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DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Warner's Film Noir Classic Collection V3 (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). (1 Viewer)

MarcoBiscotti

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I am too, but I just would've preferred them to stick with format for existing series.

Not a big deal though, but I believe they did say that much at the recent chat.
 

Joel C

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Between the Crawford, Davis, Noir, Controversial Classics, James Dean, Classic Comedies, Broadway Musicals and other Warner sets, I probably have over 50 titles, so shelf space is certainly a premium.

Add to that the fact that I'm still hoping to pick up the Garbo, Busby Berkeley, Gangsters, Astaire/Rogers, and Thin Man sets (nearly 30 discs right there), and you've got a crisis brewing!

If it wouldn't take so much time and effort, I'd try to switch the majority of my collection to slim cases anyway. Plus just buying over 1,000 "blanks" would cost over $300.
 

Glenn R

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This is exactly what I have done since volume 1. I might have to label some blank amarays. Now if a forum member were to photoshop some covers with nice spine labels . . . ?
 

Steve...O

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They said Fred & Ginger would match, but left open the possibility of using sliimlines on Tough Guys (Gangster 2). The criteria for using slimlines appears to be whether titles will be issued separately or not.

I am all for slimlines as I need the space savings. If I ever find myself worrying about how the size of a case matches up with others in my collection that will mean I have too much time on my hands :)

Steve
 

Haggai

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Regarding the question of when Vol. 4 will be coming out, it was discussed some back when the Warners chat happened in February. Here's what they said:

At a first glance, it seems like they're saying that another noir set is going to be out this year, i.e. before the end of '06. On the other hand, it's at least possible that they simply meant "another noir set is going to follow #3 at some point" and that "this year" was referring to Vol. 3 itself. Each of the first three volumes has been released in July. So, while I'd be happy to get more noir from Warners before the end of this year, I'm not 100% convinced that we won't have to wait another 6 or 7 months beyond that. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems at least slightly possible that I might not be.
 

Doug Otte

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I caught "On Dangerous Ground" on TCM last night. What an outstanding film. It was very moving, and Robert Ryan's best performance I've yet seen. I also loved the score by Herrmann.

Their print seemed very soft with lots of damage. Does anyone know how the new boxset version looks compared to TCM's? ON DVDBeaver, they said this film looks about the worst of the lot.

Thanks,
Doug
 

Haggai

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Oddly, the trailer for that one seems to be from a closer-to-the-original source than the movie does; at least that's what I thought when I watched the trailer on the DVD right after watching the movie last night.
 

John Hodson

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Hmmm; very odd that; first time I've seen a trailer that looked far sharper and with much better contrast than the feature! Watched it through now, either I got used to it or it was noticeably less dupey in the last half hour or so - either way, didn't affect my enjoyment one little bit.

Wonderful, wonderful film, beautifully played.
 

Haggai

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Yeah, I'd never seen the movie before, a great one indeed. The Herrmann score certainly helps things along when it kicks in. Anyone familiar with his other work might notice that right at the 30 minute mark of the DVD, when Ryan has arrived in the snowy countryside and is being briefed by the local policeman as they get to the scene of the crime, the musical phrase there is pretty much the exact same one that Herrmann later used as a major theme in North by Northwest.
 

Doug Otte

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VAGUE SPOILERS AHEAD:









What is everyone's opinion on the "miracle" ending? Robert Osborne said Ray didn't want it, but Ryan and Lupino did. Osborne went so far as to say they had the ending shot when Ray was absent, which is a bit hard to believe.

Anyway, the film would not have been overly negative if it ended before the final ending; however, the final ending didn't bother me. In fact, the closeup of their hands clasping was emotionally powerful.

Doug
 

Haggai

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In a Lonely Place is pretty noirish as well, and that's certainly a great movie.

Doug, Glenn Erickson's DVD commentary has some more details on the ending, including the difference from the original novel and the various incarnations that showed up in the drafts by screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides. I thought it was maybe a bit much, but pretty effective nonetheless, basically similar to what you're saying.
 

John Hodson

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TBH - and this was the first time I'd seen the film - I'm with Ray on that one. Didn't ruin the film, by any means, but it did look a little tacked on.
 

Craig Beam

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On Dangerous Ground is an absolutely brilliant film, and one of my favorite Noirs. I really wish the DVD looked better, but I trust that Warner gave us the best they could. I'm still happy as a clam to finally have it in my collection (replacing my home-burned third-generation off-air DVR recording).
 

Ira Siegel

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Thanks for the review, Herb. I've read all the Marlowe books by Chandler and I've seen (or at least remember seeing) all the Marlowe movies you mentioned except for Brasher Doubloon. I agree with you: Dick Powell turned in the best Marlowe performance. My take of Malowe from Chandler's books is that he is an optimist who knows from experience that most things turn out badly. Powell, more than any of the others, captured that attitude. In my opinion, Robert Montgomery, in this set's Lady in the Lake, comes the next closest. Of course, Marlowe as the "subjective camera" takes away from Robert Montgomery's performance since he has little chance to use his face or body in his portrayal. For me, the subjective camera worked very well, particularly when Marlowe couldn't keep his eyes off of the hot receptionist. Of my three favorite Marlowe films, Lady in the Lake is #2 (behind Murder My Sweet and ahead of The Big Sleep with Bogart).
 

Chris_A

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Got this set recently, with all the films being new to me. The latest i've seen was His Kind of Woman-- which was great entertainment, especially with some of those lines, but hardly a noir. It makes me wonder just how noirish this set is
 

Herb Kane

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Considering the butchering that took place during the production of the film, it's a miracle that it turned out as well as it did. As for these titles being "noir", while I'd agree there's a varied assortment of styles of noir, I feel very comfortable calling any of these "noir". IMO, Warner's careful selection of titles -- differing widely in style with a broader appeal, has led to the success of these noir boxes.

Considering the popularity of the movement, the only thing I can't figure out is why Sony and Paramount can't seem to figure this out....
 

seanOhara

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Personally I think Hughes' interference made for a better film. If it had ended, as the commentary indicates, around the 90 minute mark with Mitchum getting captured and duking it out with the villain, we would've had a decent but not spectacular noir. But the last half hour, even if it comes out of nowhere, is what makes the film.

I think the biggest problem is with the subplots (Jim Backus and the married couple), which were probably necessary to pad the original film to ninety minutes, but are distracting in the two hour version.
 

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