CinemaScope.

Robert Crawford · 06-25-2005, 04:31 AM

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I think the fact film noir can at least partially be defined as a style means that it can transcend generic conventions. To me in House of Bamboo Fuller seems to be interested at mixing different styles, thus in parts he opts for documentary realism (as in many 40's film noir) yet he acheives them within colour and CinemaScope.

Herb Kane · 06-25-2005, 12:09 PM

I'm presently working on this (terrific) set. I've watched 3 of the 5 films thus far and I am very impressed. I wasn't expecting much from the Monogram picture (Dillinger), but it too, looks terrific. Narrow Margin (one of my all-time favorite noirs), looks very good and is on par with many of the better RKO titles we've seen released thus far and as Roger points out, the RKO prints appear to have weathered the storm, the worst. I also have the R2 version of Narrow Margin and this new release is considerably better - particularly in terms of detail.

One thing however I don't agree with...

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as a COLOR film really can't be considered FILM NOIR.

george kaplan · 06-25-2005, 12:57 PM

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To exclude color films from the movement (or genre, if you prefer) just because they are color, is to exclude films like...