Herb Kane
Screenwriter
- Joined
- May 7, 2001
- Messages
- 1,342
Warner’s Film Noir Classic Collection - Volume Two
Born To Kill / Clash By Night / Crossfire / Dillinger / The Narrow Margin
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1945 - 1952
Rated: Not Rated
Film Length: Various
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Academy
Audio: DD Monaural
Color/B&W: B&W
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
MSRP: $49.92 or $19.97 individually
Package: 5 single discs in Keepcases housed in a cardboard box.
The Feature:
The last couple of years have marked a growing resurgence and new found popularity of film noir. Last year, the studio with the greatest amount of noir titles within their library, took the lead and decided to test the waters with the release of five titles – a decision that lead the phenomenal success of The Film Noir Collection - Volume One. That success has lead to the release of Volume Two and another diverse assortment of noir titles spanning both decades of the film noir years. Like last year’s group, Warner has carefully selected films from its studio holdings of RKO as well as an interesting inclusion from Monogram. There should be no denying that through the classic years of noir, RKO was the studio that produced the greatest amount of quality noir titles. Included in Volume Two are Dillinger (1945), Born To Kill (1947), Crossfire (1947), The Narrow Margin (1952) and Clash By Night (1952).
“Film Noir” (meaning black or dark film) is a term that was coined by French film critics who noticed a trend of how dark and black the themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France following the war. Generally, these films became prominent during the post war era and are generally thought to have lasted up and until 1960. Having said that, you’ll find many who classify true film noir titles between the timeframe of 1940 through to 1960 having evolved from the crime/gangster genre of the 30’s with such films as Public Enemy (1931), Scarface (1932) and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932). Asking somebody for a specific definition of “film noir” will provide a variety of different responses - you’ll get ten different answers. Generally, you won’t get any wrong answers as to what the genre (or movement, if you prefer) is, but you will get differing views and opinions as what elements should be inclusive and whether or not a specific film fits that criterion. Film noir might be the only genre that is defined by the mood or the atmosphere of the film rather than the specific plot itself.
The principal moods of classic film noir are generally that of bleakness, pessimism, disillusionment, morally corrupt, and generally contain characters that are corrupt themselves, in some facet of life i.e. hard-boiled detectives or private eyes, small time criminals, and murderers. These protagonists (usually “chumps”) are quite often smitten and usually lack morals leading to theft, quick-get-rich schemes, extortion and even murder. Another common element is the presence of femme fatales who frequently possess any of the following traits; dutiful, reliable, trustworthy, mysterious, duplicitous, double-crossing, gorgeous cold-as-ice vixens.
More often than not, the protagonist in the film makes a decision based on his feelings for the female character, which inevitably is a fatal error. The overall appearance of a film noir usually possesses characteristics of dark lighting rendering various shadowy images, off center camera angles, low rent/flop house/seedier type accommodations and plumes of cigarette smoke. Many of these stories are told by way of a series of flashbacks or reflective voice-over narration and tend to contain repartee of sharp witted barbs, heavy on sarcasm.
Some don’t consider color films to be true examples of film noir. If such were the case, films like Slightly Scarlet, Niagara, Leave Her To Heaven, House of Bamboo and A Kiss Before Dying would all be wrongly excluded. While the biggest ingredient in common with the genre seems to be the element of crime, even that quality can be noticeably absent from time to time. There are a number of modern day titles that possess many of the qualities found in classic noirs such as Blade Runner, Chinatown, L.A. Confidential and The Man Who Wasn’t There, these are usually referred to as neo-noirs. There is often discussion as to whether certain western films classify as noir. Films such as Pursued, The Return Of Frank James and even Winchester ‘73 often find their way onto various noir lists. However, I have a hard time buying into a western being noir, but that’s just me. Don’t get me wrong, I love westerns I just have a hard time thinking of them as noir. Like life itself, just when you think you’ve got a handle on it, there are exceptions to every rule. On to the features…
Dillinger (1945)
Lawrence Tierney plays the title role (as John Dillinger) as the legendary gangster whose bold and daring crimes captivated the nation. His string of robberies and murders made him Public Enemy #1 during the early 1930’s. The film marks the introduction of Tierney in his first major and credited role, in what would be the start of a long and colorful career as a noir tough guy.
Dillinger was nominated for an Academy Award for its screenplay written by Philip Yordan and is certainly the most interesting, if not questionable, inclusion in the set. While it’s great to have the Monogram studio represented, one can’t help but think that the film would have been better suited in the upcoming Gangster follow-up collection. But hey, Warner gave us White Heat in the Gangster Collection, so who’s to complain…? The film was directed by Max Nosseck who also directed Tierney in another (and superior) noir several years later, The Hoodlum (1951).
Born To Kill (1947)
In a rage of jealousy Sam Wilde (played by Lawrence Tierney) kills a woman he is interested in as well as her new boyfriend. He suddenly finds himself on the run from Reno to San Francisco. Helen Brent (played by Clair Trevor) whose divorce has just come through finds the bodies but decides not to become involved. The two eventually meet next day on the train to California unaware of this link between them. They are attracted to each other, and the relationship survives his marriage to her half-sister for money and status. However, the situation becomes volatile as Sam’s identity comes under scrutiny as it would seem he is in love with the wrong sister.
The film was directed by Robert Wise who went on to direct a number of solid noirs such as Criminal Court (1946), The Set-Up (1949), The House on Telegraph Hill (1951), The Captive City (1952) and one of the last great noirs, Odds Against Tomorrow (1959). He was also responsible for the direction of other non-noir classics such The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story (1961), The Haunting (1963) and The Sound of Music (1965).
Crossfire (1947)
“Monty” Montogomery (played by Robert Ryan) is a belligerent and unstable G.I. who, while out on leave, goes on a drinking binge with three of his pals, Floyd (played by Steve Brodie), Arthur (played by George A. Cooper), and Leroy (played by William Phipps). While tying one on in a local bar, the four men meet Joseph Samuels (played by Sam Levene) and his girlfriend Ginny (played by Gloria Grahame), who invite the soldiers back to their apartment for a party. The bigoted Monty, however, has a fierce hatred of Jews, and he later goes into a drunken rage in which he beats Joseph to death. Due to their intoxicated state, Monty's friends can barely remember the incident but they recall just enough to make themselves scarce when police detective Capt. Finlay (played by Robert Young) begins questioning the men while investigating Joseph's murder. Sgt. Keeley (played by Robert Mitchum), a soldier who knows the four men and works with Finlay in an attempt to name the murderer.
This message drama/noir was one of the first major-studio efforts to confront anti-Semitism (beating the Oscar-winning Gentleman's Agreement by several months) and is one of the few and rare true films noir to boast several Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Ryan), Best Supporting Actress (Grahame), Best Director (Dmytryk) and Best Writing – Screenplay (Paxton). While director Edward Dmytryk showed extreme courage in bringing this story to the screen, it had greater repercussions than even he might have expected as the film's controversial themes led to Dmytryk's admonition by the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy-era witch hunt of the 1950s and as a result, wound up on the blacklist of the “Hollywood Ten”. He continued to work – mostly in Europe, through the tumultuous times. He was responsible for a number of significant noirs including Murder, My Sweet (1944), Cornered (1945), Obsession (1949) and The Sniper (1952).
The Narrow Margin (1952)
Hard-boiled Los Angeles Detective Walter Brown (played by Charles McGraw) is assigned to protect a gangster's widow, Mrs. Neall (played by Marie Windsor) as she rides the train from Chicago to L.A. She is an important witness scheduled to testify at an upcoming grand jury hearing. It doesn’t take long for Brown to learn how dangerous the assignment is going to be when his partner, Detective Forbes (played by Don Beddoe) is killed in a shootout shortly after their arrival in Chicago trying to protect the contemptuous witness. Along the way, Brown makes the acquaintance of a likeable woman, Ann Sinclair (played by Jacqueline White), her playful young son and an enigmatic fat man, Sam Jennings (played by Paul Maxey) – not knowing who he can trust. As the train pulls into Los Angeles, tension mounts as the true identity of the train’s passengers and their intentions become clear.
I’ve long said, The Narrow Margin was the best film noir not yet released on DVD - that is - until now. Like Out Of The Past in Volume #1, The Narrow Margin is the crown jewel of Volume #2 and places very high on this reviewer's list of all-time favorite films. Directed by Richard Fleisher, he was responsible for many great noirs of the period directing such noir classics as: Bodyguard (1948), Follow Me Quietly (1949), Trapped (1949), Armored Car Robbery (1950) and His Kind of Woman (1951) (although uncredited).
Clash By Night (1952)
Mae Doyle (played by Barbara Stanwyck) has hit rock bottom. She returns to live with her brother, Joe (played by Keith Andes), at her family's home in a small fishing village in Monterey County. Reeling from the pain of her previous romances, Mae slowly tries to put her life back on track and begins dating Jerry (played by Paul Douglas), a simple-minded and somewhat infantile fisherman. Jerry's pal, Earl Pfeiffer (played by Robert Ryan) makes his feelings for Mae known right away despite the fact that he is married. Mae spurns his advances and decides to marry Jerry. Eventually, they have had a baby, and things appear happy on the surface, but Mae is not in love with Jerry, and soon finds herself in Earl's arms. Jerry discovers the affair, and during a confrontation with the deceitful couple, Mae reveals that she is leaving to be with Earl. What follows is a violent confrontation between Jerry and Earl as Jerry tries to regain his family.
The film was directed by Fritz Lang, who in the opinion of this reviewer was responsible for directing some of the greatest films noir from the classic period including such films as Fury (1936), You Only Live Once (1937), Ministry of Fear (1944), The Woman in the Window (1945), Scarlet Street (1945), Secret Beyond the Door (1948), The Blue Gardenia (1953), Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956), While the City Sleeps (1956), Moonfleet (1955), Human Desire (1954) and The Big Heat (1953). While the film borders on soap, don’t let the melodrama fool you. There are enough qualities and characteristics present as well as the fatalistic atmosphere, to allow or consider this true film noir - albeit - a noir that lacks many of the crime laden characteristics. However, we’d be naïve to think the presence of Marilyn Monroe had nothing to do with the inclusion of this title.
The Features:
Dillinger :star::star::star::star:
Born To Kill :star::star::star::star:
Crossfire :star::star::star::star:
The Narrow Margin :star::star::star::star::star:
Clash By Night :star::star::star::star:
Video:
It’s no secret that the surviving elements haven’t faired quite as well as many of the other studio assets through the years, so one never quite knows what to expect when it comes to transfers from RKO prints - and four of these films by the way, are RKO films. I can’t ever remember reviewing a boxed set where I wrote so little in terms of praise or criticisms – either that, or I was just too engrossed… All of these transfers are pleasing and clearly represent the best I have ever seem them – Dillinger was the only first for me, and it too, surpassed what I was expecting, in fact it – as well as Born To Kill, might be the AV gems of the collection…
We’ll start with the oldest title in the collection, Dillinger which is a fine effort from WB. Black levels were better than average and contrast levels & shadow detail was satisfactory. Image detail was fine, if not just slightly soft, but certainly better than I expected. There was a slight amount of fine film grain that appeared throughout the entire film resulting in a slightly coarse, but nice film-like image. There is print damage here and there with a few minor jumps, but nothing one wouldn’t or shouldn’t expect from a film of this vintage – particularly an obscure Monogram title. While there was some minor shimmer and jitter, I was actually more impressed with the visual appearance of this film over a few of the RKO titles.
When I think of RKO, I think of coarse – and that still applies at best describing the look of the remainder of titles. There is a significant amount of fine to medium density grain that appears throughout the entire group of films and the result is pleasing. The amounts of black levels that appear are all satisfactory with The Narrow Margin a little murky at times. Grayscale is nice which shows itself off throughout Crossfire and Clash By Night. There is print damage evident in all of the films but it is minimal and never becomes distracting. Light shimmer and jitter exists from time to time, but only minimally. While there isn’t another Region version of Born To Kill (at least not to my knowledge), I have the R2 versions of Crossfire (Manga - Spain), Clash By Night (Suevia – Spain) and The Narrow Margin (Éditions Montparnasse – France) and where all of these new transfers excel is in the level of image definition. All of these are considerably sharper than their European counterparts.
A terrific effort from WB from what, were no doubt, less than ideal elements to work with.
Video:
Dillinger :star::star::star::star:
Born To Kill :star::star::star:
Crossfire :star::star::star::star:
The Narrow Margin :star::star::star:
Clash By Night :star::star::star::star:
Audio:
Similar to the video presentations, I have very little to say in terms of the way these films sound - all of which are presented in their original monaural format. The fidelity of all of these titles is good and what we would expect from films that are 60+ years old.
I noticed a hint of hiss on all of these titles however, never did the levels ever become bothersome – this was slight, very slight. There are occasional cracks and pops, but these were few and far between. Dialogue was, for the most part, bold and intelligible.
Some of the music/scoring became slightly edgy during a few of the action sequences, particularly on the Dillinger disc, conversely, it was that very disc that seemed to display the greatest amount of oomph during the action and shootout scenes (and there’s plenty). I was pleasantly surprised.
Five solid, yet unremarkable audio tracks that do what is necessary.
Audio:
Dillinger :star::star::star::star:
Born To Kill :star::star::star:
Crossfire :star::star::star::star:
The Narrow Margin :star::star::star:
Clash By Night :star::star::star::star:
Special Features:
Dillinger (1945)
[*] First up here is a Commentary with John Milius with Philip Yordan. This is a rather uninteresting and un-engaging commentary hosted by the director of the 1973 film of the same name. Infrequent audio comments are added by the legendary writer, Philip Yordan who offers various recollections including those working with Lawrence Tierney. If this happens to be your first stop, it only gets better.
[*] The Theatrical Trailer is also present and is in reasonably good shape. Duration: 2:06 minutes.
Born To Kill (1947)
[*] Commentary by Eddie Muller and Robert Wise. I have a great amount of respect for Eddie Muller and consider him one of the leading authorities on the movement of film noir. His accomplishments are impressive to say the least, aside from the books he has published, he is very actively involved in the preservation of original noir elements. Interestingly, Mr. Muller spends a fair amount of time talking about the history of RKO and why so many great noirs came out of this studio and points out various “Val Lewton influences”. Mr. Wise shows up periodically with recorded clips and reflects on his history with the RKO studio and the film itself.
Crossfire (1947)
[*] Commentary by Alain Silver and James Ursini with Edward Dmytryk. The pair of noir experts start their discussion offering up some history of the production and comparisons with the other film of the same year dealing with anti-Semitism, Gentleman's Agreement. Archival comments are also added from the original director, Edward Dmytryk who speaks candidly about the film and the HUAC affair.
[*] Crossfire: Hate Is Like A Gun is a terrific little documentary which deals with the making of and history of the film’s production. Discussed are the changes that were made to Richard Brooks’ novel and how changes were made to the theme, replacing the homosexual victim with that of a Jewish victim. Edward Dmytryk appears from archival footage and discusses his involvement with the production. Duration: 8:57 minutes.
The Narrow Margin (1952)
[*] Commentary with William Friedkin with Richard Fleischer is a better effort than the Milius appearance for Dillinger – more engaging and obviously better prepared. It’s clear that Friedkin is quite fond of the film and does an admirable effort discussing not only various aspects of the film itself, but the topic of noir.
[*] The Theatrical Trailer is also included which is in rather rough shape. Duration: 1:55 minutes.
Clash By Night (1952)
[*] The two special features found on this disc start with a Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich with Fritz Lang. Those familiar with Bogdanovich’s efforts from previous titles will have a pretty good idea of what to expect – and there are no surprises. However, the cream here comes in the form of several audio snippets which were recorded in a 1965 interview between the legendary director and Bogdanovich.
[*] The Theatrical Trailer is also included which is in good condition. Duration: 2:25 minutes.
Overall, this collection does not boast a lot in terms of numbers, but these are all substantive (save for the Dillinger piece) and worthy of your time.
Special Features Overall: 4/5
:star::star::star::star:
**Special Features rated for the quality of supplements, not the quantity**
Final Thoughts:
If there are any complaints regarding the upcoming release of Volume Two, I suspect the main concern might with a couple of the chosen selections – however, there shouldn’t be. These are all solid titles and stand very much on their own merit as films noir - diversely selected. It’s clear that Warner didn’t want to mess with the formula of the success of the first volume and offered a broad selection of titles and styles of the movement.
There’s plenty of gold left in the mine with titles like Angel Face (1952), Armored Car Robbery (1950), The Window (1949), The Big Steal (1949), His Kind of Woman (1951), Nocturne (1946), On Dangerous Ground (1952), They Live by Night (1949), They Won't Believe Me (1947), Act of Violence (1948), The Breaking Point (1950), Caged (1950), City for Conquest (1940), Deception (1946), The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), The Unsuspected (1947), Journey Into Fear (1943) and The Racket (1951)… just to name a few. The only complaint I’d make would be, “hey Warner c’mon – how ‘bout releasing two or three of these sets a year…?”
As for the Volume Two Collection, again, Warner has done another terrific job. Not only did the A/V presentations for these titles surpass my expectations, but the special features are substantive and complement this collection quite nicely. If you’re a noir enthusiast on the fence about Volume Two, don’t be.
Overall Rating: 4/5 (not an average)
:star::star::star::star:
Highly Recommended…!!
Release Date: July 5th, 2005
.
