Blu-ray of On Dangerous Ground is compared to the DVD HERE

Blu-ray of Border Incident is compared to the DVD HERE

NOTE: Although the 5 main features (and bonus disc) of this boxset are housed in individual slim-transparent cases (see images above and below) they are not sold separately at this time and can only be obtained in the Warner Film Noir Classic Collection (6-discs), Vol. 3.

Technical specifications of the discs: It appears that Lady in the Lake and Border Incident are coded for regions 1,2,3,4, where His Kind of Woman, On Dangerous Ground and The Racket are region coded for 1 and 4. All discs are in the NTSC standard. Each have original English audio and options for English, French and Spanish subtitles in an off-white font with black border. All appear to be on single-layered DVDs (Except 'His Kind of Woman' and the Bonus disc) and all offer audio commentaries.

Image: For an unknown reason His Kind of Woman is not transferred progressively. It, hence, has moments of great weakness. I can't think of any other Warner DVD transferred in this limited manner. I will verify on another system but it would be impossible for me to obtain the 'combing' capture shown below if each frame was transferred individually. Likewise the bonus disc (Documentary and 5 Noir shorts) are similarly not transferred progressively although this is far more common with bonus material. In short His Kind of Woman rivals the very dark and frequently muddy On Dangerous Ground as the worst looking of the five feature films. His Kind of Woman does look very acceptable for most of the film watching through a cathode ray tube (standard tube TV). We will eventually fully compare On Dangerous Ground with its PAL counterpart. On the surface it looks a shade superior than the Montparnasse (PAL), but not a heck of lot better. Lady in the Lake has damage marks (dust and blemishes) and digital noise with highly visible artifacts but those weaknesses settle down as the film progresses and they become less of a distraction. Border Incident looks the best of the 5 with The Racket not far behind although it is rife with speckles in the first 7 minutes - both are fairly smooth and detailed - The Racket may have had some black-level boosting but it is not excessive. 

NOTE: We feel the selected screen captures below give a good representation of the image quality. 

Audio - All original (monaural) and I did not have any issues with the sound on any of the releases. Dialogue was always clear and consistent. I would say this is one of Warner's strengths - they rarely issue DVDs with substantial audio damage. I noted no excessive gaps, pops or hisses (perhaps a bit of hiss on On Dangerous Ground). 

Extras - The commentaries are all quite good. Staring with the best - Eddie Muller's encyclopedic knowledge informs us, in strong detail, of the history of the The Racket, its production and the director (John Cromwell). I can't see any Noir fan not being totally enthralled. He is the best. Of the others I am quite comfortable now with Alain Silver and James Ursini (Lady In The Lake) and Glenn Erickson (On Dangerous Ground) continues to impress me (as do his reviews). They all make me feel what a Noir piker I am and how much I look forward to learning in the future. I think professor Vivian Sobchack is well prepared and does a fine job with His Kind Of Woman and another prof. - Dana Polan - gives us debate whether Mann's Border Incident truly belongs in the Noir stylistic grouping. I enjoyed all of them and never found the pace overly slow with any excessive gaps. These commentaries are extremely enjoyable. Immense value for those interested in advancing their knowledge of Noir... and cinema in general.

Trailers are included for all (respectively) except His Kind of Woman and The Racket. 

On the bonus disc there is a fine documentary: Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light. Sydney Pollack and many others give thought to the Noir phenomenon with numerous short clips from some of the more recognizable films bearing that style. I also got a big kick out of the Noir shorts:

A Gun in His Hand (1945)
You, the People (1940)
Women in Hiding (1940)
Forbidden Passage (1941)

The Luckiest Guy in the World (1947)

They range from about 10-20 minutes each and have definite value although obviously limited by time for any advanced development.

Overall impression: The image quality in this boxset is a solid notch below Warner standards of the Film Noir Vol 1 and Film Noir Vol. 2 Collections. I'm also unhappy that these are not sold separately, but suspect anyone buying will indulge in the entire collection regardless. I'm not crazy about the colorized images from the film(s) in the menus - which continue to be anamorphic widescreen for 4:3 films (about as picky as I can get). Okay enough complaining... on the positive side - the extras are the best of any Warmer boxset to date. All 5 films have commentaries - and the bonus disc documentary and 5 short Noirs are a wonderful inclusion. Bravo!

Film Noir is addictive. Once you depart and return you never know why you left and constantly crave more. Like a friendly 'pusher' - Warner are supplying for my habit and I am very appreciative. I may get critical of the image (although who knows about the quality of the original elements), but I truly thank Warner for bringing this package for purchase availability at such a reasonable price. I think anyone who loves film is crazy if they don't buy this DVD set. It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life - as soon as I completed all the commentaries I wanted to repeat the process - this DVD package is pure gold. We hope our discussion of the image has prepared you to anticipate a slightly less-than-perfect appearance but we still strongly recommend this collection.     

Gary W. Tooze