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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
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USA 1937
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Fritz Lang's second American film (often regarded as
his best from that period) is a bold paradox - diverging from the normal fare of
the times. Characters are introduced - they are put to a test - we question -
and quickly it is two star-crossed lover's vs. society as they fight an unjust
fate. Henry Fonda is perfect inflicting a stern, tempted but struggling body
language into his portrayal of parolee Eddie Taylor. Sylvia Sidney plays his
ever-faithful gal. It's great to see the birth
of Film Noir with Lang's expressionist influences as he waves his camera like a
moral wand over the wholesome "Bonnie + Clyde-esq" lovers on the run. Great
film, great ending with a spiritual twist right out of left field. I loved it.
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Theatrical Release: January 27th, 1937 - USA
Reviews More Reviews DVD ReviewsComparison:
Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL vs. Eagle Films - Region 'B' -
Blu-ray(Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL MIDDLE vs. Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT)
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| Distribution | Image Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC | Cinema Club Region 2,7 - PAL | Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
| Runtime | 1:25:39 | 1:22:27 (4% PAL speedup) | 1:25:56.041 |
| Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.33 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.97 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
Disc Size: 22,467,220,224 bytes Feature Size: 22,214,473,728 bytes Average Bitrate: 30.98 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 1346 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1346
kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Italian 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps / DN -4dB |
| Subtitles | None | None | Italian, None |
| Features |
Release Information: |
Release Information: |
Release Information: Studio: Eagle Films Disc Size: 22,467,220,224 bytes Feature Size: 22,214,473,728 bytes Average Bitrate: 30.98 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080PBlu-ray Release Date: February 2nd, 2011 Standard Blu-ray Case inside cardboard slipcase Chapters: 8 |
| Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc. ADDITION: Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - February 2011: This is quite good - the single-layered Italian Blu-ray has a very strong bitrate and appears to come from the same restoration/source as the UK Cinema Club (that now appears out-of-print). It has more grain, less artifacts, and shows some depth. Contrast is very strong. Ay time the Cinema Club now looks a little horizontally stretched beside the Blu-ray, or as a few point out the Eagle Films is vertically compressed (overly thin faces). This may be too distracting for some. There are no extras worth mentioning (a liner notes booklet in Italian) - audio is imperfect - a bit inconsistent (sometimes hollow and tinny) but is lossless in a respectable 2.0 channel. There are optional Italian subtitles and an untested Italian DUB but you can watch the film without either in the original English. Fans of the film, who can accept the ratio distortion, should consider indulging. ***
ADDITION - Cinema Club - June 06 - WOW - what a difference in every area - including price. Let's see the Image Entertainment is cropped, much more visible damage , much weaker contrast and it's double the price. Not a hard decision here - Image Entertainment should be embarrassed by this comparison. Buy the Cinema Club today - GREAT NOIR!
ON THE IMAGE
ENTERTAINMENT DVD: Sometimes you can have
some understanding and respect for older films that are not top-interest
driven being put to DVD. There is little to no profit in any
restoration. This is a very poor image and very poor audio regardless of
that fact. The picture quality is very soft and hazy and detail and
resolution are low. It has compounded that with no Extras. I can only
recommend this film, certainly not this DVD which is of Madacy quality
at best. Let's all wait and someone someday will put this film out in a
better transfer - perhaps in a Fritz Lang Boxset. I give this Image NTSC DVD
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out of
Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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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 |
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch |
DVD Menus
(Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL RIGHT)
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Eagle Films - Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
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1) Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Image
Entertainment -
Region 1 - NTSC
TOP
2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL
MIDDLE
3)
Eagle Films -
Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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1) Image
Entertainment -
Region 1 - NTSC
TOP
2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL
MIDDLE
3)
Eagle Films -
Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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1) Image
Entertainment -
Region 1 - NTSC
TOP
2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL
MIDDLE
3)
Eagle Films -
Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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1) Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Image
Entertainment -
Region 1 - NTSC
TOP
2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL
MIDDLE
3)
Eagle Films -
Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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1) Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Cinema Region 2,7 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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| Distribution | Image Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC | Cinema Club Region 2,7 - PAL | Eagle Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
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Gary Tooze
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