Carol Reed Odd Man Out James Mason

(aka "Gang War" )

directed by Carol Reed
UK 1947

Director Carol Reed's most ambitious and accomplished film, Odd Man Out stars James Mason as Johnny McQueen, leader of an IRA gang forced into taking on a bank raid in order to raise funds for the organization. It's a tense time and it shows: the hold-up doesn't exactly go as planned. Unable to cope with the demands of the situation, McQueen kills a man and then falls from the speeding getaway car. Badly wounded, he manages to scramble into hiding and we are invited to follow his desperate progress as he clings to life.

Imaginatively photographed and sharply edited, the action (especially the first half) moves at a brisk pace and is perfectly complemented by some atmospheric music. The whole cast deserves praise for its accomplished acting but special mention must be made of James Mason's hypnotic portrayal. Without question, his performance must go down as one of the most sensitive ever produced by a British screen actor.

Penetrated throughout by a warm humanism, Odd Man Out makes an engrossing and exciting movie. It firmly established Reed as a major director, a reputation which he was to consolidate with his next two features, The Fallen Idol and The Third Man.

Excerpt from Stephen Townsend taken from EUFS Programme 1992-93

Posters

Theatrical Release: April 23rd, 1947

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DVD Comparison:

Network - Region 2 - PAL vs. Image Entertainment (OOP) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Carlton Visual Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Carlton Visual Entertainment Screen Caps!

(Network - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Carlton Visual Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Network Region 2 - PAL	Image Entertainment Region 0 - NTSC	Carlton Visual Entertainment Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:51:04 (4% PAL speedup)	1:55:52	1:50:56 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.42 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.37:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.5 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.4 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes
Bitrate: Network
Bitrate: Image Entertainment
Bitrate: Carlton Visual Entertainment
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	None	None	English HOH subtitles, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Network Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • James Mason interview from 1972 (12:46) • Short - Home James (51:34) • Image Gallery • 24-page liner notes booklet with Essay by Hamilton Hamish and media material DVD Release Date: August 28th, 2006 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.37:1 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: January 12th, 1999 Snap Case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Carlton Visual Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: July 7th, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 10

Comments

ADDITION: Network - Region 2- PAL - Sept 06' - I just recently saw that the Image Entertainment DVD is out-of-print and opportunists are asking substantial $ in auctions. So the good news is that this recent Network - PAL DVD is the best of the lot so far. It is cleaner, much more pure black and white than the old NTSC (that has chroma bug) and substantially sharper than the Carlton. It also is not severely cropped like its PAL counterpart. More good news are the extras on the Network - a James Mason interview from 72' and a short feature called Home James. the liner notes booklet is well done! The only substantial failing may be the lack of optional subtitles - other than that it has excelled in every area. Great job Network!

I'll continue to contend that this film is far better cinema than Reed's The Third Man and hence we strongly recommend the Network DVD as the best way to view on your home theatre. They have done a very good job and the insert details the extensive restoration process that the utilized print went through.

***

The Carlton is cropped pretty badly all around. The Image Entertainment has a greenish tinge to it. Neither are exceptionally sharp, but I think the Image DVD is a bit crisper even though it shows more damage. No Extras on either disc. This film is superior to 'The Third Man' in my opinion and someone should be able to produce a decent copy on DVD. Pretty bad stuff all round.

- Gary Tooze

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DVD Menus

Network - Region 2 - PAL

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Carlton Visual Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

Screen Captures