Kansas City Confidential Blu-ray Coleen Gray

directed by Phil Karlson
USA 1952

This package includes a Blu-Ray and DVD of an absolute gem from film noir s golden era - Kansas City Confidential. Joe Rolfe (John Payne) is an ex-con on the road to rehabilitation when he s framed for a million dollar robbery staged by Tim Foster (Preston S. Foster), a vengeful former cop. By the time he s finally released for lack of evidence, it s already too late his face has been plastered on the front page of the newspaper, he s been fired from his job, and he s still healing his wounds from the beating he took down at the police station. Embittered and determined, he sets out to find the real criminals to render justice himself. A trail of clues leads him south to Mexico, and straight into the path of an inconvenient beauty (Coleen Gray) with ties to the ringleader, and some of ugliest bad guys you d never want to meet (Lee Van Cleef, Neville Brand, Jack Elam).

***

An action-packed film noir directed by Phil Karlson with a flare for showing off how violent it can be, but it's hardly a credible story. It's filmed in a semi-documentary style, as it opens when three masked men successfully rob a Kansas City bank of over a million dollars. They use a florist' van to make their escape, where they meet the fourth member of the gang in another vehicle--the Mr. Big who set up the heist. He gives the three spending money and half of the king card to identify themselves when they will meet a month later to split up the loot. The only one who knows all their identities is Mr. Big, therefore no one can squeal. Mr. Big sends each of the three to a foreign country to await a wire which will inform them where to meet for the split.

Excerpt from Dennis Schwartz' review at Ozu's World located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 28 November 1952, USA

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Comparison:

MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Sony/BMG - Region 0 - PAL vs. Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Alpha, Gotham Distribution - Region 0 - NTSC vs. TreeLine Films - Region 0 - NTSC vs. HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Gary Tooze and Ole Kofoed and Gregory Meshman for the Screen Caps!

(MGM - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Sony/BMG - Region 0 - PAL MIDDLE vs. Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers

Distribution

MGM

Region 1 - NTSC

Sony / BMG - Region 0 - PAL

Image Entertainment

Region 0 - NTSC

(Alpha, Gotham Distribution - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. TreeLine Films - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT)

Alpha, Gotham Distribution
Region 0 - NTSC

TreeLine Films
Region 0 - NTSC

HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Distribution	MGM Region 1 - NTSC	Sony / BMG - Region 0 - PAL	Image Entertainment Region 0 - NTSC	Alpha, Gotham Distribution Region 0 - NTSC	TreeLine Films Region 0 - NTSC	HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:39:21	1:39:15	1:39:06	1:38:51	1:39:00	1:39:16.116
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.83 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.74 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.57 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.54 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 3.12 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	Disc Size: 23,223,544,901 bytes Feature Size: 22,679,894,016 bytes Average Bitrate: 28.37 Mbps Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: MGM
Bitrate: Sony / BMG
Bitrate: Image Entertainment
Bitrate: Alpha, Gotham Distribution
Bitrate: TreeLine Films
Bitrate: Blu-ray
Audio	English (Dolby Digital mono), DUBs: French and Spanish	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles	English, Spanish, None	French, None	None	None	None	Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: MGM Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • none DVD Release Date: July 20th, 2007 Keep case Chapters 32	Release Information: Studio: Sony / BMG Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Catalogues of films • Biographies • Quiz DVD Release Date: March 12th, 2002 Keep Case Chapters: 12	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Still & Lobby Card Gallery • Exclusive Interview with star Coleen Gray • One pge Liner Notes by Eddie Muller • Rare Trailer to director Phil Karlson's "5 Against the House" DVD Release Date: June 4, 2002 Keep case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Alpha, Gotham Distribution Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: None DVD Release Date: August 27, 2002 Keepcase Chapters 5	Release Information: Studio: TreeLine Films Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: None DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004 Hard-Sleeve Chapters 4	Release Information: Studio: HD Cinema Classics Disc Size: 23,223,544,901 bytes Feature Size: 22,679,894,016 bytes Average Bitrate: 28.37 Mbps Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P Edition Details: • Restoration Demonstration (split screen - 1:06 in 1080P) • Trailer (:22 in 1080P) • Postcard with the poster • DVD of the film included Blu-ray Release Date: February 15th, 2011 Standard Blu-ray Case 12 Chapters

Comments:

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

ADDITION: HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray February 2011: This has similar issues to HD Cinema Classics Blu-ray of Orson Welles The Stranger. It is over-digitized and has lost much of the film's grain structure. It is unnaturally waxy and soft - I think I prefer the MGM DVD appearance. Like The Stranger the audio is not lossless and the extras are a restoration demo that shows very little, a DVD of the film and a short teaser trailer. This is single-layered with a decent bitrate and the film seems to improve as it rolls along. Contrast may be better than a few of the DVDs but there is still brightness boosting and worse than the MGM DVD which is currently only $3.98 and that is what we recommend!

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ADDITION - MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - July 07': I'll get right to the point - FINALLY! The MGM is the definitive for image and it has optional subtitles. No extras but for this Noir gem we are ecstatic it is finally available in a watch-able form. NO CONTEST - the screen caps tell the story! It is the only progressive transfer and it looks like night and day next to the others 'Public Domain' scoundrel versions. GREAT NOIR!

***

ADDITION - Sony/BMG - Region 0 - PAL - October 06': This is from the Nuits américaines series - Vol.4 - and shares the package with The Great Flamarion. These are great DVDs released by Sony/BMG in France. Vol 1 (HERE) contains Suddenly (1954)and D.O.A. (1950) Vol 2 (HERE) contains Vengeance Valley (1951) and Salome (1953). Vol. 3 (HERE) contains Sturges' The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) as well as My Favorite Brunette (1947). There are many more - but many seem to be out-of-print - but still available from individual sellers at Amazon.

Unfortunately the noted running time of the film and the associated artifacts show this Sony DVD to be from an unconverted NTSC source - it looks to have better contrast than the Image but the combing removes it from consideration. For tube viewing though it is as good as the rest, but you also get The Great Flamarion, which is a decent enough progressive transfer to make it worthwhile.

****

Looks like both the Alpha and the Treeline have had a lot of contrast boosting as well as being cropped slightly (left edge). The Image DVD is quite dark, but sharper. Both Alpha and Treeline have poor transfers from weak tape source and exhibit ghosting and other artefact problems. The Image has some Extras. Obviously we suggest the Image Entertainment DVD although they are all quite poor having the film lapse into Public Domain.

- Gary Tooze

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

Check out more in "The Library"

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(MGM - Region 1- NTSC LEFT vs. Sony/BMG - Region 0 -PAL RIGHT)

(Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Alpha, Gotham Distribution - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLEd vs. TreeLine Films - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)