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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Frightened City)

 

Directed by Earl McEvoy
USA 1950

 

In New York, Sheila Bennet (Evelyn Keyes) and her spouse, Matt Krane (Charles Korvin), are trying to unload a trove of rare jewels they smuggled into America from Cuba, but the police are hot on the couple's trail. Meanwhile, government officials begin a desperate search for an unknown individual who is infecting the city with smallpox. When the cops discover that Sheila has the virus, they team up to find and quarantine her as she continues to unwittingly pass her sickness on to others.

***

Singer Sheila Bennet (Evelyn Keyes) arrives in New York City by train after a trip to Cuba, carrying a small cache of smuggled diamonds -- what she doesn't know is that she's also carrying a deadly smallpox infection. Her philandering husband (Charles Korvin) isn't too worried about her violent headaches and fever, especially as he is carrying on behind her back with Sheila's younger sister (Dorothy Malone). Sheila's condition worsens, however, and she ends up at a local clinic, where she infects a young girl (Beverly Washburn) who crosses her path. The police and public health authorities get called in after the girl falls ill, and begin desperately trying to find the source of the girl's infection...

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 6th, 1950

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

Sony Pictures (Bad Girls of Film Noir Vol. 1) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray

1) Sony - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT

2) Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT

 

Box Cover

   

Distribution Sony - Region 1 - NTSC Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:15:44         1:15:47.918
Video

1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.93 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/ps

1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 49,080,372,764 bytes

Feature: 15,527,116,800 bytes

Video Bitrate: 24.98 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

Mono English Dolby

DTS-HD Master Audio English 904 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 904 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles English, English (SDH), None English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Sony

Aspect Ratio:
All Original: 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Terry Moore on Two of a Kind
• The Payoff-All Star Theatre Episode

DVD Release Date: February 9th, 2010
Chapters: 12 X 4
Release Information:
Studio:
Kit Parker

 

1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 44,460,527,699 bytes

Feature: 16,824,729,600 bytes

Video Bitrate: 24.98 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• No extras - shares the disc with Johnny Allegro and The Black Book


Blu-ray Release Date:
April 23rd, 2019
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 12

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kit Parker Blu-ray (April 2019): Kit Parker Films in association with Millcreek Entertainment have released the first (of three announced) of these 3 Blu-ray / 9 Film Noir features Boxsets. Volume One is described as:

"Stalwart noir directors and casts highlight these hard to find features Address Unknown (1944) dir/William Cameron Menzies, cast/Paul Lukas, Carl Esmond, Peter Van Eyck; Escape in the Fog (1945) dir/Oscar (Budd) Boetticher cast/Otto Kruger, Nina Foch, William Wright; The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947) dir/Henry Levin cast/Rosalind Russell, Melvyn Douglas, Sid Caesar; The Black Book (aka The Reign of Terror) (1949) dir/Anthony Mann cast/Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart, Arlene Dahl; Johnny Allegro (1949) dir/Ted Tetzlaff cast/George Raft, Nina Foch, George Macready; 711 Ocean Drive (1950) dir/Joseph M. Newman cast/Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Dru, Otto Kruger; The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) dir/Earl McEvoy cast/Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin, William Bishop; Assignment Paris (1952) dir/Earl McEvoy cast/Dana Andrews, Marta Toren, George Sanders; The Miami Story (1954) dir/Fred F. Sears cast/Barry Sullivan, Luther Adler, John Baer - all in high definition presented in their original aspect ratios."

So, 3 films on a dual-layered Blu-ray, with a decent bitrate in 1080P and the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This has the same damage (see last capture) as the Sony DVD - but the higher resolution shows more texture, and film-like heaviness without the compression of the SD. The differences will be notable dependant on how large your system is.

The audio is 24-bit lossless (DTS-HD Master) exporting the score from Hans J. Salter (The Strange Door, Cover Up, Man Without a Star, Scarlet Street, The Land Unknown, The War Lord, The Mole People) it adds mood to the film experience. The Blu-ray offers optional English subtitles on this Region FREE Blu-ray package.

No supplements - but the disc is shared with Johnny Allegro and The Black Book. Noir fans get to revisit these delights in a far more film-like presentation with optional subtitles. This has a unique killer and there is building tension and great cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc (It's a Wonderful Life). 

Gary Tooze


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Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample - Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 


1) Sony - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Sony - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Sony - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Sony - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


More Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray Captures
 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


Damage

 

 


Box Cover

   

Distribution Sony - Region 1 - NTSC Kit Parker Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray


 


 

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