Peter M Fitzgerald
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 1999
- Messages
- 2,314
- Real Name
- Peter Fitzgerald
One thing that has amazed me about Sony, at this point, is how we still haven't gotten the Peter Lorre thriller, THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK (1941) on disc yet... this despite the umpteen Columbia noir/crime/horror collections, the licensing to numerous other disc labels and the Sony Archive MOD business being up and running for years. It's not as though the film hasn't been transferred to digital, as TCM ran a good-looking print a couple of times just a few years ago.
Not only does it star Lorre, at his peak, but has the additional marketing hook that it was directed by Robert Florey, who made the classic Universal horror, MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932) with Bela Lugosi, and later directed Lorre in one of his more famous films, THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS (1946)... plus, co-star Evelyn Keyes, who headlined several films Sony has released on DVD and/or MOD (HERE COMES MR. JORDON, THE LADY IN QUESTION, BEFORE I HANG, LADIES IN RETIREMENT, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT A SOLDIER, THE DESPERADOES, JOHNNY O'CLOCK, MR. SOFT TOUCH, THE KILLER WHO STALKED NEW YORK).
While not an A-list classic, it's a well-made and rather highly-regarded B film, aimed at both the crime thriller and horror movie crowds, which makes its continued absence on the format (even as a MOD) a real head-scratcher, considering some of what Sony has put out on MOD disc over the last few years.
Not only does it star Lorre, at his peak, but has the additional marketing hook that it was directed by Robert Florey, who made the classic Universal horror, MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932) with Bela Lugosi, and later directed Lorre in one of his more famous films, THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS (1946)... plus, co-star Evelyn Keyes, who headlined several films Sony has released on DVD and/or MOD (HERE COMES MR. JORDON, THE LADY IN QUESTION, BEFORE I HANG, LADIES IN RETIREMENT, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT A SOLDIER, THE DESPERADOES, JOHNNY O'CLOCK, MR. SOFT TOUCH, THE KILLER WHO STALKED NEW YORK).
While not an A-list classic, it's a well-made and rather highly-regarded B film, aimed at both the crime thriller and horror movie crowds, which makes its continued absence on the format (even as a MOD) a real head-scratcher, considering some of what Sony has put out on MOD disc over the last few years.