Black Angel -Dan Duryea

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by Roy William Neill
U.S.A. 1946

Elegantly directed by Hollywood veteran Roy William Neill (best known for his 11 Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone), Black Angel is an underappreciated film noir treasure, adapted from a novel by the acclaimed crime writer Cornell Woolrich (Phantom Lady).

When the beautiful singer Mavis Marlowe (Constance Dowling) is slain in her chic apartment, the men in her life become suspects. There is Martin Blair (Dan Duryea, Scarlet Street), her alcoholic musician ex-husband, nursing a broken heart; there is the shady nightclub owner Marko (Peter Lorre, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon) who has been sneaking around her place, and there is Kirk Bennett (John Phillips), the adulterer who found his mistress s dead body and fled the scene. When Bennett is convicted and sentenced to death, his long-suffering wife Catherine (June Vincent) joins forces with the heartbroken pianist Martin Blair to uncover the truth...

Black Angel is a consummate 1940s crime thriller which boats a suspenseful narrative, strong performances and atmospheric, meticulously lit cinematography. Roy William Neill s film is presented here in a sumptuous restoration, with several illuminating new extras.

***

Not exactly a pristine Cornell Woolrich adaptation, since the brooding subjectivism (so lovingly preserved in a real poverty row quickie like Fear in the Night) has been partly pruned to leave a moody thriller along the lines of Phantom Lady, beautifully crafted with the sort of unpretentious skill Neill brought to the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes series. The authentic tang of noir is lent by Duryea, superb in (for once) a sympathetic role as the tormented musician with the faithless wife who finds the solution to the mystery of her murder surfacing through the alcoholic haze of his memory. Lovely supporting cast too.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 2nd, 1946

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Comparison:

Universal - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover
Distribution	Universal Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC	Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:20:24	1:20:27.447
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.16 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.28:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 31,429,063,423 bytes Feature: 24,619,912,320 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.86 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono	LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	English, Spanish, French, none	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Studios Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Original Trailer DVD Release Date: July 6th, 2004 Keepcase Chapters 18	Release Information: Studio: Arrow 1.28:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 31,429,063,423 bytes Feature: 24,619,912,320 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.86 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • New audio commentary by the writer and film scholar Alan K. Rode • A Fitting End, a new video appreciation by the film historian Neil Sinyard (23:50) • Original trailer (1:32) • Gallery of original stills and promotional materials • Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Philip Kemp Blu-ray Release Date: January 27th, 2019 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 13

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (January 2020): Arrow have transferred the film noir Black Angel to Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the aspect ratio is skewed at around 1.28:1 as opposed to 1.37:1 (or a more acceptable 1.33:1). This elongated faces abnormally and Arrow is aware of the issue and addressing it. We have put captures to indicate the flawed appearance and the, eventual, corrected look. This is most apparent in the last set of screen captures looking at Peter Lorre's head. The other aspects are strong - great grain and contrast on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate.

On their Blu-ray, Arrow use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio and dramatic score by Frank Skinner (The Appaloosa, Madame X, Magnificent Obsession, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, All That Heaven Allows, Thunder Bay, and The Naked City) sounding richer with more consistent dialogue. Arrow offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

Arrow add a new audio commentary by film scholar Alan K. Rode who is at his usually prepared standard providing minutia on the film, actors, cast and crew including Duryea studying the piano for his role as Martin Blair. he informs us that Ava Gardner was expect for the role of Catherine Bennett but that didn't come to fruition and details on the colorful author Cornell Woolrich. It's excellent and Noir aficionados will appreciate his informative commentary. A Fitting End, is a new 24-minute video appreciation by the film historian Neil Sinyard who exposes further details of this lesser-discussed 'dark cinema' effort. There is also an original trailer and gallery of original stills and promotional materials. The package has a reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options and the first pressing gets an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Philip Kemp.

Black Angel is a gem of the noir cycle. Please stay tuned here as to the eventual 'fixed' Arrow Blu-ray - where we will post more information. I don't think the skewed aspect ratio was distributed to the public (or only a few) so the current links may be for the accurate transfer.

Gary Tooze