Where the Sidewalk Ends Gene Tierney

directed by Otto Preminger
USA 1950

This was Otto Preminger's last studio pictures at 20th Century Fox. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" was adapted by Ben Hecht, writing under a pseudonym, based on the novel "Night Cry" by William Stuart. It still contains some wonderful film noir qualities and scenes. The plot involves a law enforcement officer, Mark Dixon, (played by Dana Andrews) who we are never sure of which way he will morally fall. He hates the bad guys and has a reputation for leaning on them too hard. This aggressive behavior cause him to kill a suspect with a defensive punch. He fights with his past and his father's (a thief) reputation to hide the crime, but will the pureness of Morgan Taylor (Gene Tierney) assuage his inner battle and admit the truth? This drifts in and out of the noir genre, but is a marvelous film regardless. out of

Gary W. Tooze

Posters

Theatrical Release: June 26th, 1950 - USA (Premiere)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

BFI - Region 2 - PAL vs. 20th Century Fox - Region 1- NTSC

(BFI - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. 20th Century Fox - Region 1- NTSC RIGHT)

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	BFI - Region 2- PAL	20th Century Fox - Region 1- NTSC
Runtime	1:30:54 (4% PAL speedup)	1:34:45
Video	1.37:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.54mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.64 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles	English, None	English, Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: BFI Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.37:1 Edition Details: • Director Biography (text screens) • Screenwriter Biography (text screens) • Original Theatrical trailer • Acknowledgements DVD Release Date: March 29th, 2004 Keep Case Chapters: 16	Release Information: Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by film noir historian Eddie Muller • Still photo gallery • Theatrical trailer DVD Release Date: December 6th, 2005 Keep Case Chapters: 20

Comments:

Akin to our "Whirlpool" comparison by the same outfits - Fox has eclipsed in all categories (except cover, menus and subtitles). The BFI image is less sharp, slightly cropped a has some contrast boosting. There is a bit more damage on the BFI but it just may be more evident as it is brighter (brightened). Eddie Mueller sure knows his stuff and the commentary is another excellent one on the Fox - I think he is getting better or perhaps more comfortable with doing them. If you factor price into this it really weighs the odds in Fox's favor and that is what we strongly recommend. I think its a MUST have for Film-noir fans.

Gary W. Tooze

NOTE: This cover is different than the one presently advertised on Amazon.UK HERE:

DVD Menus
(BFI - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. 20th Century Fox - Region 1- NTSC RIGHT)

Subtitle Sample