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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (August 2021): Kino have transferred Irving Pichel's O.S.S. to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "Brand New 2K Master". It has some inconsistency and the grain textures can be quite blocky at times. It has instances where it is quite flat but also times where we can see some pleasing depth. There are a few speckles but no untoward damage. Contrast seems decently layered in the 1080P. Overall, a more modest appearance which would probably be in-line with the best available source.  

NOTE: We have added 60 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (16-bit) in the original English language (with some German.) O.S.S. has many aggressive sequences; war planes, strafing runs, bombs, gunfire and more. They have impacting, flat, depth. There is a score credited to Daniele Amfitheatrof (The Desert Fox, Edge of Eternity, The Lost Moment, The Desperate Hours, Human Desire, Letter From An Unknown Woman) and Heinz Roemheld (Four Frightened People, Ruby Gentry, I, Jane Doe, Dangerous, The Monster that Challenged The World, The Land Unknown, The Mole People, 1933's The Invisible Man.) There is consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Samm Deighan. Samm brings up similar films; 13 Rue Madeleine, Fritz Lang's Hangmen Also Die, and Cloak and Dagger etc. dealing with spies or an underground resistance. She discusses a lot about the evolution of the real (O)ffice of (S)trategic (S)ervices, information on Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, John Hoyt, Gloria Saunders and, of course, the director Irving Pichel. She talks about the writer, Richard Maibaum, famous for most of the Bond films, spy gadgets surfacing in O.S.S. and other historical interests. It's a very good commentary - extremely well-researched and it increased by appreciation of O.S.S. There is also a trailer for O.S.S. and trailers for other films with Ladd or ones that are part of the noir cycle.

Irving Pichel's O.S.S. is, actually, a very well-made film. Another, more forgotten, effort that deserves rediscovery. Although it has Alan Ladd, it couldn't be considered Film Noir despite having some similar crime-related conventions. It's really about the evolution of the C.I.A. - civilians trained for clandestine work - in this case in Europe - helping thwart the Nazis. Very patriotic in the conclusion. It's a film I am glad to have seen via the Kino Blu-ray - I'll watch Alan Ladd in most anything from the 40s - and the package has the highly informative Deighan commentary as a valued supplement. Certainly recommended!

Gary Tooze