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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed by Tay Garnett
USA
1951
The
Blu-ray of Cause For Alarm! is reviewed / compared HERE
A not uninteresting attempt at a suburban
film noir, with
Loretta Young as a housewife whose bed-ridden
ex-serviceman husband (Sullivan), consumed with totally unfounded
jealousy, concocts a fiendish revenge plot. Having planted evidence
indicating that she and her supposed lover were conspiring to poison
him, he then proposes to shoot her, but dies of a heart attack. Although
rather too fluttery for comfort, Young gives a good account of the
woman's panic-stricken dilemma as, left alone with a corpse in the house
and her every move adding to the web of suspicious circumstances, she
desperately battles red tape to retrieve an incriminating letter posted
to the DA.
*** Shot in only 14 days "Cause For Alarm" is a melodramatic B-movie made as a noir set in the suburbs of California. Producer and screenwriter, Tom Lewis, hired his then wife Loretta Young to play the lead. MGM studio director, Tay Garnett (The Postman Always Rings Twice), supposedly had the cast and camera crew well-prepared before shooting began, allowing them to finish so rapidly. I enjoyed it for the same reason I enjoy many early film noir's - it has a nice innocent quality to it done without a lot of fanfare or camera tricks or effects. I did smirk each time I saw Loretta Young thrusting out her tight-sweater'ed bosom (see captures below). In the story, for such a loyal wife, Loretta seemed much more concerned with absolving herself from the blame of his death than missing her spouse. Still you get what you expect from these films, and they don't make any apologies. Film-noir classic fun! |
Posters
Theatrical Release: March 30th, 1951 - New York City
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
Roan Group Archival Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Alive - Vertrieb - Region 0 - PAL
1) Roan- Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT2) Alive - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT
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DVD Box Covers |
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Distribution |
Roan Group Archival Entertainment Region 0 - NTSC |
Alive - Vertrieb Region 0 - NTSC |
Runtime | 1:11:39 | 1:08:36 (4% PAL Speedup) |
Video |
1.33:1.00 Original aspect ratio Average Bitrate: 7.51 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.11 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
Bitrate: Roan |
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Bitrate: Alive |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) DUB: German (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
Subtitles | None | German, None |
Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details:
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Release Information:
Edition Details:
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Comments: |
The Blu-ray of Cause For Alarm! is reviewed / compared HERE ADDITION: Alive - PAL release (April 2016): I was hoping this might be uncut (see Christoph's comments below) and a serviceable release. It appears that neither are true, although I suppose it is watchable but very soft and waxy and I prefer the NTSC-timed, and OOP, Roan. I've always had a soft spot for this Noir and I'm sweet on Loretta Young. There is a German DUB and optional German subtitles and you can play the film in English without subtitles. No extras - pass unless this is your only option to see the film. *** NOTE: On Roan's Cause For Alarm - The real cause for alarm on the Roan DVD of CAUSE FOR ALARM! is that it is almost 2 minutes short: Chapter 3 ends with a fade-out on Loretta Young going back to the house (0:18:08); then chapter 4 starts abruptly in the middle of the next scene with a closeup of Ms. Young finishing a sentence, going "...thought has been for ourselves". The fade-out (a video fade, not a film fade) is the giveaway: Unlike this DVD, the film fades to Barry Sullivan, followed by Ms. Young entering the room and an argument ensuing. By the time she gets to say "(Every moment, every) thought has been for ourselves", 1 Minute and 59 seconds have passed which are missing on the Roan DVD. What's even more frustrating is that when the first release AED-2011 was replaced by AED-2011RM, the re-mastering affected only THE STRANGER. (Thanks Cristoph!)"Cause For Alarm" 's Roan Group DVD has included the second The Stranger film with one of the stronger prints of Orson Welles effort. These films are in the public domain, but Roan produces the best of these prints onto DVD. This is no exception. a relatively clear and detailed black and white print with no visible digital enhancements. It has no menus screens, no chapters, no Extras and no subtitles, but with two pleasing and forgotten noir films, I say it is a very nice purchase if you can get it at a reasonable enough price - mostly because i don't see superior options at present. |
Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference to the American
Style by Alain Silver, Elizabeth Ward |
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City by Nicholas Christopher |
Film Noir Reader 4 : The Crucial Films and Themes
(Film Noir Reader) by Alain Silver |
The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the
Classic Era of Film Noir by Eddie Muller |
The Little Black and White Book of Film Noir:
Quotations from Films of the 40's and 50's by Peg Thompson, Saeko Usukawa |
Film Noir by Alain Silver |
Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era,
1940-1959 by Michael F. Keaney |
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch |
No Roan DVD Menus
Alive - Vertrieb DVD Menu
Screen Captures
1) Roan- Region 0 - NTSC - TOP2) Alive - Region 0 - PAL - BOTTOM
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1) Roan- Region 0 - NTSC - TOP2) Alive - Region 0 - PAL - BOTTOM
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1) Roan- Region 0 - NTSC - TOP2) Alive - Region 0 - PAL - BOTTOM
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1) Roan- Region 0 - NTSC - TOP2) Alive - Region 0 - PAL - BOTTOM
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1) Roan- Region 0 - NTSC - TOP2) Alive - Region 0 - PAL - BOTTOM
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1) Roan- Region 0 - NTSC - TOP2) Alive - Region 0 - PAL - BOTTOM
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