(aka 'Une incroyable histoire')
Directed by
Ted Tetzlaff
USA 1949
In Ian McEwan's telling comment, 'low-budget films, enforce good behavior'; the best of RKO's post-war thrillers and social dramas thrived on this notion. Tetzlaff's tense movie - from a story by Woolrich - marks a variation on the boy who cried wolf (once too often). Here the boy is an over-imaginative kid whose working-class parents are driven to distraction by his stories. But one night he witnesses a murder. No one believes him, but the killers get to hear of it and decide to kill him. The chase and the climax are brilliantly handled against suitably authentic New York backgrounds.
Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE
A superior RKO B thriller variant on the boy who cried wolf fable, adapted from a short story by Cornell Woolrich. Driscoll is the kid who, from the fire escape one hot night, witnesses the couple in the apartment above killing a drunken seaman, only to have no one believe his story since they're all so used to his lying ways. Thrills begin when the culprits (Stewart and Roman) realize he knows the truth, and decide to ensure his silence. Pleasingly performed and shot, the film benefits from its evocative creation of the grimy New York tenements as a claustrophobic haven of crime and paranoia. Taut and gripping.
Excerpt from Time Out Film Guide located HERE
Poster
 |
Theatrical Release: August 6th, 1949
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Editions Montparnasse - Region 2 - PAL
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution | Editions Montparnasse - Region 2 - PAL | |
| Runtime | 1:13:12 | |
| Video | 1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.29 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
|
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate: |
|
|
| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 1.0), DUB: French (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
| Subtitles | French, None | |
| Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • Serge
Bromberg Intro (2:41) in French only |
|
| Comments: |
A typical unremarkable, interlaced Montparnasse transfer. The 'combing' is relatively fine but quite rampant. Contrast is fairly weak as well with a slight greenish haze over the image. Audio, although unimpressive, was fairly consistent. No extras save mono-brow Bromberg's usual intro-praise (in French only). Frankly, the biggest plus to this package is the wonderful film - an essential for Noir enthusiasts. I suppose we should feel fairly fortunate that the French subs are removable. I also love these slim cases. I would probably be recommending another version if one existed - but I think this is it - so you have to see this film via this method if you want it on DVD. I still say 'Go for it' just don't have strong expectations. |
DVD Menus
 |
 |
Screen Captures
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City by Nicholas Christopher |
Shades of Noir: A Reader by Joan Copjec |
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 |
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution | Editions Montparnasse - Region 2 - PAL | |
DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive and advertisement free:
Mail cheques, money orders, cash to: or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze 1775 Rowntree Court Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 4V3 CANADA |
|
Thank You!
